The CRAP Report

So you’re thinking about building an in-house teleprospecting team, huh? I mean, someone has to follow up on all of those inbound leads you’re getting, right? Maybe you’re hosting webinars and need those attendees followed up on, right? The most logical thing to do would be to build some sort of qualification machine to follow up on all the contacts you’ve got from all of the marketing programs/events/campaigns you’ve run (and more than likely never got around to getting in touch with). You could give them to your sales guys, no doubt. Trish Bertuzzi, President and Chief Strategist over at the inside sales consulting firm, The Bridge Group, blogged about this with some help from Kirko Papjanis over at her blog, Inside Sales Experts Blog, where Kirko urges folks to put their sales reps in front of prospects sooner. While I agree with him, it’s been my experience that not all sales reps are willing to be put in front of prospects without having them fully qualified, nor are they as effective. So, if you’re thinking about building an in-house teleprospecting team to generate sales qualified leads, there are some things you need to think of. Read more… »

One of my favorite episodes from Seinfeld was one where George’s girlfriend sits him down at Monk’s and tries to give him the old, “It’s not you, it’s me,” routine.  You know what that is, right?  When someone tries to break up with their significant other by saying that it has nothing to do with the S.O., but rather about the person doing the breaking up.  People say that because confrontation is never desirable; they never want to tell the other that it really IS them, or something that they’ve done or neglected to do, that is causing the break up.  George counters the move by saying, “I invented the, ‘it’s not you, it’s me’…nobody tells me it’s them and not me.  If it’s anybody – it’s me!”  How about in a failing teleprospecting campaign?  How do you know it’s really your fault and not your vendors?  There is someone to blame, no doubt, but how can you tell who’s owns the blame? Read more… »

I’m not old enough to have had the chance to watch the original Mission: Impossible TV series from the late 1960’s – early 1970’s.  Although I had heard the theme song (which we all have – dun dun-dun-dun-dundun-dun-dun-dun), I never had the chance to watch the show.  I have, however, been a fan of the Mission: Impossible movies.  I love movies like that, you know, ones where different people with different specialties come together to accomplish a task?  Hell, I just wrote a four part series on The A-Team and how their specialties relate to the management of teleprospecting teams.  What I loved about Mission: Impossible the movie was how, after Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) was framed for being a mole, Hunt assembles his OWN Impossible Mission Force (IMF) to clear his name.  One of the characters that he recruits is a computer expert named Luther Stickell.  If Luther was good enough for top agent Ethan Hunt, let me tell you why you need a “Luther Stickell” on your lead generation team. Read more… »

Well here we are – the last of a four part segment on why your BDR Manager needs to be a little bit like each member of The A-Team.  Last Thursday I shared why your teleprospecting manager needs to be the pilot of his/her team, a little over the top, and quick on their feet like “Howling Mad” Murdock.  Last Friday I explained that your BDR Manager needed to be like Templeton “Faceman” Peck in that they should be a “master of disguise,” resourceful, and focused on your customer.  Yesterday it was all about being like B.A. “Bad Attitude” Baracus.  Your teleprospecting manager needs to be like a mechanic, a disciplinarian, and needs to know when to say no.  Today, I want to let you know why your BDR Manager needs to have the leadership qualities of John “Hannibal” Smith. Read more… »

Last week I started a four part series on why the people managing your teleprospecting team need to be a little bit like each of the four members of The A-Team.  On Thursday, I shared with you how your BDR Manager needs to be a pilot for their team, a little over the top, and quick thinking like “Howling Mad” Murdock.  On Friday, I explained why your telesales manager needs to be a “master of disguise,” resourceful, and focused on your customers like Face was.  In addition to all of those qualities, your BDR Manager also needs to know when enough is enough, how to keep your troops in line, and how to be a fix-it man.  Today, it’s all about the meanest, toughest, Mohawk-headed badass of The A-Team, B.A. “Bad Attitude” Baracus. Read more… »

Yesterday I shared with you the first of a four part series on how your BDR Manager should have characteristics from each of the four members of the hit ’80s TV show The A-Team.  I talked about how the manager of your teleprospecting team should be like “Howling Mad” Murdock, the A-Team’s pilot; they should be able to pilot your team, be a little over the top, and quick thinking.  In addition to those qualities, your BDR Manager needs to also be someone who can (obviously) wear many hats, has their focus on their client, and can be clever when the job calls for it.  Today, I want to talk with you about how the person who runs your teleprospecting team needs to be like the A-Team’s resident smooth talker, Templeton “Faceman” Peck. Read more… »

Growing up as a boy in the 1980’s with a love for all things action-related, it should come as no surprise to you that I’m a fan of The A-Team.  You remember those guys right?  The ex-military, mercenaries-for-hire team on the run for a crime they didn’t commit?  God I loved that show.  While I never understood why a team of highly trained Army Special Forces members couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn with their AK-47’s, the show’s ultra-action premise wasn’t lost on me at 11 years old:  The A-Team was trying to clear their name from something that they were accused of doing and didn’t, and helped a lot of people along the way.  Each member of the A-Team brought something special to the table and I think they’re a perfect analogy for the types of characteristics you need in someone to manage your B2B teleprospecting efforts. Read more… »

I hate being sick.  I know I’m not the only one out there who does, but I just want to get that out of the way.  Regardless, back to blogging!

So, last week I shared some thoughts with you on whether or not your sales prospecting vendor was listening to you and whether or not your business development reps were listening to your prospects.  Today, however, I want to ask you if you’re listening to your teleprospecting vendor?  If you don’t have someone providing your sales organization with qualified opportunities, maybe you’ve got a team doing that in-house for you, in which case, I would pose the same question.  They need you, you know, if your project with them is going to be successful or not.  No B2B lead generation provider is an island!  So what about you then?  Are you listening to your teleprospecting team? Read more… »

So, if you’ve been reading The CRAP Report now, you know that I’m typically writing for folks that may either be looking to outsource their teleprospecting efforts or that may have their own internal sales prospecting team.  I’m also writing for folks that are looking to improve their Business Development Rep’s, be they a vendor or an in-house team.  Oh yeah, and my Mom.  Today, though, I really want to speak to those folks who’ve outsourced their sales opportunity generation efforts.  There may be some take-aways for others, but if you’re working with a vendor who is finding sales qualified leads for you and your sales team, this one’s for you. Read more… »

So I’ve been thinking lately about something that those of you looking to outsource your B2B lead generation efforts should look for in a vendor:  transparency.  You’re going to be paying good money to someone else to find qualified sales opportunities, so make sure that you get access to all of the information that’s important to you.  You’ve contracted with someone to maybe take your tradeshow attendance list, your webinar attendance list, or maybe even a cold call list (because cold calling isn’t dead!), and create sales qualified leads (SQL’s) for you.  Obviously it’s great to get the SQL’s, because that is what you ultimately want, but there are some other things that you should be getting out of the engagement, and the overarching theme you should keep in mind is transparency. Read more… »