Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
A TechTarget Global Marketer Services White Paper
Understanding and Influencing
the International IT Buyer
Part Four: The Implications of Engaging International Buyers by Phone
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Engaging International
International
Engaging
Buyers by
by Phone
Phone
Buyers
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
The Implications of Engaging International Buyers by Phone
The effectiveness of telemarketing/phone calls in
technology sales cycles is a much more interesting and
controversial conversation than you would expect. Cold
calling and the use of outsourced telemarketing firms
are deeply engrained in technology marketing and
sales traditions. Many seasoned veterans swear by it
and some sales directors insist on it. In the face of this
support, there is the recognized, irreversible trend that
buyers want (and do) more of their research on the web.
Part one: Common attributes of international IT buyers
Click here to view this report
Part two: Shifting behaviors in international research
and engagement
Click here to view this report
Part three: Content decisions—Making the right
content choices for different countries
Click here to view this report
Part four:
The Implications of Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
In Part Four of this series, we use IT buyer survey data
to look at the elemental questions of:
• At what point in the buying cycle should your sales
reps reach out to buyers by phone?
• Are IT pros who agree to receive content from
telemarketers qualified leads?
• Do telemarketers collect accurate information
on IT buyers?
About TechTarget
TechTarget has offices in the US, UK, France, Australia,
Singapore and China and serves the IT community
through its globally focused tech market specific websites,
featuring 70+ localized websites for over ten different
international countries in seven different languages.
With extensive Global Marketer Services and rich local
capabilities, we help global technology marketers get to
market faster in all the regions they care about most.
About the Survey
The survey was fielded in 2012 in English and, where
appropriate, in local language. We garnered a statistically
significant set of results in the world’s most important
international markets: UK, France, Germany, Benelux,
Italy, India, China, Japan, ASEAN, and Australia/New
Zealand. Each country’s survey received a minimum
of 140 responses. In total, we collected 750 European
respondents and 1,100 APAC respondents.
To receive the full report data, contact Renee Cormier.
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
IT
open to calls
open
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
IT buyers do not want to be contacted by phone during
pre-purchase research phases
Conventional wisdom has held that IT pros outside
the US are more inclined toward personal interactions,
so telemarketing is an effective way to engage
prospects. However, as global IT buyers spend more
time doing pre-purchase research online, marketers’
follow-up approaches need to reflect the preference
for e-communication. To underscore the point, across
EMEA and APAC, a clear majority of IT buyers do not
want unsolicited phone calls.
When asked which buying cycle stage they are willing
to accept a phone call from an IT vendor or VAR sales rep,
vast majorities across regions indicated they prefer not
to be contacted by phone. While in less mature markets
like China and India, a slightly higher percentage were
open to receiving calls, in almost all phases of the
pre-purchase research process most IT buyers are not
receptive to telemarketing-based outreach. It is very
important to highlight this shift in parts of APAC, where
research has migrated online at a slower rate. However,
now that buyers are relying heavily on the web for
research, marketers who depend on telemarketing to
qualify and nurture prospects must revisit this approach.
Most IT buyers prefer not to be contacted by phone, regardless of stage.
Percentage of IT buyers by stage who are unwilling to be contacted by phone.
Conducting initial
research into the
solution area
Identifying potential
vendors to evaluate
Creating a
vendor shortlist
Making a final
vendor/solution
selection
EMEA
APAC
78%
73%
73%
75%
61%
54%
60%
66%
What does this mean for you?
As IT decision makers’ research preferences
evolve, sole dependence on traditional
marketing and sales approaches must be
questioned. Organizations that continue to
practice blanket cold calling not only waste
valuable resources but also risk damaging
the IT buyer’s perception of the IT vendor
or VAR and alienate a significant portion of
their target audience. So how can you more
effectively engage IT buyers?
Engage leads via the same medium
through which they initiated interaction.
If your interactions with an IT buyer began with
a white paper download, nurture that lead
via email, feeding them additional content to
further familiarize them with your solutions.
Look for cues that an IT buyer may be
ready for more direct contact.
In general, IT professionals have more
tolerance for unsolicited phone calls later in
the buying cycle; i.e., when creating a vendor
short list or making a final vendor/solution
selection. Rely on CRM and marketing
automation systems to monitor how much
and what type of content an account is
downloading to determine the best time
to call.
Engage your publishers for more information.
Tools like TechTarget’s Activity Intelligence
dashboard help visualize account activity,
providing insight into how much and what
type of content users and the companies
they work for have downloaded.
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
An IT buyer who agrees to receive content from a telemarketer
is not necessarily a qualified lead
Just because an IT professional agrees to accept a
telemarketer’s offer to send a white paper or other
content asset does not indicate that a research project
is afoot. In fact, most of those surveyed said they have
agreed to receive content from a telemarketer even if they
had no intention to buy or no related problem to solve.
When asked why they would agree to receive a white
paper or other content offered by a telemarketer on behalf
of an IT vendor or VAR, the vast majority said they would
accept content if the subject interested them—even if
they had no plans to make a purchase anytime soon.
Additionally, 35% of German respondents and 24%
of Australian respondents said they would accept the
content just to get the telemarketer off the phone.
IT professionals are busy. They prefer to search for
relevant content on their own schedules—when they
have a problem to solve or a purchase to research.
IT buyers will accept content from telemarketers even if they have no intention to make a purchase.
Many buyers across regions, particularly in Germany and Australia, indicate they will say
or do anything to get off the phone with telemarketers.
EMEA
APAC
IT buyers who
accept content from
telemarketers on
topic of interest even
if they do not intend
to make a purchase
anytime soon
62% 68%
IT buyers who say
anything to get
telemarketers off
the phone
26 % 14%
Germany
ANZ
35% 24%
What does this mean for you?
More targeted approaches to content
distribution should be pursued in an effort
to generate active, engaged prospects who
are pursuing projects right now.
Publish content on the web where
IT buyers can find it.
Have an abundance of good content that
can be found through search engines, on
your own website and through relevant
independent IT media websites.
Distribute content to prequalified lists.
Ensure IT buyers who have already
demonstrated an interest in the topic are
exposed to your content. Downloaders’
previous research behavior—or their digital
footprint—is the best indicator that they are
serious prospects with problems to solve.
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
from
IT buyers over
over phone
phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
What does this mean for you?
Question data collected from IT buyers over the phone
Many marketers rely on telemarketing activity to gather
more information about a prospect’s budget and buying
plans. Our research shows this information is unreliable.
We asked IT decision-makers what they would do if
they were offered, via an unsolicited phone call, a white
paper in exchange for their personal data and information
about their company’s purchasing plans. A very small
minority of respondents across all countries—as low as
2% in the UK, Germany and Benelux—report that they
would share accurate information with a telemarketer.
More commonly, respondents limit the information
they divulge and, marketers have no way to determine
whether the data is accurate. Some would provide
wholly inaccurate information about their purchasing
plans just to end the call: 61% in France, 52% in the UK
and 39% in Australia would be completely dishonest.
These results reinforce what we previously established:
For the most part, IT buyers view unsolicited phone calls
from IT vendors, VARs and their publishing partners as
a nuisance. The information these calls yield is suspect
at best, and there is no way of knowing whether the
data is reliable or an outright lie.
The percentage of buyers who provide accurate details is extremely low across EMEA and APAC,
and as little as 2% in some countries.
IT buyers almost never share accurate details about themselves or company purchase plans with telemarketers.
UK
Italy
France
BENELUX
Germany
2% 7% 4 % 2% 2%
ANZ
3
India
%
China
ASEAN
Japan
17 13 14 5
%
%
%
%
Budget: W
Timeframe: X
Authority: Y
Role: Z
Budget: A
Timeframe: B
Authority: C
Role: D
Marketers need to pursue other methods for
learning more about prospects’ purchasing
plans. Tactics include:
Pay attention to what your leads do, not
what they say.
Actions speak louder than words. IT buyers
may not offer details about their purchasing
plans, but you can draw logical conclusions
based on the type of content they download
and read.
Nurture leads with appropriate content.
If you deliver the right content at the right
time via preferred channels, you’ll establish
credibility with IT buyers. As they move
deeper into the buying cycle, they will be
more willing to provide accurate information
in support of an RFP. As stated earlier, activity
will be the best indication that a prospect is
closer to shortlisting a vendor and more apt
to provide reliable information about their
purchasing plans.
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
What does this mean for you?
Key Takeaways
International IT buyers have varied preferences for content formats and types
Telemarketing is declining as an effective way to
uncover serious IT buyers or learn more about their
companies’ purchasing plans.
Obviously, calling must remain a core part of the sales
cycle, but advanced marketing and sales teams are
dramatically re-thinking when and how calls should be
made.
IT buyers consider unsolicited phone calls a nuisance.
Telemarketing, if used early in an education and sales
cycle, can alienate potential buyers for vendor solutions.
Don’t assume a telemarketing lead is qualified or
interested in your brand or solutions.
IT buyers will often accept content offers even if they
have no purchasing plans and potentially little interest
in the topic.
IT buyers are hesitant to share reliable information
about their purchasing plans with telemarketers.
IT buyers will often say anything to get off the phone
with a telemarketer, casting a shadow of doubt on any
information they divulge. It is essential for IT vendors
and VARs to nurture the relationship before requesting
such information.
Understand that telemarketing efforts
are not entirely effective. As IT buyer-seller
interactions move increasingly online, it is
necessary for marketing practices to evolve.
Online, content-based nurturing practices
and behavioral tracking take on added
importance as traditional telemarketing
yields less reliable results. Marketing and
sales organizations that adopt these practices
will experience greater success than those
who do not.
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
About TechTarget
More in this series
Part one of the series—Common attributes of
international IT buyers—focuses on who you are
marketing to. The research provides a profile of the
International IT Buyer by addressing the following
questions that have implications for your go-to-market
strategies:
• Do international buyers have specialized or more
general roles within their companies?
• Is there a “single buyer” at each organization that
you should aim to reach?
• How many projects does each buyer and buying
team research in any given quarter?
• What role does the IT manager play in conducting
pre-purchasing research on the Web?
In part two—Shifting behaviors in international
research and engagement—we took a look at how
research patterns are evolving, answering the following
questions:
In part three—Content decisions—Making the right
content choices for different countries—addressed the
types of content that resonate best from market to
market, answering the following questions:
• How heavily is the Internet being used to research
• How important is localized content? Does its
online purchases?
• How heavily relied upon are more traditional
resources like print publications and face-to-face
meetings or events?
• How do the research habits of developing nations
like China and India differ from other markets?
How should this affect your marketing strategy?
• How do buyers prefer to interact with vendors,
and how has this changed in the last two to three
years?
importance differ by market?
• How critical is translated content, especially in
countries where many researchers are comfortable
with English?
• How much progress can marketers make
repurposing English language content for
international campaigns?
• Which content assets do users find most valuable:
white papers, case studies, trial downloads?
Engaging International
Buyers by Phone
IT buyers less
open to calls
Telemarketing leads
not as qualified
Question data from
IT buyers over phone
Key takeaways
More in
this series
Demographics/
Demographics/
About TechTarget
TechTarget
Global study demographics
About TechTarget
Company size
Job title
EMEA
APAC
< 100 38%
28%
100 to 1,000 26%
> 1,000 36%
EMEA
APAC
IT management (manager IS/IT)
16%
17%
36%
Consultant/systems integrator
14%
6%
36%
IT staff
11%
15%
Project management
7%
5%
Senior IT management
6%
6%
Systems management/
administration
6%
7%
Programmer/developer
6%
9%
Network management/
administration
5%
8%
Architect
4%
3%
Senior non-IT management
3%
2%
Analyst
3%
5%
Application manager
2%
2%
Database administrator
2%
3%
Privacy officer
1%
0%
Telecommunications manager
1%
0%
14%
11%
(CIO/CTO/VP/director)
(CEO,CFO,VP,director)
Other
TechTarget (NASDAQ: TTGT) is the online intersection
of serious technology buyers, targeted technical content
and technology providers worldwide. Our extensive
network of online and social media, powered by
TechTarget’s Activity Intelligence™ platform, redefines
how technology marketers view and engage technology
buyers based on their active projects, specific technical
priorities and business needs. With more than 100
technology-specific websites and a wide selection of
custom branding and lead generation solutions,
TechTarget delivers unparalleled reach, innovative
opportunities, and extensive Global Marketer Services
to drive technology marketing success around the world.
TechTarget has offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Boston,
Cincinnati, London, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore
and Sydney.
To learn how you can engage with serious technology
buyers worldwide, visit techtarget.com and follow us
@TechTarget.
To recieve the full report data, contact Renee Cormier.