Icons of customers giving five star ratings. Text reads "The Power of Testimonials and Reviews"

The Power of Testimonials and Reviews

It is safe to say that one of the best marketing tools to help seal the deal are testimonials and reviews. People want to hear about the good and the bad and, truthfully, anything you see on a company’s website will always come with some bias. Hearing from past clients or customers is a good way to decide whether the product or service will be the right fit. Ultimately, there are many benefits – for both your prospects and your company – that come with sharing testimonials and reviews. Some of these benefits include: 

Testimonials and reviews can increase trust 

According to Big Commerce, 72% of consumers say positive testimonials and reviews increase their trust in a business. Potential customers may be more willing to use your product or service if they see that your company is being transparent and honest with them. While other tools, like case studies, can also be helpful in attracting customers, they are often written by the company. According to a 2017 survey of 250 B2B Buyers conducted by TrustRadius, “most buyers think both case studies and reviews have their place in the research process, and see the two forms of social proof as serving different purposes.” As seen in the chart below, B2B buyers consider testimonials and reviews to be significantly more authentic and trustworthy than case studies. 

However, in a B2B telemarketing call, a 2 – 4 sentence case study is a fantastic way to verbally demonstrate the Problem-Solution-Outcome that the customer experienced by going with your firm. It adds to the credibility of your presentation and puts the prospect in the shoes of your customer and allows them to visualize the advantages realized.

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They can generate more revenue 

And revenue is the name of the game right? According to Big Commerce, every time a consumer interacts with your review, they generate 62% more revenue per site visitor. Similarly, consumers that interact with reviews are 58% more likely to convert and buy. This is most likely due to the increase in trust that testimonials and reviews also bring. With evidence that testimonials help in increasing revenue, it is almost a “no-brainer” to include them on your website. People are interested in hearing about what others have to say about your company, product, or service. Even if reviews brought in just a few new customers a year, it would be well worth it. 

They can drive web traffic and improve SEO 

Surprisingly enough, testimonials and reviews can drive a lot of new web traffic and improve your SEO. The goal of SEO is to deliver users, not only the information they are looking for, but also the most helpful information possible. Using bots, search engines crawl the internet looking for the most relevant information and then rank webpages based on this information. According to data collected by Yotpo, “websites using testimonials saw a 45% increase in traffic compared to those who didn’t.” So why do testimonials and reviews rank so well? Ultimately, search engine bots are looking for content that is new, interesting, and can’t be found anywhere else. User-generated content, like testimonials, are perfect for this reason. The graph below illustrates how using testimonials and reviews can impact the traffic on your company’s webpage. 

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The benefits that come with sharing testimonials and reviews are undeniable. Your customers will consider your company to be more trustworthy because you are sharing authentic messages, rather than biased ones. With so many people turning to the internet to help them make buying decisions, it is important that they can find information that they can trust online. Convert prospects that may e Once you increase trust, you will likely be able to generate more revenue because people are more likely to convert and buy after reading testimonials and reviews. Lastly, if your company has been struggling to bring traffic to your website, testimonials may be the key. Search engines are looking for unique content and testimonials are the perfect way to include content on your website that does not exist anywhere else on the web. When developing or adjusting your company’s content marketing strategy, adding testimonials and reviews may not be top-of-mind, but given the benefits it can bring to both your customer and your company, you may want to consider it as a part of your future content strategy.

Measuring Sales Rep KPIs

Measuring Sales Rep KPIs

Key Takeaways

  • Identifying KPIs for your sales reps will help you evaluate their effectiveness.
  • Making your KPIs known to your sales reps will help them self-evaluate and improve performance. This reduces the need for intervention from you and other administrators.
  • When evaluating your sales rep’s performance, your highest priority KPIs should include:
    • Opportunity-to-Win Ratio
    • Number of Appointments Booked
    • Rate of New Contacts
    • Number of Qualified Leads
    • Average Deal Size
    • Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
    • and Monthly Revenue
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A person holds a tablet with data on it. The text reads "Using a CRM system for data organization".

The Importance of Using a CRM System For Data Organization

Without an organized client relationship management (CRM) system, prospect qualification, lead generation, and every stage of the sales cycle would be complete chaos. This is especially true if you have multiple lead generators or sales reps working those same records. It’s important for there to be a way to streamline and organize the data collected during each stage of the sales cycle. 

Having a CRM system in place is a great way to stay organized, make sure you are reaching the right prospects, capitalize on prior intelligence gathered, and make sure salespeople are not calling the same prospects simultaneously. Lastly, prospects will still remain even if the sales rep leaves. Don’t let the prospect notes disappear along with the rep! If you don’t already have a CRM system in place, consider the benefits that come with having one: 

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8 Essential B2B Demand Generation Best Practices for 2023

8 Essential B2B Demand Generation Best Practices for 2024

Image result for integrate logo

Written by William Anthony
For Integrate.com

Key Takeaways

  • Demand Gen is a marketing tactic that helps bring your ideal clients to you by generating interest in your product or service.
  • You can generate demand by building better relationships with businesses, enhancing operational efficiency, and focusing on your top-of-funnel process as well as implementing account-based marketing tactics.
  • Consistent communication with your clients, as well as your sales and customer service teams, will help you get the best information about how to generate demand.

When you have a product or service that is in high demand, you’ll see in increase in profits and the lead generation practically comes to you.

Demand generation is a B2B marketing discipline designed to create interest in products and services that results in greater sales pipeline opportunities and revenue. A comprehensive, effective demand generation strategy will also result in happier customers and better sales-marketing alignment.

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B2B business call center

Why You Should Outsource Your Overflow of Customer Service Calls

Key Takeaways

Outsourcing overflow customer service calls will:

  • Reduce the time you spend hiring new staff.
  • Reduce the risk of hiring the wrong people for the job.
  • Reduce the time and money spent on training new staff.
  • Reduce the uncertainty of payroll costs, allowing you to dial up or dial down spending as needed.

Receiving customer service calls means that your customers know they can contact you for assistance, but when you have an overflow of them, it can change that perception.

When you have tons of customers needing your help, it can lead to many not getting responsive and timely answers. Or they can feel rushed from the conversation. These can bring your company’s perception down rapidly.

Perhaps you’ve been toying with the notion of calling all customers in an outbound, proactive approach to either touch base, understand their new needs, or just simply – to show you care. While there is no telling when we will go back to business as usual, it is important to make decisions now that will benefit your company in the future. Ultimately, outsourcing your overflow of customer service calls will eliminate the costs of:  

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A man using a laptop.

How to Research Prospects Before a Sales Call

When you go about getting prospects the wrong way, your results will be below expectations. So instead, let’s talk about the right way to go after prospects. It’s all about the warm calls over the cold calls. Here are the best tips to help you research your prospects:

Key Takeaways

  • First, use resources online to research your prospect. Look for their website, social media, articles they’re cited on, and news articles mentioning them.
  • The best information you’ll get will come directly from the prospect themselves. Refer to records of your company’s prior engagements with the lead. You may find these records in your CRM or prospect spreadsheet.
  • When setting up your call with the prospect, remember to be timely with your prep for the call. Show up with an outline of what info you want to share with them. During the call, confirm that you’re on the same page regarding key points.

Online Research

Research will allow you to have a better understanding of the company you’re calling on, which will lead to a successful conversation with your prospect. This information will let you personalize your pitch to create a unique connection and build rapport with each prospect. Not only will you grab the prospect’s attention by “due diligence” demonstrated, but they will be more likely to listen to what you have to say! Perhaps even more important- research (i.e. qualifying) will offer insight into whether a prospect remains pursuable.

There is plenty of publicly available information online. Researching a company on LinkedIn is one effective way to acquire valuable information. For example, the company page typically showcases their services and industry-related articles, as well as a list of their awards and achievements. Browse the company website to explore their mission statement, published blog content, or a staff list. This list may identify their name and title, which will help in determining who the right contact is.

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Trends In Phone Outreach And Business Growth

Trends In Phone Outreach And Business Growth

After the year we’ve just been through, there’s no time like the present to have your sights set on growth. Phone outreach is one of the most efficient and effective ways to generate revenue. But let’s be honest – phone outreach isneasy. 

From dealing with hard-to-reach prospects to getting in touch with the wrong people, phone outreach can be difficult. But, if you’re not already using it as a strategy to grow your business, you’re going to want to start now. The numbers speak for themselves – look at these statistics and trends about phone outreach and business growth:   (more…)

3 Tips to Gain Your Prospect’s Attention

3 Tips to Gain Your Prospect’s Attention

The first 15 seconds of a phone call can make or break how successful it is. This time period is your only opportunity to grab their attention, making it even more daunting.

Since their time is valuable, represent yourself and the company in a concise, yet unique, manner. Differentiate your company in order to create a lasting first impression through an intriguing conversation. Be sure you are interesting to talk with by using vocal variety in your tone.

Follow these tips to help capture your prospect’s attention on a cold introductory call, and secure more time with decision-makers!

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Sales Tips to Finish 2020 Strong

Sales Tips to Finish 2021 Strong

Even though there didn’t appear to be much of a “summer”, the calendar kept moving. Not long ago we were writing about What to Expect From Salespeople During this Time and Adapting Your Value Proposition, and now fall has already arrived. Whether vacations were canceled, rescheduled or modified, working people hopefully took some time off to refresh and sales has become top of mind again. Let’s turn up the momentum as decision makers return from their “summer” vacations, eager to start the last quarter strong.  

Track Your Efforts and Re-strategize. 

Identify the prospects you contacted these last few months, and ask yourself the following questions:  

  • Did you make ‘touch base’ calls by phone when businesses were adapting to the pandemic?  
  • Did you utilize any direct mail campaigns or email newsletters and monitor engagement?  
  • Did you attend any virtual networking events or conferences?
  • Did you enter new contact information into your CRM or prospect Excel spreadsheet?   

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What To Do When Prospects Ghost You

What To Do When Prospects Ghosts You

Have you ever made it far along in the sales cycle with a prospect and then, just when you are about to close the deal, all communication stops? When a prospect ghosts you, it can be frustrating, leaving you wondering what you did wrong and what you could’ve done differently. However, just because communication has stopped doesn’t mean that you won’t ever hear from them again – there can be many reasons for the “ghosting,” and if you had a good feeling about an ultimate sale, the ghosting could simply be due to bad timing. Consider these suggestions for what to do when a prospect ghosts you:

Key Takeaways

When a prospect ghosts you, you should:

  • Follow up. Avoid being overbearing when following up, being too pushy will drive them away.
  • Send more personalized messages with very specific questions.
  • Remind the prospect of their desired outcomes, then remind them how you’ll help them achieve their desired outcomes.
  • If nothing else works, keep them in your database to revisit another time.
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