While digital channels have become the go-to for many marketers, there is no substitution for a live touch over the telephone. Networking through an organization can help you gain valuable business intelligence, and speaking with someone live goes a lot further in building a relationship than email ever will be. Here we take a look at four reasons teleprospecting is still important.

Gaining Vital Business Intelligence

Visiting a company's website and social media pages and mining reputable data provider platforms can give you valuable insight into the organization's goals, pain points, and hierarchy. Still, you will never find more accurate and valuable information as when you pick up the phone. Networking with key influencers, evaluators, and a variety of decision-makers can help you gather information as well as referrals. It allows you to identify all of the key players as well as who has actual decision-making ability.

Setting Quality Sales Appointments

Appointments set during a live conversation are far more likely to hold than those created through the inbound process. When someone commits over the phone, you have the ability to request a calendar invite immediately to further cement the appointment. A live conversation also allows you to identify the subject matter your prospect would like to cover during a meeting with your sales team. The additional information captured provides sales the ability to streamline their pitch and be prepared with well-thought-out answers to the prospect's biggest questions.

Building Rapport And Relationships

Many marketers these days have taken to social media to build relationships with their prospects and clients. While effective, this is not the preferred method of communication for everyone. Many prospective clients have become immune to the cookie-cutter responses received through social channels. Having a live conversation and getting to know your prospects over the phone is a much more personable approach. The relationships you build through telephone communications can be much stronger than those created through the digital world, and they can have a significant impact when it comes time to close the deal.

Qualifying Digital Leads

The relationship between teleprospecting and inbound marketing is symbiotic. Inbound leads help build your calling lists, while your teleprospecting efforts allow further qualification of those leads. Simply passing along a prospect that has downloaded an eBook directly over to sales can hamper your sales team. Further qualification saves time and money as your sales team will be hyper-focused on prospects that represent a genuine sale opportunity. It also ensures a better relationship between marketing and sales as long as clear lead definitions have been established.

Digital marketing tactics are an effective means of accomplishing many of the above objectives, but you need to jump on the phone to close a deal when it comes down to it. Winn has over 30 years of experience developing multi-channel ABM campaigns that build brand awareness and result in qualified sales appointments. Contact us today to help with your next campaign!