Blogging Increases Lead Generation Results

Lead generation through online means has evolved over the years. Back then promotions would run rampant here and there and Internet marketers would pounce at any minute to try and generate leads. Today however, much has changed and more people are realizing that content is the key to generating leads online. One of the best ways to use content to better your rate of acquiring leads online is through blogging.

Studies show that companies that increase their number of pages generate more traffic and leads online. And through blogging, you can rapidly increase your page count and therefore increase traffic and lead generation results. Studies have also shown that companies that update their blog multiple times a month have better chances of generating leads through their content. So, can you see just what kind of power blogging has in helping your lead generation campaign?

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Plan Appointment Setting Campaigns BEFORE Promising Seasons

Financial planning is no stranger to preparation. So when it comes to appointment setting, it is only natural to start planning already even before the start of a promising season. Economic storms and doomsday predictions are not the only things you can brace your business for. A season of opportunities will not also be as fruitful either if you do not have an idea on how to start taking advantage of it.

The challenge is to differentiate this from counting your eggs before they hatch.

Planning Lead Generation VS Starting It

The first thing you need to remember is that planning is not the same as actually doing. And unlike taking action, the sole value of planning for your financial leads lies in not costing as much as when you are pursuing them. The best part is that a good plan is the one that guides that action when the time finally comes.

Plans do come with their typical downsides though so make sure you take note of them and set proper countermeasures:

• Plans should be based on fact – Having an uniformed plan is no better than just doing things without thinking. Make sure you have indeed made a decent use of your financial expertise to make these predictions. If you do not want to count eggs that will not hatch, make sure you have at least enough proof of those that will. (And as a side note, this does not just apply to seasons but even to areas or markets that seem more promising than others.)

Related Content: Finding Sales Leads In Friendlier Economies

• They should be easy to adjust – Despite the facts though, they are not always set in stone. Sticking too hard to a plan that is just not relevant anymore is a popular reason why some people are not fond of too much planning. Your financial appointment setting strategy should not have to be so static. Changes in the economic wind are also something you need to prepare for.

• Is time sensitive – The main element of planning and appointment setting is time. Taking some time to plan ahead is much better than wasting it via coming up with a plan on the fly. The very purpose of setting appointments is to give people to get their own plans in order. In either case, you are arguably more concerned about time than about money. Another thing you should take note is the amount of time you spend qualifying your leads. Make sure the process does not fall behind and compromise you planned schedule!

Related Content: Falling Behind In Lead Generation? The Simplest Concepts Can Speed You Up!

There is no point in a promising financial forecast if there is no order to the things you do when a promising season finally starts. Doomsday predictions can cloud judgment with hysteria. But on the flip side, their prosperous counterpart can accomplish the same with hype. Plan before the start by getting the facts straight, be ready to adjust, and manage the time of your business lead generation campaign!

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Inbound Appointment Setting – An Emergency Tool Against Financial Scandals

Many professionals in the accounting and financial management industries are used to things getting dirty. But when things get dirty, an inbound appointment setting service can come in handy for both your business as well as those of others.

Use Telemarketers To Receive Requests For Investigation

You see while other companies have their own bookkeeping experts, it might take a combined effort to gather information, discover the missing pieces, and solve the puzzle. That is more or less how scandals are uncovered. Money goes missing and further probing is turning up a lot of loose ends. Inquiries are likely sent to companies like yours in the form of inbound accounting leads asking see if you can be consulted. Unfortunately, there could be just too much data to deal with and that is where the need for collaborative effort comes in.

Related Content: Sales Leads – The Dangers Of Data Overload

But first, you need to enable a channel through which prospects can inquire without the risk of being caught by the parties who are being suspected. This is where your inbound strategy comes in. In terms of communication medium, either telephone or email is advised. While it can be argued that conversations using the mediums can be tapped, it would be harder to do keep clean when doing so. This is why most B2B appointment setting companies still use these as one of their main tools for engaging with prospects.

Confidential they may be however, your prospect still needs to provide the following details or least give them up on following up:

• Name – When someone is being suspected of something as serious like fraud, the last thing you need is a prospect approaching you under an alias or worse, under complete anonymity. If this is what you got, get back to them immediately and get a real name. 

• Reasons – By 'reasons', these include the reasons for suspecting and the reasons for why they are contacting you. Pay attention to what your prospects are saying. It does not matter if they themselves do not have enough to go on. It does no matter if they are inviting you to collaborate in a much larger, investigative effort. You need to take note. You can leave it up to your salespeople to dig deeper but do not qualify without giving them a decent heads up.

Related Content: Use Lead Generation When You Need To Verify Online Requests

• Further contact – You should know by now that this does not stop at the first call. You need to keep in touch so that you will learn of any developments. Sharing information is part of what a good collaboration is about. As stated before, you cannot be the only one gathering all the clues and connecting the dots. Still, do not forget the risk of suspects catching on to your efforts. Establish how you are going to contact your prospects again. 

Just like those movie private eyes, you never know when someone is going to walk in to your business and request your assistance with something serious. And if you have already handled such cases, it is all the more reason that you need a secure channel through which your prospects can make inquiries. Do not just stick to using them for accounting lead generation but also as an emergency tool against those suspected of playing dirty.

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Too Many Lead Generation Methods Can Result In Overhead!

Overhead costs are something that many accounting professionals are very familiar with. Therefore, why not use them to check if your lead generation strategy is not contributing to that overhead?

Appointment Setting Costs VS Actual Appointments Made

Given the many channels that customers and prospects use, the idea of using various channels to cover your bases can be very tempting. There is actually nothing wrong with the idea in theory. But in practice, that is where the overhead will possibly arise.

In other words, even if you want to have your bases covered, how sure are you that covering them all will result in a sustainable flow of accounting leads? Your strategy should not be too static either because one month might net you more leads in social media but the following one has you qualifying more from telemarketing calls. You need to always keep track.

So to start, ask the following questions when evaluating your multi-channel lead generator:

• Exactly how many methods do you use so far? - Once you know the exact number, you will know how many tools are guzzling your money. Do not underestimate this step because you never know how out of touch you are when it comes to the actual methods you use. You might think that you have set your budget strictly for email marketing, website marketing, and telemarketing. On the other hand, what if you discover that your website marketers have entailed an additional cost of using social media? Social media marketing requires a different budget separate from all the others even if it is also done on the internet and still makes use of a website. Just as you make sure your leads do not demand too much from your resources, the same goes for your marketing tools. 

Related Content: How Many Sales Leads Can You Take? 

• Do you use these channels efficiently? - Obviously the more cash you spend, the more serious the need to justify the spending. If there is no form of measurable and satisfying return from any particular channel, then congratulations: you are wasting your money! However, maybe it is not really the amount that matters but how your entire B2B lead generation strategy markets on these channels. Are you aware of what they all have in common? Do you equally take note of what different skills they still require? How well do they compliment each other and does such integration give more value to the cost or just adds up to the waste? 

• Do you stand to lose more if you do away with them? - Sometimes you cannot just cut the funding right away. The point of the evaluation is to make sure you do not accidentally kill your golden goose. You might think that a single method is not delivering anything by itself. However, it could also still provide critical support for all the other kinds of marketer who have had more success. Again, scrutinize all the facts and only narrow down the elimination to the tool that has had contributed little to nothing whatsoever. 

Related Content: Scrutinize Your Sales Leads As Much As Prospects Scrutinize You

In case you have not noticed, the element of integration seems to be taking the most primary focus. That is because this is what differentiates methods that are too many in number and methods that are integrated and act as one. So perhaps instead of tossing out your B2B appointment setting tools, maybe all you needed to really do was to combine them!

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Growing Your Sales Leads Means Growing Other Businesses

In B2B, the relationship does not just stop once your sales leads are qualified or even after the deal has been it made. It goes beyond it, especially in industries like financial management. From the moment you make contact, you are already sharing your expertise on how to make a business grow.

An Appointment Setter Just Plants The Seed

Financial management can be a lifesaver given that it keeps a business from shooting holes in its own hull. On the other hand, not many businesses are aware of these benefits so that is why you use marketing and appointment setting to spread awareness of this basic concept.

And while the basic concept forms the cornerstone, you still need to nurture the interest a prospect has in it. A common mistake however is akin to accidentally pouring too much water on a plant. You need to approach businesses who have yet to be nurtured because there is not much you can offer to those who already growing either on their own or with someone else's assistance. Instead, focus on businesses who have yet to obtain your edge but are already in need of it.

Related Content: Risk Management – A Possible Edge For Generating Financial Planning Leads

This common mistake is the reason why some businesses will occasionally object to any form of marketing (direct or otherwise). You are already offering them something they have. That is why you have to make sure your financial sales leads are thorough.Still, some prospects might reject for the wrong reasons so go back to planting that basic concept:

• Can they really survive with the way they handle money? - After asking yourself this, pose this question to your prospects in a subtler manner. For example, use a website or host an event that highlights common errors and corrects prevalent misconceptions. 

Related Content: Financial Planning Leads And Spread Awareness Of The Ponzi Epidemic

• Present evidence and statistics – Follow through with your basic concept by backing it up with research and your own experience. For a better effect, make sure your sources put the focus on what you are providing. Demonstrate what happens to businesses that are too reckless with their funding. 

• You will still do business even if they are content – This is something you would be saying to yourself instead of your client or prospect. Just because they will not desire to grow or use money to expand does not mean you will cease doing business with them altogether. After all, you already helped get to that level. Sometimes you just have to let them be content. 

Never be afraid to share what you know. That is why you are in financial management in the first place. You provide both knowledge and a service that can help businesses grows. It is simply a matter of knowing who you still need to share it with. You do not even have to spend so much on the actual tools to spread it around. You have many lead generation companies you can outsource to help turn your growing leads into growing businesses.

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Using Lead Generation To Get A Two-Way Relationship Going

No relationship, business or otherwise, is purely one-way. Certain lead generation strategies can easily demonstrate this when it comes to relationships between businesses. More specifically, these strategies can help you to not only start these relationships but keep them going.

Your Lead Generator Is Your Channel To Your Prospect

Getting in touch is just the first step that a lead generator takes to qualify your sales leads. They need to establish both trust but at the same time, some form interest from prospect. Your salespeople can take a lesson from them when it comes to being careful with what you pitch. It can be difficult to balance between saying the things you need to attract interest and coming off as someone shady.

Related Content: In Telemarketing, Be Careful With What You Pitch

The trick is to establish a prospect's need while at the same time using that need to give your prospect more reason to divulge the information needed for qualification. This might sound like you are trying to ransom that need in exchange for information. But in truth, it is actually more like this: you provide a service but you cannot provide this service properly unless you have enough information for it.

Here is an example to further illustrate: You are a B2B accounting firm but in order to have the best solution from a salesperson, your prospects must provide a name, contact information, and a general idea of what kind of calculations and standards they particularly emphasize. It is highly doubtful that most will have a problem with this condition but there will always be the occasional prospect who is highly protective of their privacy. This is the moment where your accounting lead generation can either just drop them or highlight how much this information is needed in order to properly assess their situation.

Related Content: Use Lead Generation When You Need To Verify Online Requests

This can also be applied even on your current customers. Haven't you ever had a customer who only wanted your accounting services but made things difficult because they restricted your access to the information you needed? You might think that these customers are only maintaining their security but on the other hand, they cannot fault you for not delivering given that the information they made available is just purely insufficient. At this point though, you need to have really demonstrated how this information fits in to your accounting processes.

So as you can see, your lead generator can play a significant role by making your prospect realize that your relationship with them is two-way. You are willing to provide a service or a product but they can only get as much as what they give. The should not expect you to read their minds and fill in too many gaps that are not your responsibility to fill.

Make no mistake, you are still called to respect the privacy of your customers and prospects. But at the same time, those same people should also realize that they may not fare well because they are being overprotective of even them most basic details. Use that reasoning in B2B appointment setting and lead generation to get your two-way relationship going!

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Use Lead Generation When You Need To Verify Online Requests

One business convenience brought about by social media is enabling businesses to not only network but also post requests. For lead generation, any form of opportunity is open for qualification and these requests can count.

Do not get too excited though. Your lead generation process needs to qualify these requests to make sure these are verified and also give your salespeople a set timeframe to make their move.

Now there are two things that need to be considered before these posted requests become qualified accounting leads. One would be the things being said and two would be the things that are not being said.

What is being said?

Generally, the details you're reading on an online post could be your first window to a prospect's situation. Start with that first and try to gauge their problem as best as you can. There can be room for deeper investigations later but know that your prospect worded these concerns out first for a reason. Also, it's very important that you have some kind of record or link to that post because they will want to know how you've learned of their situation. Think of it as the online, B2B version of finding a job posting and showing up saying you saw it.

What is not being said?

There's only so much time a prospect can devote to writing out their problem, no matter how eloquent. This is where you start reading between the lines. You see the details about what really concerns them. On the other hand, there remains the possibility that they're not telling everything. They are posting on a public space after all. You don't expect them to give away too much information (especially when the problem is as sensitive as handling financial data).

Here's a short review of basic details that you must discover before qualifying:

• Contact data – Naturally, you take note of how to contact them. It might sound simple but do realize that they may not always give the kind of contact data you want to use. In this case though, you need to adjust. If they only leave an email address, start with email. If you have to use the phone, don't be afraid to do a bit of telemarketing. 

• Purpose – Some requests only state what they're looking for. They state a desire for someone with a particular type of expertise (for example, tax compliance) but don't give much explanation as to why. In fact, some posts consist with only a title with just a few contact details at the bottom. Don't just figure out what they want but why they want it. It could be for something far more serious. 

• Budget – Think twice when a company publishes its budget so freely on the internet. It's either a) not very accurate or b) they're taking a huge risk putting it out so they must really need your attention. Either way, you need to confirm this information as well as realize the urgency of a situation if it turns out true. 

Don't also forget the reality that with the internet, requests like these can easily come in the hundreds (even if it is for a B2B service like accounting). If you have your own website, you might even be attracting these requests yourself via contact forms. This could leave you with more than you can handle. Outsource a lead generation company when you're reaching that point. You'll need to qualify as many of these requests as you can before they expire or are pursued by competitors.

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Transparency In Telemarketing For Transparent Financial Planners

A common definition of transparency in business is the unobstructed flow of information to parties that have a right to it. This ranges from your stakeholders to employees. The use of telemarketing can either help your business live up to that call or violate it in the worst possible way. In the following, you will find two separate series of tips that can help your financial services attain the former whilst avoiding the latter.

How it can help you live up

• Transmits information – Whether you're communicating with new prospects or marketing to current customers, good telemarketing agents disseminate information clearly and professionally. They're aware of what kind of information they should share. They don't compromise the truth, regardless if their purpose to generate interest for financial leads or informing them of news of what's happening in your business.

• Opens you to feedback – Again, your customers and even inquiring prospects have a right to certain information. Having a call center to receive their inquires disables businesses from exploiting the anonymity enabled by more digital forms of communication. It's one way to show that you're being compliant to their requests.

• Gets you information – Of course, you require information as well. That's what generating leads is for. The challenge is determining an interest or a need even if a prospect is outright lying about the state of their financial management. You need to avoid being pushy though so despite wanting to learn.

How to not violate

• Avoid withholding information – When marketing to prospects or even just contacting current customers, always be honest about where you got their contact information. Avoid lying and admit your source up front. Fortunately, (especially for current customers) admitting to the source won't get you in much trouble when the person is well aware of their contact information being public.

• Act on feedback – Your prospects must both know and see that you've been taking their feedback into consideration. Don't just leave your telemarketers hanging with taking down and recording their conversations only to neglect having a look. Maintaining customer loyalty is all about not just hearing feedback but showing that you're acting upon it.

• State your purpose clearly – As much as possible, don't give prospects the impression that you're snooping around. You should entrust your telemarketers the responsibility of clearly stating your purpose for all the calls and all the questions. Of course, there's no harm in wording it in a way that's not too promotional. It's just a matter of being honest with why you want to get connected with a prospect.

As you can see, transparency is just as important in B2B telemarketing as it is in financial management. And given the prominent use of telemarketing across B2B industries, it's only logical that you both continue to live up to the call of corporate transparency together. It is only through transparency that you maintain both trust and integrity, two things that are important for not only staying in business but being a good business overall.

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Use Lead Generation To Filter Out Hype And Hysteria

The purpose of lead generation has always centered around information. Information, in turn, is ideally based on fact, based on truth. Truth is your primary weapon when fighting against the dangers of mass hype and mass hysteria.

And when it comes financial management, there are plenty times when you get a huge serving of both:

• Example of Mass Hype: Regardless of whether you agree or not, you'll find more than one naysayer who has criticized the Facebook IPO as one of the most over-hyped stock market events in history. It's also hard to deny the clear effect of hype on your financial planning leads. When many people are parroting about how this or that makes for a good investment, others are simply overwhelmed to even think of going against the tide. 

• Example of Mass Hysteria: Ever read the news about how the economy is nose-diving, jobs are being lost, and the world is in one big crisis? Of course you have. In fact, if you're a veteran in the financial planning industry, such sentiments have been common across all points in history. But whether or not there's an actual decline, it will affect the buyer behavior of your prospects and the financial morale of your customers. 

Sources of either mass hysteria or hype can come in many forms and sizes. Still, you can start with the most popular. On the flip side, you shouldn't be quick to disbelieve either. The trick is to stay objective and not easily lean to either side. Observe the information sources powering the hype/hysteria and weigh the facts using the capabilities of your lead generation services:

• News and Current Events – Even if you're just a casual net surfer, you'll find plenty of people who like to question one news network over the other. The abounding accusations of spinning are common knowledge despite their actual validity. That's why it's actually a good thing that there's more than one provider. If something is buzzing across the business section of your local paper or across the mainstream channels, use tools lead generation tools like telemarketing to run your own surveys and compare it to theirs. If not a survey, you can at least check if these recent events are coinciding with the responses being given by your prospects and customers. 

• Social Media – One of the greatest capabilities of social media is that it's the next level of information sharing. That makes it an even faster tool than the news networks when it comes to spreading the things that draw mass reactions from the general population. But again, there is plenty room for clutter so your lead generation team should have some means to participate in social media and see through any possible lies or distortions. 

• Competitor Reactions – The actions of your competitors are another major indication that something is stirring up the market in terms of financial planning and management. Make sure your marketers keep an eye on their marketing messages as well as your own. Are they banking it on what's been happening or are they also questioning the buzz they've been hearing? Are their actions, in turn already, changing the expectations and buying behavior of your prospects? 

Hype and hysteria can be the highest forms of misinformation. It's only logical to use the information-gathering tools of lead generation to thoroughly investigate what is being spread around.

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Data For Sales Leads Must Be Handled Responsibly

Whatever your marketing strategy, data is always critical. This goes not just from the very data found within your sales leads but also in the data you needed in order to qualify those leads. And no matter what kind of data you've gotten hold of, never forget the responsibility you have over it.

When it comes to financial services, the information you need for financial sales leads is often highly-guarded. The burden of your responsibility over it is heavy but not heavy in the sense that it should impede your entire sales process. Instead, this weight calls you to understand the sensitive nature of that information. Consider the following questions and see if you're living up to that responsibility:

“What kind of information must I start with?”

Today, the number of communication tools used in business has expanded. This is not only because of the new forms of getting in touch but also because many still retain traditional forms of communication despite that. This in turn, increases the amount of contact information you can use. But be warned, one form of contact data can be considered far more personal than the other. For example, between telemarketing and email, prospects could be more protective of either their phone number or email address. Your marketers must have the expertise to discern which one to contact with.

“How should I gather more information?”

Financial management can be a touchy subject for a lot of business owners. If you're aware of this, then you're definitely aware of the trust you first must establish before going any further with a prospect. They won't always entertain your questions even if you ask politely. Avoid being pushy or pesky and time your messages properly. Ideally, it's best to contact them first and give them plenty of time to think about your offer before following-up. You must be patient both in waiting for their response and searching for other contacts.

“Who else gets access to this information?”

You can boast a strong partnership between marketing and sales or even your company and an outsourced marketer. That serves no point if your customers and prospects don't trust the way you both handle their data. Since you know the value of both parties collaborating, then you should know that collaboration includes outlining the responsibilities you have between yourselves regarding your B2B sales leads. If both are in your organization, then you need to make sure that your database is secured, regardless of who has more responsibility over it. If one or the other is outsourced, strictly specify the kind of information you're sharing with them and listen when they specify the limits of what they can legally gather.

Finally, one more way to understand the weight of this responsibility is to simply see things from the customer's eyes. Don't you yourself guard the financial information of your clients as well as your own business? Aren't you also hesitant to share information that could lead to a breach? If your industry expects responsibility when sharing information, then that responsibility should extend to everyone including marketing and sales.

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Lead Generation – Getting Leads Offshore When You're An Onshore Business

If you're targeting local businesses as an onshore BPO company, there's an inclination to criticize your offshore rivals. Now that can't be helped, competition inspires such actions but please be careful when that attitude closes you off from other offshore services like lead generation. Here are three factors that should explain why:

1. Process

Obviously, just because you don't think your process is advisable to outsource doesn't mean the same for every other business process. You offer financial planning so obviously the closer you are geographically, the more likely your prospects and customers will trust you. (On a side note, it would also please them to know that the won't have to book a flight just to meet with you.) Your close proximity implies easier accessibility.

However, you don't necessarily need that proximity in lead generation. Offshore lead generation firms with a global market have strictly secured online databases which only you can access, regardless of geographical location. Defining qualified leads (which will be tackled next) can be easily done via overseas communication unlike discussions on financial reports and other, more confidential business data.

2. Elements of qualified leads

Your salespeople might have a lot of specifications that define financial planning leads however, are those definitions enough reason to keep it onshore? Sure, you can say that some prospects might want to relay more sensitive information during the marketing phase but that's more of a sign to redirect the leads towards sales. It doesn't mean that your offshore marketers are required to do their job. (In fact, they might even oppose to that idea.) One of the advantages of marketers is that while they don't have as much problem-solving expertise as sales, their more general understanding makes it easier for them to bridge gaps between specialists and their market. You maybe able to suggest an effective and complex financial solution but marketers only need to know enough to make it understandable and appealing to your prospects. That doesn't mean they want to be privy to everything you do between yourself and your customers.

3. Results

The results of your offshore lead generator don't have any connection to their location either. You want leads? All you need to do is log in to their database and there you have them. Their quality will speak for themselves once your salespeople report their own results. None of this require geographical proximity nor an actual visit to your offshore marketer's office. Furthermore, many offshore marketing firms also claim cost-efficiency as their advantage. Should their leads prove beneficial, then why stop outsourcing them? Wouldn't it be better to generate them at a lower cost to help lower the bottom-line costs of your entire business?

These same facts should be considered even when comparing yourself to offshore financial planning firms. You will find a sharp difference between comparisons to them and comparisons to other offshore businesses who do other business processes like lead generation and marketing. In the case of marketing, the process is already different, its purpose doesn't warrant geographical proximity, nor does that proximity have any connection to the results required. You can generate your leads offshore even you're an onshore company.

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Accounting Leads – Questions That Can Indicate Expectations

Knowing the expectations of a business prospect is part of the qualification phase in B2B lead generation. It not only tells you if you can meet up with them but also what you can do to help them understand the value your accounting services. That's why the sooner you discover these expectations, the sooner you can qualify your accounting leads.

For example, suppose your accounting services offer compliance consulting (particularly for taxes). Generating accounting leads for this particular kind of service will naturally have a related set of expectations.

What's interesting is that these expectations can easily reveal themselves depending on the kind of questions they ask. These could be asked by your prospect at any point in the sales process but they all require the things they want from compliance consulting.

1. Why should we trust you? - Obviously the most important first step in marketing: establishing trust. Furthermore, it's not only to be gained but also maintained. Do it right and that trust will eventually translate into loyalty. On the other hand, that loyalty can only be continuously earned if you market only quality service and integrity. That's one of the most basic but still most important expectations. 

2. Why do we need this? - This is a test of your expertise. Many B2B customers these days actually have enough capacity and information resources to really prove themselves a match. That's a call to higher quality but it's also another call to market that quality when you have it. They're looking for someone who can do things better than what they already know, so of course your accounting leads should alert your salespeople to present that proof. 

3. Will this get us in trouble? - This question sounds pretty loaded but if that's the case, then so is the entire subject on taxes. But then again, that's what compliance consulting is for isn't it? Its primary function is to assure their business clients that their tax reports are accurate and well within the requirements of government regulations. It's their way of testing expertise and awareness of bad business practices. If they didn't at least suspend their disbelief and expect that you could do this, they wouldn't even ask this question. 

4. How much will this cost? - And of course, you can't forget that when times are hard, taxes can make them harder. Questions like this will always indicate a budget which is a common measure of quality in lead generation. Prospects who ask questions like this expect your service to be affordable without a negative effect on quality and integrity. 

Knowing their expectations will also indicate the levels of priority a prospect will have on certain service features. They may not ask all the questions mentioned here after all. The expectations that these questions imply can also foreshadow the direction of your business relationships with them. That means it's not only sales that they can help plan ahead but possibly your entire company! Your sales leads must give such helpful information to your sales team prior to their meeting with qualified prospects.

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Qualifying Accounting Leads – General Or Specialist Knowledge?

Expertise is a popular selling point used by B2B sales and marketing. More specifically, it's expertise regarding that particular industry. It demonstrates a level of familiarity among marketers when they engage with possible accounting prospects. It demonstrates the knowledge of a salesperson when they're pursuing accounting leads.

Although, have you ever once reflected on your own standards for measuring that expertise? Are there times when you felt that you were being picky because you have yet to find a marketing or sales group that shares the same level of accounting knowledge as you? Were you ever frustrated with how their understanding was still too general and couldn't really relay your intricate message in your proposals and marketing material?

Well, before you consider looking for even more specialist candidates, you might want to read this article from Forbes. The subject deals with both specialists and generalists in the business world. More importantly, it might give you some food for thought and reasons to give the generalist approaches another chance:

“'We’ve become a society that’s data rich and meaning poor,' he says. 'A rise in specialists in all areas—science, math, history, psychology—has left us with tremendous content but how valuable is that knowledge without context?' Context, he says, which can only be provided by generalists whose breadth of knowledge can serve as the link between the hard-won scientific breakthroughs (think the recent Higgs-Boson discovery) and the rest of the world.”

It could be that forging that link can be just as important as pure expertise. For example:

• An outsourced telemarketing firm may not be able to fully grasp the finer points of your analyst techniques but they can use their general understanding and mold it into a message that's not only clear but very relevant to your target decision makers.

• When you're pursuing sales leads placed in your CRM, the information you first deemed as too general can act as the starting point of your discussion in a scheduled appointment. That in turn could lead to a deeper discussion with a prospect and give you insight that can help close the deal.

Speaking of which, different perspectives are another thing that general knowledge can provide, at least according to the article:

“After collecting more than 80,000 forecasts he concluded that when seeking accurate predictions, the non-experts were the best bet. It’s better, he said, to turn to those who “know many things, draw from an eclectic array or traditions and accept ambiguity and contradictions” than so-called experts. Relying on a single perspective, he found, was problematic, even detrimental to predicting an accurate outcome.”

You might be knowledgeable about the technical workings of accounting services but that might not be the same for your market. You might have greater need for people who can see things from their perspective rather than that of the experts.

This doesn't mean that expert opinion should be shunned. In fact, it could only mean that you'll need one as much as the other to complete the big picture. Why not go back and reconsider those marketers and salespeople with 'general knowledge'? They might have the other half of it.

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Generating Loyalty For Accounting Lead Generation

New contacts are just one source for accounting lead generation. There's also the alternative of targeting your current customers for entirely new leads. Many people have compared this strategy to B2C loyalty programs because it focuses on retaining current customers.

However, is it really a good idea to to have a B2B version of such programs? Well according to this article from StreetFightMag, not even B2C loyalty programs are as effective in influencing customer behavior:

“A recent study by First Data found that only 4% of rewards program members indicated that their membership influenced their decision of which restaurant to visit. In other words, a customer that buys a product nine times is going to buy the product a 10th time regardless of whether it’s free or not.”

Don't think that this could just apply to restaurants or even just B2C. The fact is relying on freebies and promos isn't all that effective in changing customer behavior. While the article goes on to describe how B2C businesses can fix their loyalty programs, this excerpt summarizes a point that could apply to any business (B2C or B2B).

“Customers are loyal to a restaurant because of good food and good service — not because of a deal, coupon, or a buy nine, and get the 10th free offer. No customer loyalty program in the world can drive customers to a restaurant with bad food and bad service.”

Now suppose you were to just replace words like restaurant, food, and coupon with things like accounting service, financial reports, and discount costs. While there's no doubt that lower costs are a major selling point for B2B accounting firms, relying on promos instead of the sheer quality of your service will eventually raise up those costs and the point becomes moot.

Using these promos and programs can also be bad business practice if you're using them as a means to keep customers dependent on your services. If you want a customer to continue business with you, then that dependence should still be based on the quality of your service and how you distinguish yourself from others. It shouldn't be based on anything else.

For a start, remember that you need to develop a relationship with your B2B clients. Even after you've closed your first deal with them, stay in touch and be at the ready if they suddenly have something to complain about. You can also ease communication between your business and theirs by:

• Diversifying Customer Support – Outsource to call centers with professional telemarketers to help manage calls from clients. Fix up your email response strategy so that they'll hear from you much sooner. Should a prospect request a meeting with you to discuss a problem, give them a date that they're most comfortable with.

• Doing Surveys – These can be phone surveys done using your current customer database. These can also be polls conducted on your business website. In both cases, you generate feedback from your clients and that feedback will give you insight on how to maintain (and even improve) the quality of your services.

If you're planning on using some sort of loyalty program, it shouldn't focus on anything but the quality of your accounting services. That's the only true way of gaining loyalty from any business, not subtle schemes that make it hard for them to find an alternative for reasons that have nothing to do your with your niche.

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Don't Add To the Tax Headaches When Pursuing Possible Accounting Leads

Some accounting services can be tasked with the job of including tax information when making financial reports. No doubt the reasons for doing so can be numerous but at the same time important. However, if taxes are a reason for why you're pursuing businesses for accounting leads, the you have to be careful not to add to the headache they already have whenever taxes are involved.

Now taxes have been a grave subject matter since ancient times. It's been a source of many controversial debates and thus, it's either part (or even the main reason) why business owners tend to drive themselves crazy over it. On the more positive side, if your accounting services can help manage the information regarding taxes, then such skills can be a great selling point when you're trying to make sales out of your accounting leads.

That is, assuming you don't add to that headache yourself with your marketing efforts.

But how exactly does marketing your accounting services do just that? Well here are just a few ways:

• Too much content – Whether it's the content of your website, email, or even a business letter, if there's just too much of it for your prospect to read or digest, then you're not making things lighter for their minds.
• Excessive promotion – The opposite of excessive content. If all you're doing is calling businesses with the same telemarketing message then you're adding to the headache by presenting them the same marketing message over and over again.
• Inflexible appointments – Even after qualifying the lead, you give your prospect a hard time with bad appointment setting. Clashing schedules or inconvenient dates are yet another classic source of headache for any business professional.

What all three have in common is that they're not making things easier for the prospect. Your marketing strategies either overload their minds with too much information or you just make things even more inconvenient for them. Both cases can be enough to drive anyone crazy. The solution is to demonstrate how your services can make it easier for them handle their taxes while keeping it all easy on their minds.

• Simplify – When explaining your process, make it simple for them to understand. Leave out the things that aren't too relevant to the subject matter of how you include tax information in your financial reports.
• Listen more, speak less – It's cliché but having two ears and only one mouth should really be understood as a call to listen more to your prospects and speak only when what you say can help them with what you've heard.
• Accommodate their time, not yours – When setting up an appointment, always be accommodating. Consider your prospect's schedule above your own. They've already had enough to think about when it comes to their numerous taxes. Set the date at a time they are most comfortable with.

Overloading a prospect is already one of the common mistakes in marketing. How much more when your marketing message will discuss a problem that overloads them enough already? Don't make the problem worse and make your business as easy to understand as possible.

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Financial Leads Can Be Found On Both Sides Of The Facebook Stock Debate

While both supporters and opponents of Facebook's stock will admit to it's less than satisfactory performance since it's IPO, neither side seems willing to let up and have come up with predictions to support their cause. However, choosing sides may not be necessary when they both can still be sources for financial leads.

But first, here's the Forbes article which details the predictions that were mentioned. On the positive side, you have two Covestor managers who cite three reasons to buy Facebook stock. And on the opposition, you have a managing partner who challenges all three with an overall emphasis on a single but major flaw. Regardless, how do any of this indicate either side as a potential source of financial leads?

Well first, here's a brief excerpt of what the proponents are saying:

“Kris Tuttle, who manages the Soundview Technology model, and Eric Steiman, who manages the Undervalued Opportunities model, say Facebook’s current valuation is attractive.”

The three reasons are as follows:

• Increased Profit
• Growth Potential
• Attractive Business Model

The details of each reason are explained in further detail in the article but for financial management and planning services, supporters of Facebook stock might need even just a bit of advice on how to act based on these predictions. Those specializing in risk management can can also join in should some of the predictions start falling short. Utilize appointment setting to schedule meetings and help make plans. The proponents of Facebook still remain optimistic and maintained their high hopes for the company's plans to monetize. But speaking of plans, that still makes them viable for leads because they could use some help making plans of their own to help them benefit from the predicted success.

Now for the opposition. While there's only one reason it is definitely a big one and it's this single, major flaw on Facebook's part that is fueling all those who question its value: uncertainty.

“For every stock cheerleader there is a naysayer, a category in which Andreas Scherer, managing partner of Salto Partners, could fall.

Facebook’s appeal to advertisers is limited, he tells me, with people using the site but not clicking on the ads. Also, its mobile monetization is unclear. But a looming issue for investors considering whether they should jump in now, he says, is the lock-up expiration, which happens next month. At that point Facebook employees will have to decide if they want to cash out now or take a chance that the stock will improve.”

So as always, uncertainty remains the overall hard-hitter for Facebook supporters. Whether it's the uncertainty of the effect of Facebook advertising or the uncertainty of who will take a chance versus those will cash out. Despite that, this uncertainty is another reason for why many companies out there could use financial planning services to help them arrive at a decision (instead of continuing to place their bets on Facebook). This too can be a sort of springboard with which you can generate interest for them.

As you can see, there might not be any need to really pick a side on this and which could be all the more better. The outcome of this debate won't have too much of a negative impact because there will be a need for your services either way.

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Be Wary When Setting Insurance Appointments In Light Of Recent Supreme Court Decision

The recent Supreme Court decision to support President Obama's health care reform has met with the expected reactions: support from those who see it as a clear path for Americans to more affordable health care and a vow to repeal it from those who wish to take over after the next election.

In the aftermath of such a decision however, it's there's more common sense in not picking sides. In fact, taking sides can have its consequences when it comes to business. Should Obama's opponents not only succeed in the election but also fulfill their vow, you will once again be in the face of another shaking impact. The above link isn't really intended to convince anybody but to simply highlight how different people view this decision. This difference in viewpoints is part of the bigger picture of just how differently people will behave in light of this political decision.

The volatility of the political scene should really give insurance providers something to think about when they're inclined to believe that government involvement really works to any of their advantage. Still, there's no denying that the recent decision will affect the behavior whether you agree with Obama's decision to compel businesses to provide insurance; or you agree with Romney that it makes businesses less inclined to hire people.

The truth though is that impartiality remains the wiser course of action in situations like this. History has long shown the dangers of businesses getting too involved in politics. It's a big gamble that only those who can afford the risks are willing to take. So with that established, how does a B2B insurance provider demonstrate this impartiality? How can you generate sales leads when your market seems so badly divided?

The obvious answer is through tact.

You need to adjust your marketing approaches to suit the mood of each prospect:

• For Those Who Oppose It - As evidenced above, those who oppose Obamacare don't sound like they're in a receiving mood. This makes direct marketing strategies ill-advised. Sure, they'll need to provide insurance for their employees but it's only logical to assume that they're not in a buying mood even if they are actively searching for a provider. It's more advisable to use a more subtle, inbound strategy. Get their attention through websites and advertising and let them do the initial contacting.
  
• For Those Who Support It – Obviously, you'll more likely succeed with a direct approach here. Besides, they would probably still need a provider whether or not the administration would mandate one as a requirement. You can try and take advantage of the excitement though by using telemarketing services. It can be argued that this would be a good time to see which among them are in current need of a provider.

Remember, tact is all about being on your toes. As a B2B business (or any business for that matter), one should always be careful to not discriminate against clients due to different political views. Too many political affiliations can be a double edged sword. Sometimes it's just best to play things safe.

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Play It Safe By Outsourcing An Insurance Call Center

The cost of investing in B2B lead generation is a high one. First off, you have to worry about hiring the appropriate professionals for your methods and specialists for both your industry and that of your targets. Sometimes you might even need more than the usual (especially if you're considering a combination of methods and are marketing to multiple industries). Secondly, you need adequate technology for when you communicate with your targets. Finally, this is followed by the means with which you store and maintain the data that had been gathered.

Unfortunately, generating business leads at that level is critical to the sales of companies in the B2B insurance industry. Managing a single person's insurance can get complicated enough, how much more that of an entire business? The information you need for a single person pales in comparison to that of an entire corporation. It can get even more difficult if you're generating leads in places like Singapore because the many businesses that rise up from growing economies tend to attract swarms of competitors.

Doing it by yourself, with absolutely no experience, is dangerous because all the money you invested would go to waste for the most common mistakes. Just to play it safe, try outsourcing first. There are plenty of lead generation firms who conduct campaigns all over (from telemarketing in Singapore to targeting big businesses in the US).

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Insurance Marketing with the Power of Outsourced Telemarketing Services

Marketing is a business’ best friend, especially for insurance organizations. Marketing (in a nutshell) is derived as processes wherein the exchange of goods and/or services is negotiated in order to produce sales. Henceforth, without marketing then there would probably little to absolutely no sales for a business at all. No sales means there won’t be any growth; so if this is the case, then what’s the purpose of putting up a business in the first place?

Insurance organizations are one of the known businesses as of late that rely greatly on many marketing procedures. Two of which are b2b lead generation and appointment setting. Generating quality b2b leads along with setting up sales appointments with them is the key to their insurance marketing campaign.

Many insurance organizations get a hold of their very own team of sales representatives to do these marketing campaigns, but that will take up too much of their time and money. To almost negate these problems out of the equation, many have already sought out the aid of a telemarketing company to outsource to.

The benefits of outsourcing to a telemarketing company include:

· Lesser capital cost
· Near instant expertise
· Campaign is supervised closely
· Neutral accent when speaking to prospects
· Follow-ups to ensure appointment authenticity

· target the campaign to get USA, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, or Australia leads
· And many more…

If your insurance organization is in much need of qualified, or even pre-qualified leads and business appointments, fear not as there will always be a reputable telemarketing company to come to your aid. Contact one now and experience the huge benefit of getting their services.

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Guide to Outsourcing a Financing Lead Generation Company

Outsourcing has long been practiced by several companies. Instead of getting a job done on their own, they hire service providers. They do this for two reasons. First is to avoid huge expenses, which usually include manpower and related benefits, overhead costs, administrative expenses and a lot of various expenditures. Second reason is the quality of goods and/or services. They do not just benefit from the cheap expenses but also with the high-quality output. Minimizing expenses to get maximum results is just the best approach in doing business. It is like hitting two birds by one stone. 

If you want to find the right financing lead generation company, you have to select not less than the best for the right price. But of course, there are risks. The worst of which is the possibility of partnering with a good-for-nothing marketing firm that does not know what it should be doing. To avoid such misfortune, here is a list of guidelines.

Choose your medium. What do you want to use in targeting the prospects? Is it online or offline, or both? Of course, you have to choose a company that offers the marketing tool you prefer. That is if you have already chosen.

Obtain an understanding of the BPO company's business and reputation. Be acquainted with the service providers so you can uncover both the positive and negative sides before you even contract them.

Seek advice from forum members. Opinion from other decision-makers are important since those are unbiased and based on actual experiences. But be sure that you are well-informed and data are not shallow. 

Experience and industry expertise are priorities. Two of the most essential elements in outsourcing are experience and industry expertise. Evaluate their client portfolio, case studies and other resources. The bottom line is to get a partner that is already a specialist in generate finance leads, such as lending leads, business loan leads, refinance leads and debt settlement leads.

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