As an example, technology is outlined in the book as a barrier to entry. After receiving an e-mail your potential prospect has several options:

1. Read it and reply (highly unlikely)
2. Read it and discard it
3. Dismiss it as spam
4. Dismiss it as spam and block future e-mails from your address

More often than not the prospect will dismiss your e-mail as spam or simply ignore it The “Circle of Leverage“ is designed to help you to surpass this and other barriers, allowing you to get in the door.

So what is the Circle of Leverage? The circle of leverage system is a top down sales lead strategy that gives detailed steps on how to cause your potential customer to ‘want’ to let you in the door. According to the author this can be accomplished by activating one of your targets four ‘Key Engagers.’ The four key engagers are; your prospects fears, insecurities, competitiveness, or desires what Mercury Leads refers to as the “pain or gain” factor. For example, if your target fears what might happen if you aren’t let in the door, (missed opportunity) what will motivate them to give you the chance to present your ideas? Acting upon one or more of these key engagers will enable you to get your foot in the door with a highly qualified sales lead.

In total, the system includes 15 steps. There are ten preparation steps designed to expand your knowledge base of your potential client and five execution steps. After reading through all the steps of the Circle of Leverage system it is easy to envision a cohesive business development process. While this lead generation system is not guaranteed it does seem to be a sound concept. The real question is does it work. For Mercury Leads, it is a sales lead system that definitely seems to present good ideas on how to get in. At the same time, many of the ideas presented in the book seem redundant. Preparing and executing follow up steps have been a part of the sales lead process forever. The tactics that sets this book apart is what happens behind the scenes. Using several ‘leverage points’ the lead generation system is designed to cause your targets to be talking about you or your product before you even talk to them in person. This is where the aforementioned key engagers become essential in your pursuit of a sale. One example Boylan gives in the book outlines letters that he sends out to several targets in a business that trigger the competitiveness engager. In these letters he describes how he is already talking to several of their competitors about his product. Boylan believes the targets are much more likely to let you in the door because their competitive instincts compel them to learn what their competitors already know about you and your product.

This book describes a system that, on the surface, seems to be a bulletproof idea. However, this system seems a bit coercive at some points and, if placed the wrong hands, I could see how people could make some wrong turns. Nonetheless there are several good ideas presented in the book and was definitely a good read.  We give the book a thumbs up.

The Fifteen Steps:

Preparation:

1. Define what you need vs. what you want
2. Do your homework
3. Develop a prospect profile
4. Understand your prospect’s nature; key drivers such as competitiveness or opportunity for gain.
5. Crystallize the net benefits of your offer
6. Know your competitors net benefits and your key points of difference
7. Reality Check: Why do you deserve to get in?
8. Crystallize the net benefits of granting you access
9. Take stock of your firepower
10. Check your attitude

Execution

1. Prepare your initial communication and put it in play
2. Flush out your prospect
3. Dance, Sponge, and Reiterate
4. Align and champion your offer
5. Open their door

Book Review – The Power To Get In, by Michael Boylan is a post from: Lead Generation Strategies: No Longer A One-Hit Wonder!

• 23 percent had bought the product or service advertised from the advertiser or a competitor.
• 67 percent said they were still in the market planning to buy.

And, looking back at older inquiries, they found that of those who bought:

• 11 percent purchased within 3 months of inquiring.
• 17 percent purchased within 4-6 months.
• 25 percent purchased within 7-12 months.
• 47 percent took more than a year to buy.

What are the best practices for lead nurturing?  To us it’s a combination of touch points that involves a multi-channel ongoing effort (not a campaign) to place your company “top of mind” with your prospects. 

A process which we’ve found to resonate with prospects particular if you’re doing lead generation of the complex sale involves some or all of the following:

• Targeted Profiling – The 40/40/20 rule in Direct Marketing of the importance of list/offer/package needs to be updated, particularly when you use your website and internet marketing as the lever. The list or prospect profile is vitally important. Mercury Lead’s experience has shown that up to 60% of your sales success can come from some simple tricks of the trade and a razor sharp profile.
• Intelligent Engagement – Requires highly trained teleprospecting talent who are expert in nurturing (there’s that word again) gatekeepers, and motivating the prospect to consent to the personal meeting, virtual event, or minimally future communications so you can win mindshare over time.
• Creating Interest – You can’t hook the big fish if you’re using the wrong bait!  All aspects of your lead nurturing effort need to be considered.  Today’s Chief Executives are increasingly being held accountable for performance and you will too.  Your brand or solution better come equipped with a quick path to ROI.  This requires that you articulate the WIFM (What’s In It For Me?) equation, through a multi channel lead generation process including targeted website and landing page content, killer value propositions,  all centered around your prospects problem or missed opportunity. 
• Call-To-Action – Remember in today’s impatient world you have 8 seconds or 2.3 clicks to make this happen or you lose the fish.  Every time you communicate with your prospect whether through a personal call, email, user group, or social mechanisms you need to provide a reason for your prospect to take action.  Some channels require direct and motivating CTA’s like pay-per-click advertising or vertical specific landing page deployment while other tactics are more of a soft sell.  SEO Search Engine Optimization and Social Media Marketing are examples, but in all cases a Call-To-Action is needed.
• Creating Thought Leadership – Let’s face it, the best lead generation strategies will yield a small percentage of immediate opportunities (or A leads) for your company.  What then happens with B& C opportunities?  This is where most companies fail to have a long term vision.  Mercury Leads has customers where up to 20 touches are planned over a period of 2 or more years.  This is particularly important when selling a high ticket item with a long sales cycle.  Creating thought leadership is done through creating value in your prospects eyes over time.  Tactically this can incorporate many of the channels discussed above, and you need to strategize what works best with your prospect.  There is a fine line between being informative, staying in touch with useful information and being obnoxious. 

Lead nurturing is very much like fishing.  You need to plan to fish in the right spots, have the best gear, and irresistible bait, but most importantly patience and you will catch your limit.

Lead Nurturing Your Prospects for Higher Yield is a post from: Lead Generation Strategies: No Longer A One-Hit Wonder!

• 44% of all mobile users checked their mobile in the last 30 minutes.
• 86% are between 18-44 years old & 54% make over $50k a year.
• 68% own a smartphone.
• 45% say that when they wake up checking their smartphone is the first or second thing they do (smartphone was 2nd to going to the bathroom.

Even more compelling, average purchase intent of mobile marketing is 5x of online marketing.  Simply stated people use their mobile to “save time” or to “kill time”, and they can do this anywhere or anytime, giving the media instant dominance over online marketing.  So how can you use Mobile Marketing to enhance your B2B marketing?  The following are ideas for ways in which Mobile can be utilized as part of a B2B marketing/communication strategy:

1. Lead Generation – Offer something of value in exchange for signing up to your ‘opt-in’ list; provide potential customers a link to a white-paper, a special discount, a video, or other standard B2B strategic tools in exchange for adding themselves to your prospect list via Mobile opt-in.
2. News/Updates – Important and time-sensitive customer updates can be sent directly to your opted-in clients using SMS (text) messaging. Further, people like being ahead of the crowd and being among “the first” to know something; send your customers updates about product launches, product updates or upcoming events.
3. Emergency Notification – SMS (text) messaging is a great way to notify your employees or customers quickly. Send critical updates of last-minute event location changes or just before your company’s important meetings.
4. Special Promotions – Communicate with your customers, distributors or franchises via SMS with the details about special promotions they can offer to customers.
5. Employee Assignments – Improve your customer service and dispatch employees to their next customer location via text messaging.
6. Presentations – Communicate with your audience during in-person or webinar presentations, conduct polling.
7. Customer Service – Many companies offer customer support and problem resolution via text messaging. This can save you money and help you channel problem tickets more effectively.
8. Events – Implement a text messaging marketing strategy to promote weekly meetups or networking events for members, or remind employees about upcoming meetings. Send out key logistic information like changes of venue or detailed parking instructions. You can even take event registration information via text!
9. Customer Payments – Use mobile technology to allow your field-service reps to take customer payments via mobile; get immediate payment, encrypt customers credit card information, and manage payments risk-free!
10. Trade Shows – Use Mobile at trade shows to exchange information with prospects; allow them to enter contests, request and receive company information,  or see a video about your product or service.  Send text alerts to attendees about your next presentation so they’ll have time to get there before it starts!

As you can see there is a lot that you can do as B2B marketers to use mobile marketing in your communications mix.  As we know, B2B marketing involves multiple touch points with well though out lead cultivation process incorporated.  Mobile can be one of the tactics deployed to make you a thought leader in your industry and this leads to more business.  What are you waiting for?

Is B2B Ready for Mobile Marketing? is a post from: Lead Generation Strategies: No Longer A One-Hit Wonder!

World renowned telemarketing guru Jeff Gitomer once said, “You don’t get great selling in a day. You get great selling day by day.” This statement really personifies what it takes to be a great telemarketer. Sales is not a once and done process. In today’s business world, information is everywhere and is easily accessible. Companies looking to buy, now have options for them that were once unavailable. However, that doesn’t mean that C-Level executives won’t entertain a phone call from a professional b2b sales lead generation company. Even an expert telemarketer must now play by a new set of sales rules. I’ve outlined 10 steps to making an effective telemarketing call in today’s economy.

1.    Attitude – Before you pick up that phone your thoughts and emotional state have already determined if you will be successful or not. If you, the telemarketer, don’t have a good attitude, followed by expert knowledge and a true sense of passion the prospect is going to bail at the first opportunity. Be exceptionally well prepared with your product, script and b2b sales offer.  Prior to making that telemarketing call do something that puts you in the right frame of mind. Think of this time as warming up. Even Michael Jordan took practice shots before a game.

2.    The Opener – Once you have identified that you are communicating to the right person, present your value proposition in the first 30 seconds of the b2b sales call. Before the telemarketing call, craft an attention getter, typically referred to as the Value Proposition (Value Prop) or Unique Selling Proposition (USP).  This is the #1 reason that your prospect should remain on the telemarketing call with you.

3.    Find the Pain, Sell the Opportunity – In today’s business environment managers are increasingly being held accountable for costs and/or generating a profit. As a b2b sales lead generation expert your job is to identify the unpublished point of pain and explain  how your solution fills the void. Conversely, if your solution can increase unrealized sales or profitability, you, the telemarketer, are smart to present these opportunities quickly and succinctly.

4.    Interact – There’s nothing worse than a one-way conversation. Your prospect will soon exit the call.  An expert in teleprospecting lead generation is prepared prior to the call and probes the prospect for an opening to present their solution.    They do their homework and know the prospect, the company, and have a solid profile in hand prior to making the call.  They also have anticipated objections and can counter these with meaningful expert dialog enabling them to achieve their objectives for the call.

5.    People Buy From Experts – There is really only one reason b2b sales people thrive, they have more knowledge than the buyer. The professional telemarketer brings experience via their solutions that the buyer needs and doesn’t have. Telemarketing is the easiest and most efficient way to present these solutions to the decision maker and open the door to the demonstration.

6.    Focus on Maintaining – Your power questions should help guide the prospect to share what dissatisfies them most about their corporate situation. One tactic during a telemarketing call is to tell the prospect how you’ll stabilize their profits, safeguard against industry trends, overcome fear and abolish their worries. Prospects are just as motivated to maintain what they have as they are to buy something new.

7.    Practice Makes Perfect – Role Play. Rehearse in the mirror if you have to. Take the time to come up with a good script designed for teleprospecting lead generation and rehearse it until you don’t need the script. Then take it to the next level, pitch it without benefit of the telemarketing script.  If you’re the expert your product knowledge should allow you to succeed with the prospect pitch.

8.    Close – You’re saying this a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised at the number of telemarketing professionals that don’t have a defined path. You’re in charge of the call and need to stay in that position. Lead the prospect to where you envision and you will realize the predefined goals and objectives of your teleprospecting call.

9.    Cultivate the other 95% – In B2B sales it is may take to 5, 6, 7 or more telemarketing phone calls, webinars or face-to-face conferences to close the deal. During that time you need to build trust and credibility.  Position yourself and your organization as industry and thought leaders with articles, whitepapers, graphs, webinars, podcasts, testimonials and client case examples. Learn to read your prospect and present solutions to their objections. When the time is right don’t be afraid to ask for the sale. In telemarketing, persistence pays off. Each teleprospecting lead generation professional has their own style, learn which style works best for you then learn to refine it.

10.    Review – Take the time after each telemarketing call to review what you could have done better and then learn from those mistakes.

It takes a lot of time to become a great b2b sales lead generation expert. Remember, you will be rejected. You only fail when you quit. Don’t ever doubt yourself; with practice anyone can be a darn good telemarketer. To quote legendary teleprospecting connoisseur Red Motley, “Nothing happens until a sale is made.”

Good Selling,

Paul J. Plvan
Mercury Leads, Inc.

The Art of the B2B Sales Call is a post from: Lead Generation Strategies: No Longer A One-Hit Wonder!