How to Maximize your Online Lead Generation Budget without Burning Out in Singapore

Marketing budgets are expected to increase this year. The SMB Internet Marketing Survey shows that at least 37% of small and medium enterprises are going spend big for their online marketing campaigns, particularly lead generation, due to the increasing popularity of wearable devices, the introduction of new social media tools, and the various opportunities that app development has in store for businesses.

Enterprises in the B2B arena should also allocate more resources to their online marketing efforts as well. But this is not to say that such a plan works perfectly, especially when one faces a business landscape fraught with risks and volatile buyer behaviors.

One thing is for sure, there is no certainty that bigger budgets lead to bigger revenue. You might, for example, invest in updating your marketing automation software to generate more B2B sales leads. But these investments are made practically useless and unnecessary when only a tiny fraction of your MQLs would actually engage in a purchase.   

It all boils down to planning and tracking your progress. It is important that businesses use their resources properly to maximize their lead generation activities and produce the intended benefits.

Create compelling copies

When making online advertisements, especially with Google AdWords, it is essential that businesses create compelling copies that attract rather than repel potential buyers. Ads should be effective enough to draw attention and urge audiences to engage you further down the pipeline. Someone with proficient ad writing skills might just be an answer to give what you really want for your online ads.  

Watch your numbers

Observe your web metrics using Google Analytics, with special focus on unique visits and bounce rate. An increase in visitor traffic obviously means your investments are being put to good use. Low traffic, of course, translates to a waste of resources which should be enough reason to improve the content of your online platforms.

Track your progress

This is a tie-in to the previous item. While you are gauging the effectiveness of your landing pages, it is essential that you be constantly ready to act. If your web conversions dip, determine the aspects of your online campaign that might have something to do with it. And always remember: don’t settle with good enough numbers in your online lead generation.

There are numerous business opportunities online, yes, but meeting these wouldn’t be possible without acknowledging the risks when financing your campaign.

The Expert B2B Telemarketer at work: Negotiating Effectively

In B2B lead generation and appointment setting, a telemarketer’s task is mostly about discussing a product’s features and getting to know more about a prospect. But aside from that, negotiating is also part of the job. It may be about the exchange of information, scheduling the meeting, or closing a deal – it all boils down to how good a telemarketer is in meeting the prospect halfway.

This is how an expert ‘negotiator’ develops his skills:

Grow a mindset

Confidence is important in conversations. A successful negotiator is secure, not easily disheartened, and free of feelings of anxiety and fear. Being confident does not suggest taking a position of power over others – only over yourself. You have to know what you want the outcome to be like and to work towards it.

Open your ears, close your mouth

When you listen actively instead of doing all the talk, you can better understand from what standpoint the other person is coming from. Sit back and listen. Understand their needs and their perspective, and then ask them probing questions that could be used in effectively customizing your pitch.

Do your homework

The more you know coming into the phone discussion, the more questions you will have, and in turn, the more information you will collect to negotiate with prospects. Aside from that technical advantage, prospects would also feel that it’s not a cold call since you know so much about them (although it may be as cold as it gets).

Be positive

Confidence and positivity go hand in hand. Successful people oftentimes find themselves in their positions because they believe that success is coming their way. Not a lot of people know that nurturing a negative attitude can b e reflected in the manner of speaking to people. Prospects will always know a telemarketer’s outlook just by having an off-putting tone of voice or choice of words.

Give and take

Every negotiator knows that the success of a conversation is always dependent on how much either of the party is willing to compromise for them to arrive at a fair deal. Now if you want your prospect to opt-in to your e-newsletter, or download your samples, or talk to your sales associate, you’ve got to give them something valuable in return.

Know when to fold

When a negotiation reaches a point when it is becoming hopeless, you have to recognize the difference between persistence and a graceful surrender. Conceding to a bitter truth can actually extend the life of a contact on your list for future conversations. 

5 Call-To-Action Criteria for Effective B2B Lead Generation

Back when dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, call-to-action elements in marketing are pretty much straightforward, just like when you hear something on the TV that says “If you call right now, we’ll slash off 15% from your total purchase, plus you’ll also get a limited-edition mug!”

Although you can still hear those lines today, most of today’s calls-to-action are web-based, and they are usually manifested by buttons and links strategically positioned on a web page. In Business-to-Business (B2B) lead generation, these elements are important to direct prospects into the next levels of the sales process.

But what makes call-to-action buttons and links effective in compelling prospects to dig in deeper and filter those who are truly interested?

1. The call-to-action must propose high value. Prospects must clearly see what benefit they would have if the clicked on the button/link. And that benefit must be of high value – something they have to go through to be able to get what they need. If they don’t see that value, what are the odds of getting them to take the action?
2. The call-to-action must be exclusive. Although this is a bit difficult to maintain, exclusivity is something that attracts people to commit. The action must offer them something they won’t find elsewhere. If it’s something others can also give, then make your version easier. They must be able to see something unique in your proposition that they couldn’t let it pass.
3. The call-to-action must distinguish real leads from casual passersby. Label your call-to-action buttons/links in a way that a semi-interested prospect would not take seriously. While this can definitely lessen the quantity of your leads, at least you could save time by not wasting it on prospects without real business potential.
4. The call-to-action must be positioned during the “research phase”. Timing plays a huge part in the effectiveness of calls-to-action. That stage of a prospect’s buying process where he or she is still collecting information to help in decision making – that’s where the potential lies. Make sure prospects are guided to the right direction during this critical phase.
5. The call-to-action must be easy. The likelihood of prospects pushing through until the end of the sales timeline could significantly decrease if you subject them into a difficult and complicated process. It’s a big decision for them, and the least that you can do is make things simpler for them.

How To Deliver Your Sales Leads Deadline In Singapore

We are all very busy, especially now that business in Singapore is challenged by the world economic downturn. And when it comes to delivering what you promise to your sales leads, this is a task that you need to work on quickly. You cannot afford to fail in this regard, since time is of the essence in a B2B lead generation campaign. Even if you have a pretty good business list , if you cannot perform what is required on your part, then all you offer will amount to nothing. There are many ways for you to approach this. Of course, there are only a few that really matter. And these pointers are:

  

1. Getting the details – as a manager, you would certainly be getting people under you who are assigned a task. Instead of telling them a simple deadline, outline the time you expect them to be done, what are the results you expected, as well as identifying parameters that will mark their performance as satisfactory. In this way, there are no ambiguities and everyone is clear on what they are supposed to do.
2. Negotiate with the clients – there will be times that B2B leads prospects set down unrealistic deadlines. Whenever possible, and for your own good, ask for alternative deadlines. It also helps if you could send the results piecemeal. Do not fear losing a demanding customer. The stress and effort that you might have to expend to meet their demands can damage your company if you really force yourself and your staff.
3. Break down tasks into smaller sub-tasks – for example, if you use B2B telemarketing to generate and nurture sales leads, it would be to your advantage if you could assign smaller tasks for each of your employees. In this way, you can reduce the burden that one carries, and increase the overall efficiency of the team. You can also monitor your people easily this way.
4. Create some slack – a neat mental trick you can try in the office is by moving the deadline a few days early. This creates a sense of urgency in your employees, compelling them to work harder and faster. Come submission date (that you have set), they can then use the extra time to slow down and attend to other, non-essential, tasks.
5. Be there to help them – your employees are no magicians, and if they are having problems with the work you assigned, you should make an effort to help them. Encourage them to open up early. In this way, you can resolve issues fast and avoid additional headaches.
6. Start now – once you have the customer order, you should get to it immediately. Pacing is essential here. If you start fast and early, you can put your company in better stead with your customers. Plus, you also get more orders.

Very simple, very basic. These are the most important pointers that you must remember for a successful B2B lead generation campaign in Singapore. Follow these tips, and you can make your appointment setting process easier to make.

Sales Leads Data Cleansing Challenges In Singapore

Data cleansing and verification is not that much of a hard job in Singapore. I mean, all you need is to have a business list to use and you can go ahead and check on the contacts listed there. Of course, I am just saying this, assuming that you have the time and the resources to do just that. But is that not something you actually lack? Let us face it, generating sales leads is no small task, and the rate of success that you could have is pretty low. B2B lead generation can be hard, mainly because the information that you have is not that accurate.

Now, that could be a real problem for companies here in Singapore. Remember, this country is the center of finance and business in Southeast Asian region. It attracts a lot of businesses and investors, which would also mean that it would become a melting pot of cultures, languages, and people. If you want to be more successful in your B2B appointment setting efforts, you need to have a calling list that is accurate, updated, as well as informative enough for those who wants to get in touch with potential customers. In any case, you should make an effort to have a clean database of business prospects to contact. But what could be your challenges in this regard?

  

1. Always consider the culture – if you think that Singaporean companies are the same, you should think again. Each company has its own corporate and social culture that is unique to itself. Matching your B2B lead generation campaign with the specific culture will most likely improve your rate of success. You should do well with that.
2. Be local – even if you are an international business, or your business prospects are international, remember that you are going for a company that employs, or is led, by locals. You must be able to put in a local flavor in your marketing process if you want to get a positive result. Yes, that may be tricky, if you do not have an idea, but it can be done once you have done your homework.
3. Work with skilled translators – it is one thing to use translation programs to interpret one or two words, but you need a skilled translator if you are planning to communicate or negotiate with your business prospects. Translators are also pretty nifty in data cleansing, since they would be able to get more information if they use the local language.
4. Do your homework – really this is one part that many marketers fail to do these days. While it may be true that you can have all the information you need through the internet, nothing beats an actual call to your prospects, understanding what their problems are, as well as looking up solutions and answers through different channels. You would want to have all the information available to be useful in verifying details.

Do these tips, and it would not be hard to get your sales leads in Singapore right.

Ten B2B Lead Generation Tips For IT Managed Services

You might have second-thoughts in letting your core business functions be handled by a third-party provider, but this is the reality faced by various companies, be it within or outside the IT and software industry. Capacity and management issues are just some issues that many firms need to deal with, a problem that IT managed services like yours could solve. But how can you be effective in the IT lead generation efforts? How will you make your business stand out, attracting more IT sales leads for your business? Sounds pretty much like a puzzle, right? Not really, if you know where to start. And this is how you do it:

  

1. Deliver real solutions – it is one thing to promise to solve the problems of your B2B leads prospects, but it is an entirely different playing field to actually deliver. If you want to impress them, then you should do what you say.
2. Help them grow, really – be an honest adviser to them. Let them know what solution you can come up with, provide them with excellent service, and pretty much be involved in their growth as a company.
3. Be patient – believe me, a sales cycle can take a long time to complete. Even if an appointment setting prospect takes a long time to decide about meeting you, be patient. Just do your best to nurture the contact.
4. Work with the best – you might have to increase or decrease the number of personnel that you need, but you have to make sure that you have enough people to deal with potential sales leads and help them grow.
5. Use proper technology – business prospects will sign up with your IT managed services firm if they see that you have the tools and equipment they need to improve their business.
6. Work on their perceptions – what people think about your business can affect your ability to turn them into paying customers. Work first on them accepting your business. You can worry about the IT telemarketing later.
7. Be relevant to your market – yes, you can promote your business all you want, but if you cannot convince your business prospects that they need you, then all your efforts will just go to waste. You have to matter in their eyes.
8. Customize your solutions – this is the latest craze in marketing, one that actually brings good results. If you can tailor-fit your business solutions to what your prospects exactly need, then they are more likely to do business with you.
9. Show proper etiquette – really, this is one point that many aggressive marketers forget these days, those who only ‘push’ their wares to prospects. It is not that hard to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ to your prospects. It adds respectability to your firm.
10. Use different communication tools – even when a door is close, you can always use the windows to get in. You may not be able to reach your prospects using one channel, but you can always tap other means to get your message across.

Follow these tips, and your IT lead generation campaign would be more productive.

Creative B2B Telemarketing: Key To Winning In Singapore

You would have to admit that creativity is the real key to winning more B2B leads in Singapore.

I mean, with all sorts of competitors running against you, you would want to have some way to stand out from the rest. And this would require a lot of creative thinking on your part. It is even more important if you are using B2B telemarketing as the marketing medium.

This may be very effective in generating sales leads, but this can pretty much backfire if you do not know how to handle it well. Competition can be very intense, and letting your guard down might result in you getting left behind. But really, how can you show off your creative talents?

First off, have curiosity in all things.

Feed your mind with facts.

Expand your horizons by asking the why’s, the who’s, the what’s, etc. of everything. Some answers might seem too radical, but keep them. You can never tell when these details might come in handy later on.

Second, a good marketer would have a little courage to call upon. 

B2B appointment setting can be a very challenging profession, one that can cause ordinary marketers to fold.

It takes a lot of courage to face the unknown, and you need to have lots of it if you want to stay in the lead generation game. The question here is this: are you ready for it? You had better be.

Third, do not fear to challenge assumptions.

The thing about assumptions is that they tend to change over time.

Your business strategy may have worked with you in the past, but if these may not work for you now. You have to be ready to change your assumptions when the situation demands it.

Fourth, try breaking established conventions.

Going against the flow may sometimes be the best thing to do.

Think of how Steve Jobs challenged the PC market by introducing the iPad. A lot of pundits scoffed at the idea of a touchpad, but what Apple produced revolutionized the computing market. It would be to your advantage if you can do the same for your own company, in your own industry.

Last, but certainly not the least, be ready to push.

This is especially true if you are in a market that is not exactly responsive to your telemarketers.

Either they already have what they need, your competition has established themselves there, or your offer is not that attractive enough. Still, if you could just be more aggressive enough, you might just be able to make some headway in your marketing efforts. Sometimes, asking for the sale will do the job.

B2B telemarketing is not really a daunting task in Singapore. It is all about being creative, and resourceful. Come to think of it, many of the big companies we know today started out as small outfits. What made them stay so long in the market would be their creative use of resources, as well as understanding what exactly their B2B leads prospects want.

Related: Angry B2B Lead Generation Prospects In Singapore? Use These Five Phrases