A new NFL season is nearly upon us, which means there are 32 teams with dreams of hoisting the Super Bowl trophy next February. There’s a palpable sense of excitement at the start of a new season, a feeling that anything is possible.
That same attitude can be found at the start of a new lead generation and appointment-setting campaign. Every client that signs with VSA for an outbound cold calling program does so with the hopes of generating a steady stream of productive meetings with qualified decision-makers who are ready to buy.
Unfortunately, neither of the above scenarios is entirely realistic. Just as there are NFL teams who will not get close to winning a Super Bowl, there are lead generation campaigns that, for whatever reason, struggle to yield the desired results. VSA is committed to delivering ROI-positive outcomes for our clients and utilizing strategies and best practices that maximize the chances for a successful program, but we’ve been in the business long enough to know that sometimes, such success can be elusive.
The big difference, of course, is that most people know in advance when a football team is going to endure a long season. With appointment-setting programs, VSA always starts with the conviction that we will succeed. It’s only through the process that we discover there are areas that need to be fixed.
And unlike a faltering football team that’s forced to take the field week after week regardless of the condition of their roster, VSA and our clients have the option of pausing a program midstream, evaluating the areas that need improvement, and returning to action a short time later with a rejuvenated plan of attack.
In most cases, we can work through the issues and make the necessary adjustments without having to pause calling. VSA is a data-driven organization, so it doesn’t take long for certain trends to emerge, such as the best times to call on a particular program, or the best titles to speak with. But occasionally it does make smart business sense to step back, regroup, and start anew. Whether it’s the client asking us to pause the program or our own recommendation, it’s ultimately a collaborative decision.
“Ideally, we prefer not to pause a program, because you can lose momentum and the warming of leads,” says Valerie Schlitt, VSA’s founder and CEO. “Really, as long as you’re seeing progress, it’s usually best to keep going. But there are some programs where it really takes a while to get into a groove and it does make sense to pause.”
When Is it OK to Pause a Program?
If a lead generation program is struggling, it often comes down to one of three factors: the target list, the message, or the messenger.
The list: If we’re not connecting with the right people, or we’re not having enough conversations with decision-makers, it might make sense to step back and perform a thorough list analysis before we continue dialing. We’ve had plenty of programs over the years where a client initially pursued a certain job title, only to realize we were more successful setting meetings with a different title.
The message: Tweaking the phone script is generally a quicker fix than assessing the list and might not necessitate a pause. However, in some cases a client might want to promote an entirely new product or service, or maybe they want to alter their message to reach a specific segment of their prospect base. In cases like that, pausing calls can be helpful, even if it’s just for a few days.
Perhaps the message isn’t resonating due to a lack of name recognition among the clients’ targets. In those cases, it might help to pause dialing for a short time to focus on an email or texting campaign.
The messenger: VSA’s Business Development Representatives are among the most experienced in the industry, and they receive extensive training before starting calls on any program. But occasionally, a BDR’s individual skills don’t align with a particular client’s offering, and it makes sense to replace part of the team, which could mean pausing temporarily for uptraining.
Three advantages to pausing a program:
1. Builds trust
VSA is not here to take our clients’ money without delivering results in return. One of the biggest reasons we’ve been in business for more than two decades is that we pride ourselves on building strategic partnerships and understanding our clients’ ROI. If we see that a program isn’t working the way we or the client want it to, we’re always going to be transparent about it and hold ourselves accountable. Taking these steps lets our clients know they can always trust us to prioritize their best interests.
2. Prevents issues from snowballing
Whether listening to call recordings, reviewing data, or tweaking the list or messaging, we are constantly analyzing all aspects of our lead generation campaigns. If a concerning trend is identified, pausing the program temporarily allows us to rectify it without wasting valuable calling hours.
3. Helps create long-term success
VSA’s goal is to sustain long-lasting relationships with all our clients. Pausing and rebooting a program is sometimes the perfect recipe for achieving this goal. We’d love to get everything right the first time, but we’re realistic enough to know that’s not always the case … and flexible enough to do something about it.
“We always really want our clients’ programs to succeed and are going to do whatever it takes to make that happen,” says Dawn Stolte, VSA’s Senior VP of Operations. “Sometimes, that means pausing a program to regroup. It’s usually a combination of things we can do on our end and things the client can change on their end, like maybe changing up the list.”
If you’d like to learn more about how a strategic partnership with VSA can help you grow your business and fill your sales pipeline, give us a call or send us a message. We’d love to help you finish 2023 strong … even if your favorite football team doesn’t.