Most B2B organizations have either already adopted an inbound marketing strategy or are looking to do so.  Traditional marketing tactics such as teleprospecting may seem like they’re on their way out, but that is not the case.  Traditional outbound strategies are now being blended with inbound marketing to enhance campaigns and increase lead quality.

“While inbound marketing gets consumers interested in your product or service, it is outbound marketing that speeds up conversion by driving your customers to your online marketing channels, thereby enhancing and strengthening your inbound efforts.” - MarketScale

Contact Discovery

Finding the correct person to talk to within a target organization can be extremely difficult and often times the only way to locate the correct contact is to reach out to them via phone.  There are a seemingly infinite number of job titles and functions these days.  Networking through a company can provide you with the referrals that best fit your solution and narrow down who makes the purchasing decisions. 

Lead Qualification

“Just because a lead converts on a piece of website content doesn’t mean he or she is necessarily a hot prospect, ready to buy.” - HubSpot

Blog, email and social media subscribers as well as those that download premium content will greatly enhance your contact database.  However, when it comes to producing a highly qualified lead, a live touch may be necessary.  A simple phone call will help build rapport with your target, gain valuable insights, further qualify them and warm them up for your sales team.

Appointment Setting

Appointments that are 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.

Lead Nurturing

“Lead nurturing is the purposeful process of engaging a defined target group by providing relevant information at each stage of the buyer's journey. You want to actively move the prospects you've created through your marketing and lead generation efforts, to the point where they become paying customers.” - HubSpot

Email tends to dominate when it comes to lead nurturing as much of the process can now be automated.  Picking up the phone to reestablish a connection with older prospects can help your company stand out.  With so many options for customers to turn to, and so many avenues for them to find solutions, it’s important to keep your product or services in the front of their minds.  There are many different types of lead nurturing campaigns, all of which help to guide prospects through the sales cycle.  Teleprospecting leaves an impression and can enhance the effectiveness of your lead nurturing campaigns.

“Multi-Channel” or “Unbound” marketing combines both inbound and outbound efforts, helping you to generate higher quality leads and reach your prospects in a variety of ways.  Traditional marketing tactics are not going away, they’re just being used differently.