Measuring the Success of Your Marketing Campaign
Ashley Gonzales, Director of Marketing, 11.18.19
What is success? Well, that all depends on whom you ask and what you are asking about. Don’t worry; this isn’t going to be an article where I give you my “secret to success.” Partially because, well, I haven’t quite figured out what that is yet! What I do want to talk about is how you should be measuring the success of your marketing campaign.
I guess this topic sort of stemmed from my last article about guaranteed leads because we get far too many people who get wrapped up in the number of appointments being their campaign's success measurement. Whether or not your marketing campaign (any marketing campaign really…obviously including what TeleContact specializes in - telemarketing, appointment setting, lead generation, etc.) is successful should all be judged on one simple thing: DID YOU MAKE MONEY? If you brought in more money than you spent, if your return on investment is there, THAT is what needs to be your measuring spoon. Not “Well I only got three appointments” (for example). How I see that scenario is if you were able to close 33% of the appointments that were sent your way then those were some quality opportunities that were put in front of you! You can go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back for your sales skills but don’t take too much credit! That relationship would have never happened without your marketing partner.
And while we are on the topic, I would like to dive a little deeper into how you should consider measuring your ROI. I have discovered on a couple of different occasions that not everybody sees the whole picture when running this calculation. Here are a couple of factors you should be considering:
- - How much is one deal worth for me? – This will allow you to formulate approximately how many deals it would take to see a return based on the cost of your campaign.
- - How long do I typically retain a customer? – If your customers are averaging a 5-year continued relationship/resign this is certainly something you should be considering.
- - Another thing worth mentioning is pipeline consideration and you assigning a value to that. This may not apply to all marketing types but it certainly does for us being that we are a full service, end-to-end pipeline and lead generation firm. Maintaining a full pipeline has a high value. If your marketing partner isn’t doing this for you, then who is? You? Do you have the time for that? Maybe an in-house employee? At what cost? Consider that…
Don’t get caught up on just the number of results. We are in the appointment setting business; we are going to get appointments (just like many other agencies can). What you should be concerned with is whether or not they will be closable deals that can make you money.
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The Coveted Crystal Ball
Ashley Gonzales, Director of Marketing, 10.17.19
Telemarketing has no guarantee. Marketing, in general, has no guarantee; it’s a risk! If a company is guaranteeing you results, you should be wary and I am going to explain a few of the reasons why:
1) Marketing is not a physical product; it's intangible. In order to put a proper guarantee on something, that specific product has to be tried and tested. We have been in business for more than 25 years so of course, we have tested various methods in a range of industries and have created successful procedures and techniques but no two campaigns are exactly the same.
2) Continuing on that same note, there are so many variables and unknowns that can change the entire approach for a campaign. Who is your target market (both industries and size of those businesses)? What titles will we be connecting with? What benefits does your company have to offer that will translate into a good value proposition for scripting? Where will we be calling in to? Not everybody realizes how much this can affect the results but the cold hard truth is there are certain areas (New York, New Jersey, So-Cal, just to name a few) that are just flat out tougher to penetrate and going to take a more vigorous marketing campaign. – You see where I’m going here…
3) Another good point to address is HOW IN THE WORLD can you predict how the person on the other line will react!?! You can’t! As hard as we all try to “check ourselves” at the door, there are many instances where people, unfortunately, let their bad days affect their work. Aside from that, there are other things that could make or break a call including their schedule and/or lack of knowledge.
Back when I was doing sales, my manager at the time told me something that I will never forget. I had come to him after the first time a prospect had stumped me with the whole “I DEMAND A GUARANTEE” spiel. I wasn’t sure what to tell them. Sure, I could give them averages; I could also give them a rough, educated guess from being with @TRScallcenter for so long but I couldn’t actually guarantee a said number of results. My manager said: We are not like a lot of the other marketing agencies out there that will just tell people what they want to hear. We cannot see into the future. And, if you could Ashley, I would tell you to go work in the stock market. After some additional back and forth he said: “The bottom line is, nobody is in possession of the coveted Crystal Ball of Marketing.”
If somebody slaps a guarantee on a number of engagements, appointment, etc. – be worried! Chances are it’s a high-pressure sales situation with very low expectations for what would be considered a “lead” and is probably going to be sold to several of your competitors resulting in low closing ratios and money NOT well spent.
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End-to-End Pipeline Development & Lead Generation
Angelica Gutierrez, Senior Accuont Manager, 10.01.19
As an experienced Senior Account Manager, I wake up every morning and have the normal ritual most Monday through Friday 8-5 working Joe or Jane’s have. I wake up, kick my cat off the bed and drag myself into the shower.
Once I have woken up and feel refreshed, I decide to get a little breakfast and head to work. The traffic is typically hard and rough, a grinding 15 minutes from home to work. I know it’s rough – try not to feel bad for me. As I stroll in, I know my day will be wonderful because I have a team constantly working on my pipeline so I don’t have to stress over the constant ups and downs of that dreaded sales rollercoaster. If you are in sales, I am sure you have experienced this at some point and it is the worst but I have a team that takes the pressures of every day prospecting away and lets me focus on SELL SELL SELL!!
In order to reach your full potential you need a constantly updated pipeline and how in the world can you do it by yourself? Well, there are many ways to develop a successful pipeline, but to avoid the peaks and valleys many many many sales reps encounter; you need a team to help you. This is what my company can help you do, help you live an easier day-to-day life without the constant sells rollercoaster and wondering, “When will my next appointment be??” No worries our team has you covered!
We start this amazing process with cold calling, I know we have ALL cold-called and to be honest it is my least favorite thing. Once our team begins cold calling, we begin digging for the decision-maker. We find out when they are available, what their direct line is and how we can “drop in their DM’s.” Once the agent begins gathering this information, we start following up and following up and oh wait… following up some more! The follow-up process is where you really start to see the pipeline growing and those leads starting to flow in. Your pipeline is the key to success. Now say it louder for the people in the back: YOUR PIPELINE IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS!!!
So just to re-cap:
- A pipeline is imperative for lead generation.
- A pipeline takes time and constant follow up.
- You cannot avoid the ups & downs of what is known as the “sales rollercoaster” if the person/people who are selling are also trying to juggle their own pipeline.
- You need somebody to maintain your pipeline while you focus 100% on selling!
Long story short, we can make your life easier and help you grow your company…sounds like a no brainer to me!
The Importance of Continued Training
Olympia Francis-Mandel, Agent Retention Specialist, 09.17.19
I have been in telemarketing for almost fourteen years now; I have gained so much knowledge from everyone around me and yet still, there is always more to learn. Being here for the amount of time I have been has given me a better understanding of why it is vital that companies have a continuous training program in place.
As a company, we get out of our employees what we put into them. Therefore, for a company to perform at its highest possible potential, it is essential to implement an effective continued training program for its employees. It is important that the employees hear advice and a different perspective from a variety of positions within the company. This will help them to understand what goes on “behind-the-scenes” which will help them be more efficient and productive.
A thorough program will help prevent any bad habits and improve upon weaknesses that the employees may have. It will also help them understand why we train them as we do. It will increase productivity for the employee which will ultimately increase productivity overall for the company. A continued training program will also boost employee morale and retention. It will show the employees that we do care and we want them to be successful.
In order to grow, we must constantly be in a state of improvement and that is where I come in! At any given time, I manage a team of 7 agents that we have identified as needing additional training. I work very closely with them for four weeks (longer if necessary) identifying where they need improvement and helping them to implement more successful methods. I love being able to help people identify their strengths and weaknesses and become the best telemarketer they can be! Each month our company invests more than 350 man-hours strictly on continued training because we know how important it is!
Is your current Marketing Strategy Good? Or is it "Good Enough"?
Ashley Gonzales, Director of Marketing, 09.03.19
Your business deserves the best; is that what you have? Marketing, Training, Eating Habits, shoot…even Parenting and Relationships...people are far too often settling for just “good enough”. KNOW YOUR WORTH! “Good Enough” is NOT good enough! Here are some questions you should be asking yourself:
• Am I monitoring my ROI? If not, well then, you should be! If yes, what does that number look like?
• Has my company improved since embarking on this marketing adventure?
• Am I getting what was promised out of my marketing partner?
• Is what I am doing the most effective way to brand my business and gain new customers?
Reflect on those. Additionally, consider the fact that you should be excited about both the potential risks and rewards that result from your marketing campaign. *did this girl just say I should be excited about taking risks!?!* - Yes I did! You should feel excitement about all of the factors that are involved with your campaign. And, I won’t forget to mention, that in many cases, the bigger the risk, the bigger the reward – and that is exciting!
One of my favorite client success stories comes from one of our long-term customers, Everett Lebherz from EVCO Insurance Services (www.evcoisnurance.com). EVCO was a new business that needed to grow. Everett had $10,000.00 to spend to make that happen. After some research, he chose to spend that money with us for telemarketing services. I am sure that during his research, Everett was presented with alternate methods that were less costly but he saw value in our high-end telemarketing/lead generation and was able to get excited about the potential. He also knew that his company deserved the best! Everett is now the President of multiple million-dollar companies and we have maintained a successful partnership for almost 13 years.
“I had $10,000 to invest in marketing. After much thought, I decided to put out into telemarketing with TeleContact Resource Services knowing I had 7 months of capital to generate a book of business large enough to continue the marketing. By the 6th month, my new revenue paid for TeleContact Resource Services marketing every month. I’ve now doubled my marketing efforts, hired two sales people to assist with the leads, and am having the largest year ever in our company history. TeleContact Resource Services continues to fulfill our lead expectations month after month and we are rolling out new product campaigns.” - Everett L., Owner, EVCO
Now all of this being said, I should throw out there – I’m not saying to up and quit your marketing campaign because you are not a millionaire after a couple of months. These things do take time. Stay on top of tracking spends vs. return while also factoring in pipeline and potential future business and residuals. If you find that the numbers aren’t where you want them to be – give us a call ;)
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Things to Consider When Selecting a Marketing Partner
Jennifer Street, Senior Account Manager, 08.26.19
Trying something new for the first time can be a little tricky.
Especially when we don’t know what we don’t know.
Sometimes it’s hard to make an informed decision when we don’t even know what questions to ask.
It’s important to us that we provide our clients with the facts and information that they need to make well-informed decisions.
Not all telemarketing firms are the same.
Three things to consider when choosing a telemarketing firm to partner with are:
1. Reputation
2. Quality
3. Exclusivity
Below are some topics to cover and questions to ask that we hope will be helpful to you.
Reputation -
• How long have they been in business?
• What is their rating with the BBB?
• What is their client retention rate?
• What do their former and current clients say about them?
• How well do they treat their employees?
Quality -
• How are they ensuring the quality of my leads and qualifying my appointments?
• Do they have a verification process?
• Are they putting me in front of the decision-maker or the 'information gatherer'?
• What type of scripting do they use; is it 'cookie-cutter' or is it customized to my business?
• Where do they pull their list from and how specific is it to my target market?
• What level of ROI should I expect?
• What type of customer service will I receive; will I have a single point-of-contact?
• Will they develop my pipeline to produce future leads for me?
• Are the callers making live calls or using a robo-dialer?
• Where are the callers located; in the U.S. or off-shore?
Exclusivity -
• Will they share my information or leads with my competition?
• Will I have to compete for the leads they provide?
For answers to all of these questions and more information, please contact us at 800.551.0567 or visit us at www.TRStelemarketing.com
Is Cold Calling Dead?
Ashley Gonzales, Director of Marketing, 08.20.19
Hello and thank you for reading our very first blog post! We are so excited to have a space to share our thoughts and opinions and provide some general insight into how we have been a successful company that has been helping our clients for more than 25 years. For our first post, I thought it would be appropriate to roll up our sleeves and address one of the “nitty-gritty” questions that most business owners consider when they are looking into different marketing avenues and trying to decide what is going to be the best fit for their business – does cold calling even work anymore, or is it dead?
In short, the answer is it MOST DEFINITELY works but it needs to be done right! There are many layers that need to be carefully put together to have a good end result…a targeted list from a reputable data source, a well put together script, trained agents that are making live calls (don’t even get me started on predictive dialers..), and ultimately, a marketing partner that cares about both themselves and their customer’s reputations and success.
Now that we have addressed the foundation for a successful campaign, let’s talk about the art of cold calling and what it can do for your business. Telemarketing is one of the most aggressive forms of marketing today – having the possibility of producing the immediate volume of results that are needed for you to be able to “feed” your sales team. In a sense, you are sending your marketers out to “knock on doors” through the telephones. This is far more effective than putting an ad out (online, snail mail, social media, etc) and sitting back and hoping that it reaches somebody (that happens to fit your target market, mind you) who takes the initiative to reach out to you. A phone call is personable, it’s just the right amount of old-fashioned that people today are craving, and it shows that you care enough to work for their business and that you’re willing to put some effort into earning it! A phone call with an actual human being allows you to customize your message and tailor it to each conversation to show you are interested in that particular company. It also allows you the opportunity to qualify them and decide if your products/services would actually be valuable and help them as opposed to just casting out a wide net and reeling in any fish that will bite!
Cold Calling is not dead. Not even close. It’s still a very effective form of marketing that is helping businesses across the nation reach their growth goals. Last week we produced a total of 706 leads for our clients. Those 706 opportunities that were created because our trained agents (coupled with our proven processes) picked up the phone and made a cold call.
