In the current market, most companies are looking for ways to cut marketing costs, yet increase their leads via lead generation efforts. Telemarketing is one way that companies reach out to prospective companies.

Pre-marketing is a savvy way to learn what ideas, concepts and language work for your prospective customer. Rather than simply do web research, which can be very helpful, try using an expert phone interviewer. I consulted with Risa Sacks, a well known information professional who specializes in phone-based research, about how she uses the phone to learn more about prospects. These ideas and information may help you to better reach the hot buttons for your prospects in whatever marketing campaign you try next.

Risa explained to me that she has many client projects where you simply cannot find the information online. The knowledge, the important details, reside in the expertise that your customers and other experts have inside their heads. Tapping into that knowledge via phone, by way of a personal, professional interviewer can make the difference in how you write your telemarketing scripts, your email offers, and your website landing pages.

“The kind of project that could be done in just a few hours would include talking with customers, the ones who have already been contacted and have agreed to participate. Other services that help you dig deeper on a market segment in preparation for outbound appointment setting or calling efforts “include market overviews, win/loss evaluations, product analysis - really anything where getting direct input from the 'experts' - can give you critical information - whether those experts are customers, suppliers, government agencies, professional association experts, etc.,” said Risa Sacks.

Some business owners might want to do this sort of research directly before talking to customers or prospects, so Risa suggests the following:

• Before you pick up the phone, do your homework. Start with online searching to see what information is readily available and to find possible experts to call.
• Libraries and librarians are also great resources. You can safely ask a librarian questions about almost anything.
• There are many specialty libraries that may have the exact area you’re researching.
• Check professional associations and organizations – many times they have experts on staff who will talk to you about your request.
• Whenever you talk with someone, whether they can help you or not, always ask them who else they might suggest you speak with, or who else might know the answers. Then when you call that person, be sure to mention “so and so suggested that I speak with you….”
• If you need to hire a professional researcher to help you with any of this, you can find researchers at the Association of Independent information Professionals. It’s like having your own on-call research department.

The point of all this pre-work is that in today’s market you cannot afford to waste time generating leads, calling prospects, running email campaigns if you don’t know as much as possible about what’s going on in the lives of your buyers.

Telemarketing & Appointment Setting Reviews and Resources: CLICK for more information.