Telephone qualifying tips for manufacturers by Koch Group

Market research and telephone qualifying tips for manufacturers

Koch Group is an industrial marketing consulting firm. We specialize in assisting small and mid-sized manufacturers and industrial service providers by providing solutions for their marketing problems.

Our

Market research and telephone qualifying tips for manufacturers - photo

manufacturing clients often need to determine the market viability of an existing or new market segment, new industry, or the ability to sell to companies in a remote geographic area. To inexpensively determine potential, our clients often qualify, by telephone, companies in the targeted market segments, industries, or areas.

The following tips form a checklist to help manufacturers qualify potential target accounts or obtain market research information.

Define the potential accounts. Manufacturers don't have the time to just begin calling potential target companies randomly. First, they must define the criteria that target companies must meet. They must define their targets by:

Annual sales volume,
Number of employees,
Industry specialization (SIC codes or NAICS codes),
Geographic location, and
Ownership (public/private).

Identify appropriate data sources. To find the information required to define the potential target companies, a manufacturer must obtain key data concerning those companies. This information is available from a variety of desk market research sources. Some resources manufacturers can access include:

Trade association directories,
State manufacturers' directories,
Regional manufacturers' directories,
Industrial purchasing guides,
List brokers, and
Internet directory listings.

Develop key questions. Once the data is obtained, the manufacturer must determine what key questions they can ask, and receive responses for. The development of questions is an analytical process. The manufacturer must:

List types of information desired to be obtained.
Determine which information is most important.
Develop open-ended questions.
Decide the order of questions based on logical question and answer flow and the criticality of receiving that piece of information.

Test the questionnaire. Once the draft questionnaire is developed, it needs to be tested before being put into general use. This is especially critical if a number of company personnel are participating in the qualifying activities. Let your best caller test call key target companies to determine if the right person is being contacted and if the questions yield the responses anticipated. If it does not, it must be modified and tested again. The process includes:

Calling 4-5 target customers to obtain desired information.
Reviewing obtained results to determine the quality of information received.
Revising the questions as required, dependent on test results.

Call on the regular business number; never call on a company's toll free number. Not all companies can identify which line carries incoming calls. However, no one likes to pay for a call for which they derive no benefit. Call on your own "dime", not on the company's you are calling.

Cheerfully ask the receptionist or operator " How are you today". Wait for answer and then ask for the person or department you are calling. That little bit of courtesy can often be the difference in getting past a "gatekeeper" who is screening calls. If you can't reach your intended caller, you can't obtain the data you desire.

Obtain your contact's name and extension from the receptionist or operator, if your target contact is unavailable. This information may also be available from the target contact's voice mail box. This information is critical for callbacks since when you return the call you can ask for a specific person or extension. This often allows you to reach your party without being screened. Always ask for the best time to reach your target contact.

Hold for as long as you can! When given the option to hold, stay on the line. Request to be put on hold rather than into voicemail. Your odds of reaching a contact dramatically increase if you do not allow yourself to be connected to a contact's voicemail. Plus, if your contact is currently on the line, you know he or she is in. With voicemail, you have lost the advantage.

Leave only your name, company name, and phone number if forced to leave a message. Do not let the caller deselect calling you back because you have provided too much information.

Say, "Hello, My name is "Joe Smith"-and I am not selling anything" when you reach your party."I am just doing some very quick market research and it will only take 2-3 minutes. Will you help me?" First, the person receiving your call understands you aren't wasting their time trying to sell them something they don't want. Second, they understand you desire information, which they possess and for which you are nicely asking.

Ask your questions slowly and clearly. If the contact misunderstands your question, the data you receive may be flawed. It can skew your research results. Make sure the question is easy to understand, and then speak slowly.

Listen! Listen! Listen! Do not interrupt respondents when answers are being given. Let them talk and spend most of your time noting the response. Make notes to yourself concerning potential follow-up questions. If you interrupt, the contact will lose their train of thought and you might not get the desired responses.

Be patient. When there is silence on the line after a question, remain quiet, and wait. The respondent is thinking. If you interrupt, you will lose information and their focus. Your silence also conveys your belief the response is not complete. Don't be afraid to be silent. It is uncomfortable, and the contact will probably fill the silence.

Thank the respondent for their time when the interview is over. Courtesy is always appreciated.

Ask if you can call back if you require further information. You may find you need more clarification after the data is analyzed. More often than not, people are nice and will say "Okay" because they assume you will never call back!

Review notated information immediately. As soon as the call is completed, review the recorded information and edit for meaning and accuracy. Expand on the cryptic notes written during the call. Do not make another call until the just completed call information has been completely finished.

Enter all obtained interview data. Key the obtained information into a spreadsheet or database. This will allow for easy sorting and grouping of data to aid subsequent analysis.

Sort and print out entered response data. Sort the data. Printing out the data allows the user to read it on paper and find errors or other patterns which may not be as apparent on a computer screen.

Analyze response data. Complete the analysis by developing written conclusions and recommendations, based on the data, for future, or immediate, action.

Make a decision! Determine what your business needs to do, and do it! You've obtained sound market information, so act on it. Be proactive!

Related industrial marketing tips

If you would like more information about our industrial marketing services for manufacturers, please use our contact form or email us at info@kochgroup.com.

	Koch Group, Inc. 240 East Lake Street, Suite 300 Addison, Illinois 60101 Phone: 630-941-1100 Fax: 630-941-3865 Email: info@kochgroup.com
Copyright ©1999-2008 Koch Group, Inc. All rights reserved.