International Sales For Indian B2B Startups
Lead Generation Company In Dubai
To know about Sales Consulting Services
Indian startups, especially SAAS-based startups, are actively looking to expand beyond Indian shores. With minimal need for physical interaction, better prices, & margins internationally, and cost advantages of India-based development teams, startups are looking to engage with buyers, internationally, to educate them about their products and services. We work with several such startups, helping them with global B2B lead generation, and here is what we’ve found.
B2B Sales Lead Generation using LinkedIn
Certain Geographies Work Better For B2B Lead Generation
B2B lead generation companies in dubai seem to be working the best for Indian B2B startups. Of over 50 B2B startups that we have worked with, Dubai accounted for more than 30% of the total qualified international conversations. Greater openness to Indian products, large Indian diaspora on the buying side, and a lack of local Dubai based startups offering similar solutions have all contributed to making Dubai the most lucrative market for Indian SAAS companies.
Dubai is closely followed by other GCC countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman etc. Southeast Asia is a mixed bag with countries like Hong Kong & Singapore being flooded with similar homegrown solutions Places like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam etc. provide ample opportunity if one can overcome the language barrier. Interestingly, places like Bangladesh & Sri Lanka are largely untapped and provide a great opportunity for Indian B2B SAAS companies to expand.
Western geographies are significantly much harder to foray into. Responses to online campaigns were substantially lower, and respondents had a high degree of skepticism about the reliability of the solutions coming out of India. Companies that have seen success in these markets are usually the ones who’ve had some physical presence and strong case studies in these markets.
The Difference In B2B Lead Generation Responses Across Geographies
Approach to B2B lead generation varies slightly based on geography. Specifically, we saw two major factors that impact B2B lead generation in foreign markets
Most English speaking geographies have LinkedIn as the primary professional platform. However, in some non english speaking countries local platforms are much bigger resulting in poor penetration of LinkedIn.
Prerequisites for engaging in B2B lead generation services in Dubai
Before you engage with lead generation companies in Dubai, there are a few things you need to consider. To start with, you need to closely evaluate the cost of each channel available to you. Inbound campaigns (online ad spends) might turn out to be more expensive than outbound efforts (cold calling, email, social selling). It might be a good idea to run multiple test campaigns across platforms and channels to arrive at the final decision.
Make sure you modify your outreach efforts based on the working hours & days in Dubai. As elementary as it may sound, we often come across lead generation companies in dubai campaigns that are not optimized for the work timings there.
Spend some time researching the designation and the titles associated with your buyers. Titles and designations in Dubai vary a little bit and the awareness of these differences will go a long way in helping you optimize your outreaches.
To maximize the output from B2B lead generation services, you also need to set up a strong process for handling such leads. In our campaigns, we realized that buyers who expressed initial interest responded much better if the follow-up phone call was made from a familiar Dubai based number. You might want to explore multiple options available online like generating sales leads on LinkedIn and other b2b platforms to get around this problem.
Most VOIP services are not functional in Dubai. Skype, Hangouts, WhatsApp calls or other similar tools that you might usually use in India do not work in Dubai. We recommend you invest in a tool like Zoom, Bluejeans etc. that allows you to connect with audiences in Dubai.
With these basics in place, a small yet sustained campaign for B2B lead generation in Dubai should give you sufficient insights to chart out your next course of action.
At SDI, we generate B2B leads globally, exclusively using social selling on platforms like LinkedIn.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are b2b lead generation services?
B2B lead generation services are external agencies who help in prospecting or promoting your business. Typically B2B lead generation companies in India rely on cold calls and emails to reach out to your prospective buyers. As part of the engagement, they might commit to a certain number of reach outs(# of emails) or might also have some commitment around output( # of calls setup).
2. How do b2b lead generation companies work?
Demand generation companies in India mostly rely on cold emails and cold calls to initiate conversations. They use inhouse or online available databases to reach out to prospects.
3. What are the best b2b lead generation strategies for an IT company?
While there are several strategies for B2B lead generation, there have been a few that have worked well for IT companies. Clear product offerings do better than bespoke services. If you are a company with both services & products, it might make sense to prospect with product relevant offerings. Having an online demo or trial version goes a long way in improving b2b lead generation effectiveness. Apart from this having strong case studies, measurable benefits and client testimonials help in b2b lead generation. It’s best to start at a lower pace and experiment with different target audiences and messages before you finalize your b2b lead generation strategy.
4. What are the best ways to use b2b lead generation services?
This depends on the complexity of your product or offering. For low complexity commonly used products for example an ERP or CRM solution, you can use b2b lead generation services to not only prospect but also qualify them through some simple parameters. For most products though, it’s best to use b2b lead generation services to initiate conversation and then take over to provide a better understanding and value demonstration of your offering.