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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