The arrival of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will add restrictions on many marketing channels, notably email, so is it time to blow the dust off B2B telemarketing?
So you cannot store the data of your B2B prospects without their permission and many marketers will struggle in this new landscape after the GDPR comes into play (2018?).
In the current draft of this new legislation, you will need ‘unambiguous consent’ to store a person’s personal data (that’s their work email address, name, job title, direct line etc) – direct marketing changes from a broadly opt-out system to an opt-in rule.
But there is one piece of data that could keep outbound marketing alive – the humble switchboard telephone number.
It’s not personal data, and neither is the company name or sector where they operate. Armed with this information, and a view of LinkedIn, telemarketing can reach parts other channels cannot touch (without permission).
How it could work
Imagine a CRM with company details including switchboard telephone numbers and a hyperlink to the prospect’s LinkedIn company page. From there you can view the names of all the senior executives and your outbound marketing stands a fighting chance.
Some may argue that getting past the receptionist or gatekeeper is impossible. My experience is that it is tough, but not impossible. If you are having zero success, you’re not doing it right.
Experienced telemarketers will always find a way to get through to decision-makers, but if your sales teams are having difficulty, check my post ’10 tips: Getting past the Gatekeeper’).
Inbound marketing driven by great content will always deliver the best sales leads – but you only have visibility of prospect’s that already know you, the much larger audience is executives who have yet to engage with your content marketing. My estimate is you are missing 80% of your opportunities if you don’t do cold calling (see Chart I).
Cold calling done right can give your prospects a nice warm feeling because it uses human interaction, far less sterile than an email. Appointment setting over the phone is easier because your business development team can handle any objections and be more persuasive.
I’m not advocating marketers should drop email or direct mail – successful B2B lead generation is multi-channel – but maybe it’s time to invest in some telemarketing training for your team and prepare your CRM for a new way to do lead generation campaigns? 2018 is not that far away.
This post is part of a series about the General Data Protection Regulation; the full list of posts include ‘How Brexit impacts marketing data in the UK‘ | ‘3 tips: Steal my GDPR plan‘ | ‘The GDPR became law yesterday… and nobody cared‘ | ‘Get ready for Data Protection ambulance chasers‘ | ‘10 Must-know facts about the new EU data law‘ | ‘Want prospects to opt-in? Call them‘ | ‘You don’t need ‘opt-in’ to store a switchboard number‘ | ‘What can these guys teach you about opt-in marketing?‘ | ‘How content marketing will change after 2018‘ | ‘Winning Edge: Counter a direct threat‘
| New Book: Telemarketing kills kittens | |
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| An evidence based guide, so you can make informed decisions about one of the most controversial marketing tools in the digital age.
For B2B marketing executives, sales professionals and CEOs who want to improve sales & marketing results. Preview available on Amazon. |