How to find prospects to call: B2B lead generation by phone

Who should you be calling?

The most important factor in telemarketing is a really good list: people you can build a relationship with over time. So before you hunt for a single phone number, decide exactly who buys from you. Name the industries, the size of business, the location and the job title of the person who says yes.

Start with the customers you already have. Jenny often reminds teams of the 80/20 rule, where most of your business comes from a small group of customers. Call them regularly, then look for more businesses just like them, because even loyal customers drift away in time.

Prospecting works best as a small daily habit. Picture everyone on your team making 10 cold calls first thing and reaching four people. That is a steady stream of new conversations, all finished before morning tea.

Where can you find good B2B prospects?

Bought lists are often out of date and rarely cheap. The prospects most worth calling are the ones you gather yourself, from sources that tell you something before you dial.

• Industry and association directories. Member lists and business listings group companies by industry and location, usually with a main number.
• Company websites. Team pages, media releases and job advertisements show who is in charge and what they are working on.
• LinkedIn. Search by job title, industry and location to find the name behind the role. A shared connection turns a cold call into a warm one.
• Industry news. When someone is featured, call to congratulate them, then ask who else they would recommend you speak to.
• Businesses advertising for what you offer. A company advertising for the role you fill or the service you provide has a need today.
• Trade shows and events. Collect cards with a short questionnaire or prize draw, so you know who has a genuine need.
• Partners and suppliers. Businesses selling complementary products to the same customers can swap leads or refer you.
• Your own website. Offer a useful guide or checklist in return for a name and phone number. Every enquiry is a prospect who asked to hear from you.

Better than all of these is a recommendation from a happy customer. Jenny gives the exact words in how to ask for referrals.

How do you find the right contact person and phone number for a business?

Direct lines are harder to find than they once were. Many people work from home or on a mobile, and plenty of businesses route everything through a switchboard or contact form. This order of attack gets you to the right person quickly.

1. 1

   Start on the company website

   Check the about, team, contact and news pages. Note the main number, the managers' names and anything worth mentioning in your opening, such as a new office.

2. 2

   Find the name on LinkedIn

   Look at the people listed under the company for the job title you need, and learn what they care about. Stay within LinkedIn's own rules on how you use it.

3. 3

   Search Google with quote marks

   Jenny's formula still works: "Company name" "sales manager" OR "sales director" plus a location. Add -jobs, with no space after the minus sign, to strip out job advertisements.

4. 4

   Check industry directories

   Association member lists and trade directories often name the owner or manager, especially in small businesses.

5. 5

   Ask the switchboard

   Reception is the most reliable source of all. Ask who looks after the decision you want to discuss and the best time to reach them.

6. 6

   Record it straight away

   Log the name, title, direct number, receptionist's name and a call back date. A name you do not record is a call you will make twice.

Stick to contact details that people and companies publish for work, and skip people-search sites that expose private numbers.

If reception will not put you through to someone you cannot name, do not just move on and waste the work. Record the name and ring back later in the day asking for that person by name. You are far more likely to get through. Jenny's full approach is in how to get past the gatekeeper.

Staying within Australian privacy and spam rules

Finding a number or email address does not give you permission to use it however you like. Keep these basics in mind.

• Business numbers cannot go on the Do Not Call Register, but a mobile used mainly for private calls can, even if its owner is a sole trader. Wash lists that include mobiles or home-based businesses before calling.
• Identify yourself on every call. Give your name, your business and the reason for your call at the start, keep your number displayed and stay within the permitted calling hours.
• A found email address is not permission to market to it. Under the Spam Act 2003, marketing emails and SMS need consent, must identify you and must include a working unsubscribe. Ask on the call whether you may email.
• Never buy or use harvested email lists. The Spam Act restricts address-harvesting software and the lists it produces.
• Offer an easy opt-out. Businesses covered by the Privacy Act, generally those with annual turnover above $3 million, must let people opt out of direct marketing.

This is a summary, not legal advice. Jenny sets out the detail, with links to the official sources, in telemarketing rules in Australia.

Why you should never delete people off your database

Jenny's strongest message to the teams she trains is simple: never delete people off your database, unless they ask to be removed. Situations change, and when people are ready to buy, they go to the salesperson who kept in touch.

When Jenny promoted the Australian seminars of speakers such as Anthony Robbins, Tom Hopkins and Jim Rohn, she worked in a team of 10. Everyone else deleted a contact who said "No, not interested" on the first call. Jenny kept them in a separate folder, because there would always be another event they might want. To her, a no means not now. It does not mean not ever.

Think of a car salesperson calling 10 people. One may be ready to look today. Call the other nine again in six months and another may be ready, and in 12 months perhaps a third. Your list grows more valuable every time you call it, so aim to be in touch with each contact about every 90 days.

Turning your list into conversations

A list only earns money when someone picks up the phone. Here are Jenny's favourite low-pressure reasons to call.

• Follow up every mail-out or email campaign with a call, because a letter or email on its own is easy to ignore.
• Ring trade show contacts within 3 to 7 days, or the cost of the stand is wasted.
• Call customers who have not ordered for a while, using the approach in calling inactive customers creates sales.
• Call new customers a week or two after they buy, check they are happy and ask who else might benefit.

Then make your first words count. A cold call opening that grabs interest gives a busy person a reason to keep listening, and if dialling makes your stomach drop, start with how to overcome call reluctance. For 157 more ways to find leads and book appointments, see Telephone Sales Tips to Triple Your Sales, Volume 1.