1. ©2012, Michael A. Brown 800 373-3966 www.BtoBEngage.com
Michael A. Brown’s Happy New Year 2012 Newsletter
SO HOW DOES ONE REALLY PROSPECT
NOWADAYS?
If you log-on to LinkedIn and Focus.com in this
New Year, you will see the most amazing array of
opinions about how businesses ought to acquire new
customers.
For example, there is a contingent of “new
paradigm” marketers who propose that only “inbound
marketing” remains valid … that proactive, informed
outbound marketing or sales contacts are outdated
and inappropriate, and should give way to content
distribution followed by passivity. To me, doing so will
lead to poverty.
More than 60 sales and marketing group
members have responded to “Is cold-calling dead?”
The opinions are all over the map. Of course
introductory calling is very much alive, but among
astute marketers, quite different and better from how it
used to be.
There also are many professional marketers who
respect and value the new media and strategies, and
apply them for prospecting along with traditional,
proven approaches such as phone, webinars, and
conferences. I am among them.
There is no universal, 100% correct answer about
how to prospect. Businesses still need new customers
and there are many more channels and media in
which to pursue them and/or attract them. So I asked
a practitioner and a consultant for their views on three
prospecting questions.
• Marlon Gallimore is Director of Lead Development
and Inside Sales at Teradata in San Diego
• Tibor Shanto, is principal at Renbor Sales
Solutions in Toronto
MAB: How, and to what extent, have the newer
demand generation strategies and media changed
your own and your clients’ approaches to new
customer acquisition?
Marlon: “We are very rigorous about how we generate
and develop leads. There are no random or casual
contacts. We assign sets of named accounts to our
reps, who must research their industry segments,
accounts, and contacts before ever placing a call. The
objective is to find something that the contacts are
doing or considering that would provide a meaningful
topic for a business conversation. That is, the
prospect, not we, chooses the conversation agenda.”
Tibor: “There are potential customers who adopted
social media early, and since people tend to have
affinity for sellers they relate to, they are looking for
sellers who are also using the same tools they are.
This requires that as a seller you are able to address
those expectations, and one way is to include social
media in your approach. In fact, some BtoB buyers
who were not tuned into social media 18 - 24 months
ago, now expect that from a seller, while there are
some that will not have the expectation for some time
to come.”
-----
MAB: In most BtoB market segments, live dialogue
remains vital early in the communication sequence.
Has prospects’ responsiveness to phone-based
marketing changed because of “e-“ and social media,
and if so, how have your company and your clients
adapted?
Marlon: “Contacts expect, and often demand,
customization and personalization. That’s another
reason we invest the time and effort to prepare for our
calls. It is very difficult to get an in-depth conversation
going on the very first phone contact. So many times,
the objective of the first call is to inspire a web site
visit and an e-mail response. Many prospects do
respond well to that combination and that makes for
better second calls. Also, the absence of a response
in one medium does not necessarily mean the
prospect is not interested ... but prefers contact in a

2. ©2012, Michael A. Brown 800 373-3966 www.BtoBEngage.com
Michael A. Brown’s Happy New Year 2012 Newsletter
different medium. The mix of lead media works better
than relying on phone only.”
Tibor: “Michael, as you have said, no one has thrown
away their phone. But the phone may no longer be the
main way businesses approach new business
development ... social media are. On the other hand,
there are businesses I know of that have a social
media presence for PR purposes, but it is not part of
the day-to-day reality of their selling or buying.
Financial service firms are an example where a bank
may be very active on SM, but block or severely
restrict access to most employees, rendering SM to a
less important prospecting tool.”
-----
MAB: What are you seeing in prospects’ consideration
processes that is different from, say, two years ago?
Marlon: “There are many more participants. And the
processes are different for smaller, individual
technology purchases v. big systems. For
subscriptions and appliances, it is sometimes possible
to ‘work-around’ purchasing. But for the larger
opportunities, we really have to work hard to learn
how the consideration will happen, the criteria, and
our realistic chance to compete ... there never is only
one ‘decision-maker’ any more.”
Tibor: “There is no getting away from the fact that
people feel most comfortable with people like
themselves. If you are a mature executive who does
not use SM in most of their day-to-day, it is likely that
it will not play a big role in their buying and response
to sellers. The opposite holds true for younger buyers,
whose expectations are shaped by SM, and are not
only open to being prospected through SM, but may
shy away from those that do not demonstrate
capabilities in those same tools. The notion that
‘people buy from people’ still holds.”
__________
UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT
I say, “You’ve dialed the wrong number, sir.” The
caller says, “How can that be? We’re talking!”
ASSESSING SALES TECHNOLOGY:
GIZMOS, GADGETS, AND GOOD STUFF
I am often asked about specific products, devices,
services, and systems for sales teams, both phone
and field. My first question to askers of such questions
is, “Describe the context in which you envision using
this, and what would happen to your sales process
and results if you do?”
The answers almost always fall into one of these
categories:
• There has been thoughtful strategic and tactical
consideration, and the intended technology
enables or enhances a key operational aspect of
the sales team. For example, when computer-
telephone integration became available, it made
good sense for many companies and call centers,
because CTI provides huge productivity gains and
therefore, a competitive advantage.
• A potentially helpful addition that enables the
client to offer additional or better services to their
customers and powerful sales tools for their reps.
For example, overlaying a third-party data
resource within a contact management/CRM
system makes call preparation quicker and more
accurate for callers and the call content more
relevant and timely for prospects and customers.
• Cool and maybe worth considering because it
alleviates a perceived nuisance or rewards good
performance. For example, a client subscribed to
a new CRM system so their sales people would
no longer have to struggle through eight (!) info
screens on their antiquated ERP system. Another
client gave nice new wireless headsets to all their
inside sales people as holiday gifts.
• And the fourth category … “Are you kidding me?
Put out good money for THAT?”
__________
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