Getting new leads is critical to the success of any business, and despite the popularity of other inbound marketing strategies, cold calling is still among the most efficient ways to introduce your service or product to prospective clients.

You may think you have a good grasp of your customer base, but there will always be key details you miss out on until you start making calls. This is especially true in the relationship-based, nuanced world of business-to-business sales. Here are four ways data can be used to improve existing cold-calling campaigns.

Developing and Improving Lists

The best lists aren’t flawless, even after using multiple cutting-edge tools to prepare for a campaign. Some details can only be uncovered by speaking with actual people. The contact person at each company is a crucial piece of information you need.

Of course, not every business operates the same way, but after making calls for a while, you’ll learn which titles tend to yield the best results. Next, you can use this data to improve the quality of all your lists. You can tailor your approach to each company’s decision-makers by analyzing the data to see what kind of messaging is most effective for each position.

Call Timing and Frequency

According to statistics, 97% of sales calls are either ignored or sent to voicemail. While you may try to improve your chances of getting a call back by leaving a message, data reveals that just 11% are ever answered. That’s hardly comforting to hear.

This may prompt you to consider a practical answer — recognizing when it’s best to call. Thus, you can allocate more calls to the days and hours the data shows are the most fruitful intervals for your campaign. Data also helps you determine how often you should get in touch with a particular lead.

Best Times To Send Emails and Leave Messages

You should never spam a prospect’s inbox, but you also shouldn’t stop reaching out to people who have shown interest in what you offer.

With data, you can better gauge how often you should leave voicemails and send emails to prospects, as well as the number of times you should contact them before reaching a meaningful connection. You can track the ratio of calls to conversations and meetings and adjust based on the results.

Improving the Script

Using a script ensures that you won’t fumble for words or feel obligated to put on an act during the conversation. Intent data can help with planning in various ways, from identifying areas of focus to recognizing potential sources of friction in the market.

Determining what lines perform well will allow you to incorporate them into the script and boost the chances of a campaign’s success.

The Bottom Line

We live in an information age wherein data reigns supreme. It’s used to help businesses improve their marketing campaigns, zero in on their ideal audience, make more informed business decisions, and even look into the future.

One of the numerous ways a data-driven approach can help a business is by improving its ability to generate new leads. With data, SalesGig can develop lists, determine the best times to call and send a voicemail or email, and improve scripts, all of which contribute to a better lead generation strategy. Get in touch with us today.

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