January 2018 | Blue Donkey

Getting motivated this January

Posted on 30 January 2018 by bluedonkey

January is a notoriously difficult month for people in all walks of life. Long, dark days, cold weather and a lack of finances following Christmas excess all take their toll on workers across all industries, making the first month of the year a tough one to conquer. In business, January is often the least productive month of the year. Workloads take time to build up again after the winter break and many employees just can’t find the energy to start new projects or drive existing plans forward.

The only way to counter this New Year malaise is to get motivated. With a little concerted effort from managers and a helping hand from those at the top, most employees should be able to find the extra energy they need to knuckle down and get 2018 off on the right foot. To help bosses everywhere to get their workforce back on track, we’re taking a look at easy and effective motivational techniques that will boost productivity and improve office morale in no time.

Herzberg’s theory of motivation

Frederick Herzberg was an American psychologist who became one of the most influential names in business management in the 20th century. Known for his two-factor theory of motivation, his book ‘One more time, how do you motivate employees?’ sold more than 1.2 million copies when it was published in 1968. Although his ideas may now be half a century old, they still hold true and managers looking to inspire employees and boost productivity in the winter months would do well to take heed.

Two-factor theory

Herzberg believed that motivation was influenced by factors that fell into two broad categories: motivators, and hygiene. Motivating factors were those that actively encouraged a better rate of work and that gave employees the energy and the drive to put more effort into their role. Without motivators employees would struggle to put 110% into their work.

Hygiene factors, on the other hand, wouldn’t necessarily motivate workers to be more productive simply by being present. However their absence could demotivate workers and reduce productivity. Ensuring the presences of both hygiene factors and motivators therefore is crucial if managers want to get the very best out of their workforce.

Motivators

There are a number of motivators that Herzberg identified in his theory. Chief among them was the belief that by giving workers increased responsibility, meaningful and fulfilling work and increased autonomy it would improve motivation levels. He also encouraged managers to reward achievement and recognise hard work among their employees.

Hygiene factors

In Herzberg’s theory, hygiene factors are basic provisions that can demotivate a workforce by their absence. These include adequate pay, good working conditions and fair and appropriate supervision. Although the presences of these important factors won’t necessarily motivate a workforce, their absence will significantly hinder productivity and sap employee morale in the process.

A two-pronged approach

Managers looking to boost motivation this January should therefore take a two-pronged approach if they want to improve productivity for good. Looking at both motivating factors and hygiene factors will help company bosses to provide the best conditions possible for their workers and increase motivation levels across the board.

If you’d like to find out more about boosting motivation and improving the quality of your workforce, explore the information on our site or get in touch with a member of our team.

Market research – need to know vs nice to know

Posted on 25 January 2018 by bluedonkey

Market research is an integral part of running any successful business. Informing product development and marketing campaigns, market research helps you to ensure you’re making the right products for the right people. In order to guarantee your market research is as valuable and as informative as possible, you need to be asking the right questions. This will help you tailor your calls and make your campaign a success.

Does the contact fit your demographic?

One of the most essential things you’ll need to learn from a market research telemarketing call is whether the contact is from your chosen demographic. If the business you’re talking to falls outside of your target criteria, any information you garner during the call will be largely irrelevant and won’t help to inform your campaign. Ideally, you should have a quality, vetted list. However, it’s still important to ask the right opening questions if you want to ensure your contact fits your demographic.

Is there demand for your product?

In most cases, the main purpose behind a telemarketing market research campaign is to learn whether there is demand for a new product or service. Your telemarketers will need to be able to explain the concept behind your product or service succinctly and clearly. They’ll also need to be able to interpret various responses in order to distinguish between polite interest and genuine enthusiasm. As all business leaders know, conducting market research during the development of a new product or service is essential, especially if you want the finished product to appeal to the right target audience.

What are your contact’s business needs?

Talking to a contact over the phone offers telemarketers a fantastic opportunity to learn a little more about the people they’re speaking to. By asking insightful questions, listening to the answers and getting a meaningful conversation going your telemarketers can get under the skin of the people they’re speaking to and get a real feel for their needs and requirements. Have your telemarketers tailor their questions to find out how the products and services you offer fit in with the specific needs of the prospect. The more they can learn about the requirements of the business they’re speaking to, the more it will enrich and inform your market research campaign.

Where can your business broaden its appeal?

As well as ensuring your business is meeting the current needs of your target audience, you need to know how you can improve the products and service you offer in the coming years. Even if you’re not planning to expand your operations in the near future, understanding where you can improve and diversify the products and services you offer will stand your business in good stead for the future.

To learn more about effective market research and telemarketing campaigns, take a look around our site or get in touch with a member of our expert team.

How influencer marketing can enhance and enrich your data driven marketing

Posted on 19 January 2018 by bluedonkey

Both influencer marketing and data driven marketing are having a big impact in the world of business. Combining the two can help businesses boost their marketing campaigns and connect with their target audience like never before.

The rise of influencer marketing

To one degree or another, influencer marketing has been around for decades. As soon as one business recommends a product or service to another business, they’re influencing their decision and acting as a brand ambassador. These days, influencer marketing is used in a much more deliberate way and on a far larger scale. From recruiting selected online ‘influencers’, to designing online and offline campaigns to encourage word of mouth recommendations, companies around the world have now embraced various influencer marketing techniques.

Data driven marketing

Like influencer marketing, data driven marketing has long been used by telemarketers and other marketing companies to identify potential customers, tailor campaigns and inform marketing decisions. However the advent of big data is now providing businesses with an unprecedented level of information about their customers.

Combining data driven and influencer marketing

Combining data driven marketing with influencer marketing can help your company to achieve impressive results from its campaigns. Collecting data on potential and existing customers can help businesses to find out a lot more about their target audience. This can help to mould b2b telemarketing campaigns and ensure the core marketing message is on point. As well as informing a marketing campaign, understanding why customers decide to buy from your business, what their buying habits are and what their professional needs may be can also help to develop products and services that are even more relevant to the demographic they’re aimed at.

Once a business understands its audience, it’s a lot easier for them to influence buying choices and connect with decision makers during a telemarketing call. Businesses can work with online influencers to spread the word about their company and create campaigns and targeted offers. This encourages existing customers to become brand ambassadors and influence other potential customers.

Using multiple platforms

The more a business knows about its customers, the easier it is to find appropriate platforms on which to advertise and raise brand awareness. Using multiple platforms in a marketing campaign can help to reinforce the message and achieve maximum exposure. For example, a business could work with relevant influencers to promote products or services and then follow up the initial influencer campaign using telemarketing. If the call list used in the telemarketing campaign is created with the help of big data, it’s likely to be relevant, accurate and productive.

Taking full advantage of all tools and techniques available can help businesses to improve the results of their marketing campaigns and therefore increase their market share. Find out more about telemarketing and successful marketing techniques by taking a look around our site.

5 sure fire ways to create a negative brand impression and how to avoid them

Posted on 9 January 2018 by bluedonkey

A negative brand impression can be very hard to recover from, especially if it’s the first impression you gave a potential client. As telemarketers are often the first contact a company has with its prospective clients, ensuring your team knows how to avoid making a bad impression is essential if you want your telemarketing campaigns to succeed.

1. Coming on too strong

If there’s one thing that decision makers dislike more than anything else, it’s telemarketers who come on too strong. Diving head first into a sales pitch before you’ve taken the time to build up a rapport with the decision maker will make your telemarketers seem pushy. This could easily lead someone to a negative impression of your brand.

2. Not doing your groundwork

Decision makers and gatekeepers are busy people, so if they think your telemarketers are wasting their time, they won’t see your brand in a positive light. To prevent this, make sure your telemarketers do the right groundwork before they pick up the phone. They should be clear about what they can offer and how it stacks up against alternatives in the market.

3. Failing to ask questions

Asking questions is an essential part of building a positive brand impression. If your team fails to engage with the prospect and create an authentic two-way dialogue, they risk alienating the decision maker.

In addition to helping to create a productive conversation, asking questions gives telemarketers a valuable opportunity to find out more about the prospect and to demonstrate that they have the potential client’s interests at heart. These two strategies will help to improve the quality and the outcome of your telemarketing campaigns.

Make sure you have a compelling reason to call a particular type of organisation. This may be the sector an organisation is in, the size, or the type, but begin by creating a well profiled target list first. This will help to ensure the businesses your team are contacting have potential needs and requirements in line with the products or services you offer.

4. Pushing decision makers to act before they’re ready

A good connection with a strong product or service, offered to the right organisation and buyer will help influence people to act. If they don’t act then they may agree to at least speak with you again when the time is more appropriate for example, because there is a decision pending at that time or a new budget on the horizon.

If the data is right and the call is strong you can usually expect to generate a positive outcome, but that may not necessarily be a lead, it may be an opportunity to speak again. In our experience the most valuable relationships take time to nurture.

5. Unknowledgeable telemarketers

Your telemarketers need to be able to answer all of the questions that decision makers throw at them. This means they need to have an in depth knowledge of your company, your products and your services. They should be able to discuss the benefits of what you offer and make a compelling case for why you’re the best option out there.

Find out more about improving the quality of your telemarketing calls by taking a look around our site or getting in touch with a member of our expert team.

Opening line etiquette – when is it time to stop opening with Happy New Year?

Posted on 2 January 2018 by bluedonkey

At the right time of year, opening with the phrase ‘Happy New Year’ is a great way to get a call off on the right foot and set a positive tone for your conversation. Unlike the many religious festivals and events that take place over the same period, New Year is universal so you don’t have to worry about alienating anyone.

However, as a lot of telemarketers begin their calls with ‘Happy New Year’ around this time, people can get bored of hearing it fast. And in fact, if you persevere with the opener for too long, you could end up irritating your contact rather than disarming them. So when exactly is the right time to stop wishing everyone a happy New Year? And should you set your telemarketing team a clear cut off point?

First week back in the office

The first week back in the office in January is generally an acceptable time to begin every call by wishing the prospect a happy New Year. Most people will be speaking to colleagues, telemarketers and B2B contacts for the first time since before Christmas so it won’t come as a surprise if they’re wished a happy New Year several times a day.

According to a poll carried out by Cambridge News, 22% of people stop using the phrase after the 1st January. Luckily for telemarketers however, the same study found that a whopping 63% of people continue to wish colleagues, friends and B2B contacts a happy New Year until the end of the first week of the month.

Into January and beyond

The poll carried out by Cambridge News found that just 15% of people believe it’s appropriate to drag New Year pleasantries out for the whole of January. Most people will have done their fair share of well wishing by the middle of the month and some may find the phrase a little jarring as January draws to a close.

In fact, wishing prospects and contacts a happy New Year long after the celebrations are done and dusted can make your telemarketers seem like they’re trying a little too hard to be friendly. It could also give decision makers and gatekeepers the impression that they’re low on ideas or poor innovators.

Getting it right

If you want to ensure your team gets their calls off on the right foot and doesn’t irritate anyone with their New Year greetings, it’s important to train them in effective and productive opening techniques. If they’re able to tackle a range of situations, they won’t have to rely on clichés and will be able to use seasonal greetings only when they’re really appropriate.

To find out more about improving the quality of your telemarketing calls, contact a member of our team or take a look around our site.