B2B lead generation ideas: how to take advantage of new digital techniques?
The digital revolution has been shaking up the day-to-day routines of the “hunter” type of salesperson in the B2B IT sector and telemarketing teams for years.
Intrusive prospecting methods such as mass email campaigns and cold telemarketing calls are in fact becoming less and less effective in generating new leads. To keep results at previous levels, the resources applied to these methods must be constantly increased, and the cost of acquiring your prospective leads rises accordingly. Your company’s image with these prospects might also suffer. However, digital can also be a new opportunity to generate qualified leads…
Generating leads needs to encompass new purchasing behavior patterns
The change in purchasing behavior, including for complex projects in the B2B IT sector, can no longer be ignored. Prospects these days are very mature, and decision-makers no longer want to be constantly disturbed: they prefer to form their own opinions before making contact, at which point they want to get “proper” advice…
A telemarketing campaign based on a list of contact prospects generates between 0.2% and 1% of qualified leads for salespeople.
Meanwhile, 90% of these prospects complete up to 50% of their purchasing processes single-handed, by collecting information available online.
Ultimately, when a salesperson arrives at the first meeting with a prospect, 50% of them have already formed an opinion about the company and its offerings.
Ultimately, when a salesperson arrives at the first meeting with a prospect, 50% of them have already formed an opinion about the company and its offerings.
These new purchasing behaviors are therefore more difficult to understand: prospects take more time to compare products or services in advance, perhaps even creating their own shortlist of recipients to receive their requirements spec. Not to mention plans that don’t come to fruition and never culminate in a contract despite multiple pre-sales queries being directed at software publishers and IT service companies.
New digital prospecting techniques and B2B lead generation ideas
New digital marketing prospecting techniques make it possible to identify interested prospects at an early stage, and to capitalize on that interest by maintaining contact between them and the marketing team to gradually qualify their purchasing plans. These are what are known as “lead nurturing strategies”, implemented by means of marketing automation solutions.
These new digital prospecting techniques enable marketing and sales teams to improve their lead-generation performance:
Content marketing
If 90% of your prospects complete up to 50% of their purchasing online independently, then they might as well at least educate themselves using your content, such as white papers, practical guides and blog posts, and show they appreciate this added value, testifying to your expertise…
Inbound marketing
Inbound marketing aims to bring customers to you, rather than you having to go and fetch them. Its success is particularly underpinned by the creation of high-value content for your prospects, an effective SEO strategy, and constant promotion of your content.
Social selling
Social selling is the art of using social networks to identify new prospect relationships and grow sales. This allows “hunter” salespeople to prospect more effectively in professional directories that are updated directly by their prospects.
Contact us to discuss new lead generation techniques.
