Telemarketing: Why Does It Work?

Ever since man learned to use the phone to sell something, telemarketing has been there. Indeed, decades after Bell Systems first coined the term “telemarketing,” this type of promotion has enabled many businesses to flourish. Not only that, it had spawned a myriad of applications that made it one of the most indispensable tools on marketing.

Despite the negative rap it earned after all these years, telemarketing continues to be the method of choice by cash-strapped companies in need of promoting their products or services. Not only is this method cheap enough for them, it also provides them a feedback system that enables them to meet customer demands, complaints, and inquiries in a timely and efficient manner. And there is no beating the personalized touch a telemarketer can bring when he talks to customers on the phone. Professional telemarketers are skilled in addressing what the prospects need, and positioning the products and services he offers in such a way that it might look like the answer to the prospect’s problems.

And one more thing, telemarketing services are people-oriented. After all, they are the ones calling out to prospect. Of course they’ll develop a method of communicating with customers that makes them unique and effective in what they do. A skilled telemarketer can get into the customer’s mind in such a way that television, radio, or print advertising can’t achieve. That is the power of telemarketing.

Telemarketing is here to stay. There’s no stopping it from doing what it does best.

Telemarketing Companies: Soaring To Greater Heights

Telemarketing is one of the best ways to get your brand message out to your target audience. Telemarketers are hired specifically to contact customers and prospective customers that would likely be interested in a particular service or product. By hiring the right teleservices provider, your company gets the chance to advertise in a way that that would increase your business' bottom line. In addition, a good telemarketing service provider will help you with lead generation campaigns that will help you develop products or services that customers demand for.

Telemarketing companies offer services that have greatly improved from the typical hard-selling we are all familiar with. In the past, consumers would receive telemarketing calls at dinnertime when agents know almost certainly that people can be reached over the phone. A good telemarketing firm would have phone representatives who are proven experts in this approach. Although this has been viewed as intrusive by most people, this form of marketing works and companies rely on this method to help market their offerings.

If telemarketing agencies stuck with the old ways, the telemarketing industry have long been extinct. The reason it is very much alive today is because the services have adapted to the changing times. Companies are no longer bound to the hard-selling method, instead, they have developed several ingenious ways that are just as efficient, revamping the mindset of the people being contacted.

Today's telemarketing methods are highly-targeted and sophisticated. Modern telemarketing practices take into consideration a number of different factors. Call lists do not have to contain the whole telephone directory. Modern call lists are target-specific. Companies use different elements to come up with call lists that will enable telemarketers to contact more receptive consumers. Gone are the days when agents have to call each and every name in the phone book randomly without even knowing if the person or company still exists. Telemarketing service providers today have found ways of acquiring the right information to maximize their telemarketing efforts.

One of the most popular strategies telemarketing companies use today is lead generation. This refers to the gathering of information from consumers to give businesses a glimpse of what they want and need from a service or product. The information collected from this process helps companies develop products and services that will actually be patronized by consumers. In lead generation or prospecting calls today, consumers are not required to make the buying decision during the call. Instead, telemarketers ask them relevant questions to help companies find out what they really need.

Aside from lead generation, telemarketing companies are now providing different services such as appointment setting, order taking and processing, after-hours or overflow calls management, virtual assistance and many more. Telemarketing companies have taken their services to the next level and have become an integral part of the business world, and even with more stringent telemarketing laws, experts believe that this industry will grow more in the coming years.

How To Achieve Outbound Telemarketing Success

Outbound telemarketing process is the professional use of the telephone to generate sales and advertise a company's product or service. Virtually all types of businesses today either have their own telephone marketing teams or outsource outbound cold-calling services to third party telemarketing firms.

Outbound cold-calling is a job that requires professional teleselling skills, patience and persistence. Below are some of the ways to achieve outbound telemarketing success:

1. Always maintain a prospective attitude. Be positive and optimistic each calling day. The job requires you to befriend the telephone, so spend as much time with it as you can to increase your opportunities for finding new business. Be confident (but not overly) in all your calls.

2. Before you are able to speak with the decision maker, you must first get past the receptionist or the gatekeeper. Gatekeepers, as most salespeople say, are necessary evils in the world of business. They may pose challenges to your cold-calling job, but they are not the enemies. Being polite and friendly when talking to them usually works, and if you ask them for help in directing you to the right person, they usually do.

3. Make sure to speak and close sales with and only with decision makers no matter what size the business is. Conduct your product discussions and negotiations with only them and not anyone else in order to avoid wasting time. For SMEs, it is common that the person who decides is the owner.

4. Be careful what you tell your prospects or customers. Do not mislead them or confuse them with pricing and offers. If you promise to give them discounts or freebies, make sure you are true to your word. Misleading statements or misrepresentation is a no-no in the telemarketing industry because it negatively impacts the way customers or prospects perceive the company you are calling for.

5. Telemarketing or cold-calling is your job, and you should always be prospecting. In each call, your main purpose is to make the customers or prospects see the value in your offer. The more people you speak with, the better your chances are at making a sale or scheduling an appointment. Perform timely follow-up calls so as not to waste business opportunities.

Telemarketing is not for everyone. If you really have the knack for telephone sales and you possess the skills it requires, then you have a great chance of succeeding. Do not involve yourself in it half-heartedly or just because the pay is good. Like any other job, you can perform better if you like and love what you do.