For the first time in a while, April doesn’t have too many public holidays, as Easter falls at the end of March this year. This is giving businesses an extra window to drive revenue, in a month that is typically quiet and less than stellar when it comes to sales.
“The first half of the year sets the scene for the remainder,” says Louise Robinson, MD of CG Consulting. “Businesses who do well, and build up a solid pipeline of leads in the first six months, are far better placed to reach their sales targets than those who don’t.”
She says businesses who are looking for ways to drive revenue, and who don’t want their sales to be like an Easter egg hunt, should consider outsourcing their lead generation.
“This can not only save significant time, it can lead to a rise in sales,” she says. “Firstly, you will talk to the people who matter. Anyone who has had to cold-call before will know that the majority of efforts are not successful; it’s hard work that yields very low returns. Wouldn’t it be better to talk to individuals who are already interested in, and are ready to talk about your products or services?”
She says not all salespeople are equally effective. “Some sales people excel at finding new prospects, some at nurturing them, and some at closing. It’s hard to find sales people who excel at all three areas. However, when you partner with a lead generation specialist, you are working with an organisation that has a skilled sales force in place, and who can find you the prospects that are ready to buy.”
After all, says Robinson, you will reap far more benefits if your sales team is spending time closing current leads, instead of scratching around for new ones. “When you have a lead generation expert taking care of the bulk of your lead generation, your sales team will only spend their time talking to qualified leads, who are already interested in talking to you. Your rate of success will be infinitely higher than with cold calling.”
Another benefit of outsourcing lead generation, she says, is that it allows the business to focus on key areas of the business. “Managing a sales team is very energy intensive. When new staff come on board they need training, and mentoring. You need to spend time with them to ensure they can relay the right message, and corporate culture.”
Moreover, instead of spending energy chasing cold leads, your sales team can focus on closing, and sales managers can spend their time planning sales and marketing campaigns for their products and services, adds Robinson.
Another benefit of outsourcing lead generation, she says, is that when embarking on a new sales campaign or if you are a new business that is building your staff base and your brand, you are ready to hit the ground running in a far shorter period of time.
Finally, working with a lead generation specialist will save the business a fortune in the long run, adds Robinson. “There are a plethora of advantages to working with a company that specialises in lead generation and sales. They have entrenched practices in place to bring on the top staff for the job, as a major part of their business is hiring and training salespeople.”