The Marketing Centre interviews Nigel Blake Our MD, Nigel Blake, was recently interviewed by marketing experts, The Marketing Centre on the best way to prepare for a successful telemarketing campaign. Read the interview in full here.
Want to find clients overseas? Pick up the phone! Exporting is everywhere right now! Whether you’ve read it in the press, been to one of the many events, or seen the adverts on TV, you will know that the government has kicked off its campaign this autumn to have an additional 100,000 businesses exporting by 2020. Whether it is something you have considered, or tried already, it is safe to say that the process for successfully sourcing clients abroad and supplying them with your products, comes with plenty to consider. Firstly, how will you find your clients? The government has set up a platform on www.exportingisgreat.gov.uk to present opportunities to bid for, but why stop there? There is a whole wealth of businesses out there, with 45,508 listed on stock exchanges alone across the globe. But what about a more direct route? B2B Telemarketing is an effective avenue to consider when it comes to finding and creating new business opportunities. It can be used on the back of an e-marketing campaign, or to follow up a piece of direct mail, and provides incredible flexibility to be used as a versatile and effective tool. At Perfect Pitch, we have a pool of foreign language speakers who call globally. Our team regularly book appointments for our clients to meet with prospects, or they book delegates to attend seminars. We also offer customer service calls and market research survey completion. We have strengthened our offering by using foreign nationals. We’ve found that by using natives, not only do you have a reliable language speaker, but also, you obtain cultural knowledge which can help you get the edge. You would be surprised at how far knowing about the local cuisine can get you on a business call! One thing to consider when calling abroad is to ensure that your marketing material is suitably adapted. The last thing you want is to create a prospect, only for the development of the opportunity to stall due to the marketing copy being in the wrong language. Furthermore, do your research on the area. The UAE work Sunday to Thursday so don’t schedule calling for outside this time. Also, preserve your budget by being aware of typical working hours and public holidays. Finally, if used correctly, telemarketing can increase brand awareness, fatten up your pipeline, and potentially uncover that golden opportunity you have been searching for. There’s a reason it has such an attractive ROI (B2B – 1000%), but it needs to be used intelligently for maximum gains. It’s not enough just to have a language speaker, you need them to be trained in telemarketing. So, if you want to ride the export wave, and open up your business to a whole new gateway of opportunity, before you set sail, think about the potential telemarketing could bring! Contact us!
Surrey Chambers article: 5 Minutes with our MD, Nigel Blake Surrey Chambers stopped by for a chat with our MD, Nigel Blake. Explain Perfect Pitch to someone unfamiliar with the business? We are an outbound B2B (business to business) telemarketing agency, and our job is to get our clients in front of the people they wish to meet. What differentiates your organisation from others? We use trained actors together with sales professionals to make our outbound calls, which not only produces excellent results, but makes for a great Christmas party! What is your vision for the future of the business? At Perfect Pitch we are pursuing continued growth without losing sight of how we got here, and most importantly we want to continue to deliver excellent results for our existing and future clients. What advice would you give to a company considering setting up in Surrey? Your clients must always be your first and most important priority, as without them you do not have a business. We will always ensure that we fully understand and research each client’s market, as well as making sure we have clear objectives for their campaign. If you were telling another business person about the chamber, what would you say? As an organisation, Surrey Chambers offer so much more than networking opportunities. They offer continued support for a growing business, along with a friendly approach and a smile. And finally, as a Surrey business, what do you see as the local key factors for success/growth over the next 12 months? Surrey is a big community, but it is a small world, so be nice to everyone you meet as you never know when you may encounter them again, and what opportunities that meeting may create.
Surrey Chambers Press Release: Perfect Pitch Academy Did you read about the launch of the Perfect Pitch Academy in this month’s Surrey Chambers’s magazine? Fear not, you can view the article below. We’re on Page 36 and you might need to zoom in a bit. We’ve also included the transcript below. Perfect Pitch Academy is run in accordance with our sister company, the training specialist, Perfect Presentation. We combine acting and business skills to help you become better at selling! If you need: Telemarketing Training Sales Training Promotional Staff Job interview Training Or if you just want to feel more comfortable pitching and presenting, then get in touch. Transcript: Perfect Pitch Academy Perfect Pitch is an award-winning Surrey-based Telemarketing and Training Consultancy. Set up in 2009 by Nigel Blake and driven by his own poor experience of using telemarketing services, the SME has seen rapid growth, using its team of Trained Actors and Sales Professionals to offer Appointment Setting, Lead Generation, Event Booking, and International Calling. As a member of Surrey Chambers for several years, Perfect Pitch won the Toast of Surrey Business Awards in 2014 and has seen its presence grow in both Surrey and London in 2015, securing membership with London Chamber of Commerce. This year has seen the official launch of its ‘Perfect Pitch Academy’ – a service that offers training in Telemarketing, Sales, Presentation and Networking techniques. In their interactive workshops, you are taught the key to successful networking, how to relax and build confidence, and how to make the perfect presentation. You are also given an insight into how to set the stage for effective follow up and the methods that frame a successful sales call. The workshops are run by professional actor Paul Bryant, and can be completed in groups or on a one-to-one basis. As part of their close relationship with Surrey Chambers, Paul recently ran a successful Networking Workshop for Chamber members. If you want to register for a free assessment or to receive their latest whitepaper “8 Steps to Better Networking”, then please call on 01483 422 998 or email ben@ppitch.co.uk.
Who’s representing you on the phone? Who’s representing you? A little under 4% of the UK’s workforce are employed in contact centres. To put that into context, there are 5,840 contact centres in the UK, which totals 734,000 agent positions*. But do you know who is making the calls for YOUR telemarketing campaign? Perfect mix Too often we hear horror stories of telemarketing agencies ripping off their clients. Extortionate upfront costs, inefficient data and unsuitable callers are just an example of the faults some telemarketing companies are reported to have had. However, DMA research shows, the average ROI on B2B telemarketing is 1000%**, so if you use the right company, it can really work for you. At Perfect Pitch, we use proven Sales Professionals mixed with a select team of Trained Actors to be the voice of your telemarketing campaign. This unique blend ensures a workforce who can engage, empathise and deliver your company message. Furthermore, each team member is trained and nurtured, all in accordance with our Perfect Pitch Academy, run by our sister company, Perfect Presentation. Get in touch to see how telemarketing and sales training can help your business!
Is it time to train? Is it time to train? A recent survey has suggested that Executives cite a high level of education or institutional training as the most important employee attribute. However, only 23% say that they offer development and training as a benefit to their team. So when was the last time you trained your Sales team? Market more effectively Our Perfect Pitch Academy can coach your staff to pitch and present, both face to face, and over the phone, using a combination of business and drama based techniques. Our extensive telemarketing training covers: Gatekeeper Navigation Call Structure Call Content Open Questions Closing Techniques Time Management Call Volumes CRM Assistance Setting verbal contracts Communicate with confidence Do you or your team struggle pitching to clients face to face? Perhaps you feel uncomfortable responding to questions and challenges or struggle to make the most of face to face networking opportunities. Our team can train you to relax, breathe and deliver your pitch in a more confident and effective manner. We’ve worked cross-sector to help clients make the impact they wanted to achieve. We begin with an initial assessment and work with you to tailor a development programme that aims to resolve weaknesses and to provide the necessary foundations to grow into a confident sales person. Click here to learn more or give us a call on 01483 422998 to book your assessment with the Perfect Pitch Academy today!
Coffee and Charity “April showers bring May flowers” someone once wrote. Be that as it may, it certainly brought the coffee! Our EMEA Telemarketing Manager, Ahmed, has revealed one of his many talents as a barista extraordinaire! One day Ahmed appeared from the kitchen with a mouth-watering monument to the coffee bean and ever since has been put in charge of “luxury refreshments” for the team. April also brought the Easter eggs as the Perfect Pitch Easter bunny was generous to all again. Although they were not meant to be opened until Easter Sunday, it’s safe to say that there were some guilty faces with a few empty Easter egg boxes come the end of the day! Perfect Pitch’s fundraising team were busy this month, rustling up a delectable selection of cakes for a bake sale in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Dogs Trust. If you would like to add your donation, then you can do so here. The calories will soon be shifted however, as in May there is the Godalming Run, which the team are currently preparing for. Check back next month for photos and sponsorship opportunities! On the business front we have been busy booking meetings for an array of clients. Our in-house telemarketers are trained and experienced at securing appointments at c-suite level, and with a wide age range in our team, we can find the right voice to suit your campaign. You can learn more about our services here.
Telemarketing vs Telesales What’s the difference? A study suggests that 2 in 3 marketers use marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness whilst 84% use them to generate sales leads. Furthermore, 1 in 3 B2B marketers favoured telemarketing to be the most effective form of lead generation alongside e-mail and live events. With telemarketing and telesales providing a low cost, direct, personalised solution, do you know the difference between the two? More importantly, which one would best suit your business? What’s right for you? TELEMARKETING So what exactly is telemarketing? The common consensus is that telemarketing is a lead generation tool that is based around building brand awareness. A typical telemarketing call follows these steps: You telephone the target and BANT (Budget. Authority. Need. Timeline) qualify them. If the contact is interested then it is likely they’ll ask for some collateral in the form of a short email or PDF presentation. The call is then followed up on an agreed date with a view to setting an appointment for the Sales Team or to take the contact to the point of sale. TELESALES Telesales has a more sales focused approach. Usually in this scenario you will have a product or service to sell. A telesales call would follow this pattern: Over the phone you BANT qualify the target and pitch to them. If they request it, you send the target some collateral. When you call back the target at the time they suggested, instead of setting up an appointment or a sale for another division of your company, you look to close the lead there and then. From this a picture emerges of the utility of these two marketing methods in the B2B environment. It could be the case that one might suit your requirements better, or perhaps even a combination of the two. What the two techniques share however, is an efficient, economical, tangible marketing option that frees up resources and can significantly boost your pipeline. Experts If you want to see how Perfect Pitch can improve your bottom line, head to our website or give us a call today on 01483 422998.
New laws surrounding B2C cold-calling Facts In total there were over 175,000 complaints related to nuisance B2C calls and texts, made to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in 2014. However, new legislation has made it easier for companies making unwanted marketing calls and texts to consumers to be hit with fines of up to £500,000.* But as a business, should this matter to you? And why should you care about telemarketing anyway? Enforcement Currently the law requires that before action can be taken, the ICO has to prove that a company caused a consumer ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’, due to their conduct. However, the new law has seen the Government remove this threshold, resulting in the ICO having the power to assist with more cases that are brought to them. Justice and Civil Liberties Minister Simon Hughes believes that: ‘Being pestered by unwanted marketing calls and texts can bring real misery for the people on the receiving end.’ He went on to say that the new change in the law, which comes into effect from 6th April 2015, will make it easier for the Information Commissioner ‘to take quick and firm action against companies who give so much grief to so many people.’* But is B2B or B2C telemarketing worth considering anyway? Recent research would suggest yes. Despite the damage a small number of ‘rogue’ companies might have done to the industry, telemarketing is still in favour with B2B and B2C Sales and Marketing Managers, with each channel producing an ROI of over 400%.** Need to know more? Get in touch!
Give your sales cycle a boost! Generate Research has shown that it takes, on average, 7 “touches” to convert a “suspect” to a “prospect”. Furthermore, it takes between 9 – 11 “touches” before the sale is made. In addition to this, findings suggest that nurtured leads produce 20% more sales opportunities than non-nurtured leads and 70% of leads generated through marketing are “longer term opportunities” worth nurturing. Alarmingly, 75% of companies discard leads that do not offer an immediate sale, overlooking the long term potential. So, are you making the most of your leads? Nurture An examination of 29,000 B2B telemarketing calls showed that it takes on average just 80 calls to generate a new opportunity. Coupling this with other successful marketing forms such as email marketing, which typically generates a click-through rate of 3 in every 100 emails sent, an effective strategy soon begins to form. Convert Here at Perfect Pitch, we can offer Lead Generation and Appointment Setting. We also provide Delegate Booking, Research Distribution and Customer Insight Surveys. If hosting an event is part of your sales cycle, you can use us to book delegates to attend. We can also give your targets a call after the event to see if they would be interested in meeting with you further. Call us!