Acquiring new customers should not rely solely on advertising. Many companies must actively seek new customers. But how? Is it worth hiring an external company that offers calling services or sending out mass mail? It is difficult to give general instructions because a lot depends on the marketer’s industry, but some commonly known (and researched) truths can be presented on the matter. This article explores the effective use of telemarketing and email marketing.
Even a good email rarely leads directly to a sale
One observation that is valid in many industries is that only rarely does a customer get excited about ordering a product or service based on an email alone. This, of course, is strongly correlated with the price of the marketed commodity – the more expensive the commodity, the more the customer needs to be warmed up to acquire it.
When creating a marketing email, you also must think about whether you are sure to design a text-based advertising letter that works on all devices or whether you build an HTML-based ad with fine graphics. This choice also depends a lot on the product or service being sold. An accounting service can well be advertised in a text-oriented way, but an email promoting a movie without a movie poster would probably not work well. However, the format of the advertisement is not the subject of this article, so let’s leave it for another time.
Pros and Cons of Email Advertising
Pros:
- With graphic email, you can create a brand or product image at first glance (if the settings of the email software show the images without separate approval).
- The recipient can read the mail whenever they want.
- Allows for eye-catching graphics, clickable links, and attachments.
- There is software available for email marketing.
Cons:
- The message may go to spam.
- Entrepreneurs and decision-makers often receive a huge amount of advertising mail and therefore leave it unread.
- No guarantee of an answer.
- If implemented incorrectly, it can lead to spamming, the sender’s domain or IP address can be blacklisted.
Does cold calling guarantee that you can get to talk?
Cold calling – the traditional sales method of magazine sellers – has also been used a lot in b-to-b contacting, but its effectiveness has weakened. Entrepreneurs and decision-makers are often busy, and they don’t always want to answer calls from unknown numbers. It depends a lot on luck whether you happen to get the desired person on the phone at the right moment. In the evenings and on weekends, it is inappropriate to call, and calls are left unanswered during lunchtime. An experienced telemarketer knows how to schedule at least the most important calls at the right moments. An entrepreneur who has had his morning coffee in peace and has already browsed his e-mails may well respond and even listen to at least the salesperson’s opening remarks. The problem, however, is getting the discussion going. A cold call always interrupts something. If the salesperson can’t get the conversation started in a nice and interesting way right away, it’s easy for the respondent to politely decline due to time constraints.
Pros and Cons of Cold Calling
Pros:
- The call reaches the customer in real time and can lead to immediate results.
- The salesperson can influence the course of the call with their own personality (attitude, tone of voice and speaking style).
- The caller can immediately find out if the customer is interested. During the call, you can map out the customer’s needs and wishes.
- A phone call is already the first step towards a potential customer relationship.
Cons:
- Many entrepreneurs or decision-makers do not respond to unknown numbers.
- A call that comes at a bad moment may go unanswered, or it may be answered by someone already in an irritated state of mind.
- Without proper preparation the pitch may feel disjointed or unprofessional.
- Only rarely do customers call back to an unanswered cold call. And if they do, they hope that the caller is a potential customer for themselves.
So, which is better, Email or cold call?
The answer is both together and in that exact order. Magazine sellers may have a mixed reputation, but they hold valuable insights into successful sales, backed by researched data. The most successful campaigns are those that have first been communicated by email before the call. There is also a peculiar psychological phenomenon associated with this. Even if the target of the marketing has not even read the email they received, it is not a pure cold call. The salesperson can always start the call in a friendly way by asking if the respondent has had time to familiarize themselves with the email offer sent to them. The call often starts more relaxed when the conversation starts with something else instead of an immediate sales pitch. It often even happens that the recipient may start looking for the unread marketing email in their inbox during the call. The situation is even better if the potential customer has already familiarized themselves with the email. From that starting point, it is often easy to continue the call and get to present the product or service offered in more detail.
Good way of marketing
Email followed by a phone call is a good way to contact new customers. No one is forced to read emails or answer calls, so the marketing in question does not cause much disruption to its target. And b-to-b customers often understand that companies are forced to market. For e-mail marketing aimed at companies, you can freely collect addresses from public sources and the internet. Every advertising letter sent without a request must always be accompanied by the option to prohibit further advertising to the e-mail address in question. The title of the advertising mail should also indicate that it is an advertisement, offer or similar.