Selecting the right B2B telemarketing vendor

Telemarketing is a tremendously effective way to nurture your business. For this reason, businesses around the globe outsource this task to telemarketing companies who are well-versed in their domain(s).

One of the chief reasons businesses fail to get the most from outsourced telemarketing is because they are not clear about what they want from the offset. There are abundant telemarketing companies but not all of them will be right for your business goals.

Remember, you’re not just procuring a service, you’re accepting people who will represent your business and brand voice. Selecting the right telemarketing company for your campaign is salient for the appointed firm will be representing you in one of the most personal forms of marketing communication. Get it wrong and your brand can be diluted.

Hiring the wrong B2B Telemarketing Company will diminish productivity, cost you big bucks, and will reflect poorly on your brand.

So, where should you start?

The #1 step is to identify the services your business will need.

Here’s a list of B2B Telemarketing Services

• Account Based Telemarketing
• Appointment Generation
• Content Opt in Telemarketing
• Confirmed Call Back Telemarketing Leads
• Lead Generation, Branding, Building/Adding Subscribers
• BANT Leads
• Highly Qualified Leads

Once you decide what services your company needs, you then need to research potential telemarketing agencies that suit your needs the best.

Here are the 5 key categories to evaluate when hiring a telemarketing partner.

Skillset

A great advantage of outsourcing telemarketing is access to a qualified workforce on a budget.

Services like inbound marketing, outbound marketing, B2B, B2C, event promotion or content marketing, demand a specific set of skills. Once the skill set is identified, make sure you evaluate potential telemarketing firms.

You may also want to give equal attention to language the workforce specializes in. Is the mode of communication in sync with the target audience where you plan on outsourcing your telemarketing needs? Fluent language is what connects you to your customers/clients and ensures smooth delivery of the message.

For example, if your target audience is in Europe, ensure the workforce is fluent in English. French and German language can be considered a bonus.

State Of-The-Art-Technology

Another significant factor is the technology the telemarketing services vendor is employing, including their ability to evolve and customize the technology to meet your needs. Is the outsourced telemarketing company armed with all the necessary software?

Budget

Straight up, budget is an essential factor before locking up any deal.

There are various pricing models in B2B telemarketing. Different pricing structures may produce different results.

The trick is to select an agency that fits well in your budget and ensures you get great returns on your investment.

At OnlyB2B, the pricing model is structured in such a way where clients/customers only pay for the qualified leads and not for the efforts. This ensures you are vesting a budget aside for approved & quality leads that are likely to bring you sales and conversions, no fluff!

Experience

Having relevant sector experience is vital to the success of a targeted telemarketing campaign as the company has previously worked with other clients within your industry.

The more knowledge that they have of your sector, higher the probability of sending results your way.

Websites are the best places to discover a companies’ work. Before deciding on a company, you must first go through their portfolio, recent case studies, and testimonials. Also, reading reviews about the company online to see what the other people have to say about the vendor is also helpful.

Be sure to check that the company is a member of any relevant professional bodies. In the United Kingdom, membership of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is a testament to the standing of telemarketing companies and showcases their standing within the industry.

So far, we’ve generated leads for these brands and many more

Discuss Reporting And Feedback

After assessing the workforce, experience and budget, discuss their method of reporting. As a paying client with a vested interest, you should be kept up-to-date at each pivotal stage of your campaign and you should expect a formal reporting process that will monitor the number of calls made and the response rate.

The right company will agree to supply both quantitative and qualitative feedback that gives you meaningful insight into how the campaign has been received.

Taking the time to assess all the above parameters can set you up for a productive long-term relationship with a telemarketing firm.

Vikas Bhatt is a demand generation, content syndication and a data cleansing ninja. He is the co-founder of OnlyB2B, a global organization that helps brands and businesses gain maximum leads and skyrocket revenue.