Effective Telemarketing Tips

Some Helpful Telemarketing Advice

Some effective telemarketing tips have been put together to help you or your agency with lead generation.

It can be done by most people, however there are a few skills and disciplines that are needed in order to do it effectively.

All agencies should employ these as a matter of course.

Also, telemarketing can be a great way of looking after your customers, by doing care calls.

However not all do, so it is wise to be aware of them in order to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Calling potential clients in a bid to win new business is something that many start ups need to do to build a customer base.  Not just start ups though, even well established companies need to utilise cold calling.

Known as cold calling or telemarketing, this practice has gained a bad reputation as an unsavoury marketing technique.

But, used carefully and within legal requirements, cold calling is an effective technique that many respectable companies use.

It lets you speak directly to customers so you can build a relationship and allows you to set up further contact with a view to securing a sale.

If you are considering doing it yourself, then this will be an important page to bookmark.  Consider the following telemarketing tips.

Telemarketing for beginners can be quite daunting. There’s often an expectation that prospects will be rude and  or put the phone down at every opportunity.

There’s a fear that you’ll get stuck, not knowing what to say at a crucial time in the conversation or become tongue tied at the key moment. And there’s also the threat that you won’t know how to handle tough questions when they come along.

1.

Preparation – get your desk area clean, make sure you have your data ready for the day, make sure you have had a good nights sleep and clear your mind of other issues. Make sure you have water and food to hand to keep hydrated and fuelled.

*A lot of companies think telemarketing is just a case of picking up the phone and bashing away, but good preparation is half the battle.  Telemarketing is a numbers game however.

2.

Knowledge – Get your script ready, research your client/subject. After all knowledge is power, as they say.  You need to know everything there is to know about the topic at hand (if you are working for a client or yourself) so that any curve balls that may be thrown, you can answer without hesitating.

3.

Authority – Talk with authority, be confident, smile and you will get results. People buy people, a receptionist (or client) can tell your mood from how you sound to them. This is why sales trainers say ‘smile when you dial’ because emotions come accross. If you are confident and sound important, people will treat you as such.

4.

Communicate – When you talk to the client, listen to the response and respond. Communication is a two way thing, be a listener and respond to the clients questions and concerns. Remember the difference between open and closed questions (this comes into questioning skills, something that is very important with telemarketing) in the right circumstances.

*Get to the point, people do not like waffling, people are busy, so don’t lead them round the houses.

5.

Mindset – If someone say’s ‘no’ do not take it personally, they are not rejecting you, it is the product, so do not get disheartened. Sales always has and always will be a numbers game, so keep bashing on. If you have the right calling model and do the right questioning skills, if the products/service is right and the kind of client is right – then it is a numbers game.

*You need to be making at least 100 calls a day

6.

Make sure you have a look at the TPS website before doing any telemarketing.  Cold calling has changed over the years so you need to ensure that you are following legal guidelines.

See The Big Picture

This post is really about lead generation strategies for startups.

Telemarketing is not an easy job, it is hard work, people doing it have to be thick skinned. Secretaries will lie to them, clients will avoid their calls, but persistence and tenacity are needed in order for them to be effective.

Decide what you want to achieve with your call, and set out a clear list of objectives. Many people mistakenly think telemarketing is all about making a quick sale.  However, the reality is most successful cold calls are used to arrange sales meetings or appointments to make a pitch or for gathering information that allows you to establish a relationship with potential customers.

Know exactly what you want to achieve before you pick up the phone, and don’t go for the immediate sale.

You can take our telemarketing tips on, or let them pass, it is up to you, we just aim to help.