Now more than ever, outbound calling fills a critical sales and marketing need. Every month, we crunch the numbers to look at what’s changed—and what hasn’t—as a result of COVID-19. Our summer report showed the first stage of the rebound, which continues today.
Here’s a quick look at what we’re seeing.
Real-world B2B sales call results during COVID-19
- Both large and small businesses are answering their phones
- We’re reaching decision-makers at the same rates today as pre-pandemic levels
- Conversion rates for qualified leads and appointments remain strong
- Outbound calling continues to generate impressive ROI
Like most companies, if you’d asked us to predict the highlights of 2020, “global pandemic” was far from our minds. But, like other business leaders, we’ve done our best to adapt to the many changes caused by COVID-19.
Those pivots include adding remote calling capabilities that allow us to flex capacity while simultaneously protecting our staff. It’s one of several ways we’ve enhanced our services to produce the best possible results for our clients.
Metrics to measure your COVID-19 reach
Our calls span a wide variety of industries and decision-makers, and we can confidently report that both large and small businesses across the country are answering their phones.
If you’re heading up a business development, inside sales or lead generation function, we recommend using these are three metrics to track progress and make sure your activities are on track during the pandemic.
- Reach rates. These are one of the most positive metrics right now. Reach rate measures the number of call attempts required to engage a B2B or medtech decision-maker with a live conversation. Our current reach rates are on par with pre-pandemic levels, demonstrating the viability of outbound calling to fill the lead funnel.
- Conversion rates. These are also strong and steady, helping us keep sales pipelines full for our clients. On average, when we reach a decision-maker, one of every three calls results in a next step: generating a qualified lead, setting a sales appointment or sending follow-up information. We customize these call outcomes to the specific needs of each company.
- Campaign ROI. This is a final marker to track. For every dollar you’re spending on an in-house sales team or an outsourced professional call center, you should recoup enough leads, appointments and eventual closed sales to make a positive return on your investment.
Volkart May routinely returns 10:1 or greater ROI for our B2B and medtech clients—even on their very first outbound calling campaign.
While every industry is adapting to its own version of the new normal, what’s constant across all sectors is the need to continue business development and lead generation activities. With most face-to-face activities still limited, outbound calling remains a solid B2B strategy.
Hopefully these real-world inside sales and lead generation metrics during COVID-19 increase your confidence in current and future campaigns. When you’re ready for more sales best practices during the pandemic, check out our other resource articles or contact us to discuss campaigns tailored to your specific situation.
