Five Things to Know About List Marketing & Telecom Sales

                  

1. Social Networking Does Not Substitute for a Good List
   
   LinkedIn, YouTube & blogs all have their place in proper B2B marketing but they are certainly no substitute for a good list. A good list gives you more than just a good place to start calling, it helps you define what you're trying to do - and who you're trying to do it with.
   
   There are not enough hours in the month to sell to all wayward and time-wasting folk who will find you from the Internet. You need to first decide who is rich enough to buy from you, pursue them directly and then let online marketing support that effort - not the other way around.
   
    
2. Start with a Small But Complete List
   
   Using an inexpensive list service like the $19 list you can get from TA, put together a small but complete list of a specific set of customers you know are high margin prospects. You need to define:
   
   A. Who?  Pick a yellow page heading like doctors, laywyers or dog catchers
   
   B. Where?  A state, a metro area a certain radius from your home office?
   
   C. Size?  How big a company is too small or too big when measured by number of employees?
   
   When you start with this sort of list you will be able to methodically attack your marketplace without a lot of wasted time backtracking & overlapping your efforts.
   
   
   
3. Comb Through Your Initial List to Find the Nuggets
   
   Before you start cold-calling your starter list, you will want to comb through and vet it against Google, LinkedIn, Jigsaw and other Internet resources. (Specific techniques for doing this will be covered later.
   
   This initial combing of your prospect list will likely pare it down by 30% or more but it will also give you 30% more time by not wasting your time calling "dead wood".
   
   
   
4. Start Calling, Emailing & Door-Knocking Now
   
   Now's the time to call, email or door-knock with a simple two-step goal in mind - get the answers to these two questions "Do you need me today?" and, "Can I get permission to share my expertise with you over time?"
   
   There's "low hanging fruit" out there. Don't miss the easy stuff because you're spending too much time "selling" to those who clearly don't want to buy today. Once everyone knows how brilliant you are they'll all want to buy from you. Until then, find & focus on those desperate for your expertise today.
   
   
   
5. Refine Your Methods by Reviewing with Peers
   
   You're not the only person selling telecom & IT to doctors, lawyers & dog catchers.  Fish around for professional friends on LinkedIn & elsewhere. Ask TA for a referral. Make sure you're learning from the winners and avoiding the "not-winners".

How is your experience the same or different? Let us know by adding a post!