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Transform your Pipeline in 12 weeks...

Jenny | 26 March 2014

Where is your business coming from? Transform your Pipeline in 12 weeks
It’s no secret that B2B sales cycles can be complex and demanding, require experience and expertise to develop and can be frustratingly long winded. So when B2B Sales teams spend valuable and expensive time trying to sniff out the next opportunity it’s almost like looking for a needle in a haystack.
At GCL we’ve spent over 23 years developing and honing our B2B telemarketing skills and have witnessed first-hand the frustrations of both Sales people and Sales Management teams at the lack of pipeline they have. Using all of our knowledge, experience and expertise we’ve developed a 12 week program to both kick start your pipeline and deliver long term business growth.

It all starts with Data
Data is the corner stone to any successful pipeline, knowing your prospects and the key Decision Makers within them is the foundation platform for success.
Sounds simple? Ok it’s a little more scientific than “know your prospect” but analyzing the sectors you’re successful in, have reference-ability in and are aligned well with your solution benefits will enable you to build a core “foundation” database to work from . Our data services look at your in house data, GCL’s extensive database and sector specific data houses to create a “whole of market” data set from which to spring board the pipeline.

Know your Champions!
Having a foundation prospect database is a great first step but to start engaging with new prospects (or existing ones) we must start to build out and define the core decision makers, sponsors and champions that will ultimately become your clients. In today’s multi-channel world however it’s not simply enough to “know” who these individuals are – think carefully about your long term strategy, if that will include online and e-nurture make sure that that these communication methods are a clear requirement in the data building.

Define Now, Later and Never.
To recap, we now have a whole of market database, aligned with your successes and business benefits as well as a core suite of potential decision makers to start a dialogue with. At this stage most organisations engage an internal or outsourced telemarketing team to “attack” the market at an arbitrary start point or, in most cases, by focusing on the largest organisations first in the hope that this will start to build their pipeline.
The reality is that whilst this will make an impact on your pipeline and you may see elements of “luck” that happen to be in the buying cycle, as a business you still don’t have a strategic view on the pipeline available, either Now, Later or Ever!
To really build a strategic pipeline and enable business growth we must start with 3 W’s and an H…
HOW – do they cope with the challenges you could help them solve?
WHO – do they use to support them currently?
WHAT – do they spend on similar or competing solutions?
WHEN - do they foresee a change in this scenario? look to review? Consider new solutions?

Now we’re really getting somewhere! Now we have a core foundation dataset, with the correct, identified decision makers and by building the data and INSIGHT above we can see the all-important core financial values that your prospect universe represents. Knowing whether your universe has a potential value or £1 or £100 Million will not only help shape and structure your marketing efforts but should directly impact on the Sales and BDM investment.

Fig 1.

Stage One Pipeline

Fig 2.

Now and Later

At final stages of the initial transformation plan you and your team should be able to start to segment the Now, Later and Never prospects, not only giving your Sales Team more focus on winnable, profit making prospects but enabling the marketing and sales team to develop a nurture strategy to develop their relationships with potential clients.
Fig 3.

Stage 3 Pipeline

12 Weeks at a glance:

Fig 4.

Stage 4 Pipeline

Developing a long term pipeline often relies on the core insight, data captured and usable intelligence combined with prospect engagement and good appointment making to tie the whole process into the sales cycle – knowing Who, How and When to target these prospects whether through an outsourced, experienced telemarketing agency like GCL Direct or through a stable internal resource will not only help achieve this year’s targets but support your continued growth next year and beyond.