Telemarketing is controversial, but that’s mostly because it is so often done wrong. In a best-case scenario, it isn’t about calling people at random, or contacting them with an offer just because they’ve been customers for a long time. So, what should telemarketing be?
Telemarketing, meaning the times your business reaches out to people you’d like to have as customers with a phone call, should be highly targeted, personalised, and professionally delivered. It should address needs, and if it does this, it will be positively received and result in increased sales. Here’s how it works.
Telemarketing That Converts
It all begins with lead generation, lead scoring, and lead qualification. In short, you look at a list of people who may be interested in your product, and then thin it down based on who is likely to be interested.
Now, your telemarketers strive to achieve connection and rapport by talking to people in person, offering exactly what individual customers want. This needn’t be done by guesswork. Customer behaviour and purchasing history can point toward unmet needs or needs that can be fulfilled in a more efficient way.
For example, a mobile phone service provider may notice that a user frequently exceeds the calls and data included in their contract and offer them the option of an upgrade. Or, a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider may notice that certain people have been gathering information on their products. They’re clearly interested, but they may need personalised help to see how they could benefit.
Benefits of Telemarketing
Being able to speak to a prospect as one person to another offers untold value. When done well, it creates an interpersonal connection, offers immediate answers, and may lead to tailored solutions.
A positive impression formed through interpersonal interaction is way more powerful than anything you can do with text, social media, or advertising. Person-to-person communications offers more opportunities for connection than any other form of messaging can. There’s an element of give-and-take, and customers might gain an impression of being offered preferential treatment thanks to tailored offers and pricing advantages.
Even when prospects don’t buy, telemarketing offers several unique opportunities.
- You’re able to communicate directly with prospects instead of just putting an advert out there and hoping for the best.
- You can target specific people who seem ready to hear more about your products or services. You’re offering them a way to meet needs that many others in their demographic see as pain points. With the right pitch, you can win them over.
- You can reach a large audience at a lower cost. Advertising is expensive, and although reaching out in person has its own costs, it’s still cheaper than many ad campaigns.
- You gain qualified leads who are genuinely interested in the solutions you offer. Although you may not win sales on the first call, some people are ready to think things over. With a little follow-up at a time that’s convenient to your prospective customers, you may be able to overcome any barriers to a purchase.
- You can personalise interactions. With your CRM software to help you, can offer the information and incentives individual customers need to make a purchasing decision.
- You gather valuable market intelligence. When and why do people buy? What prevents people from taking the plunge? Armed with this information, you can enhance your sales and marketing strategies to appeal to a wider audience.
Types of Telemarketing
There are multiple types of telemarketing, and each has its own aims. Examples include:
- Inbound telemarketing: clients call you to find out more about your products
- Outbound telemarketing: you call leads to find out whether you can help them buy by clarifying offers or answering questions.
- B2B telemarketing: you know that your product will help businesses, and you’ve decided to pitch as one business to another.
- B2C telemarketing: you have something special to offer to consumers, and you’d like to tell them about it in an in-person call.
- Lead generation and lead qualification telemarketing: you’d like to know whether people might be interested in more information on your product, so you give them a call to tell them what you can offer and provide opportunities for more in-depth exploration.
- Appointment setting: a prospective client has already indicated an interest in your products. You’d like to meet with them when they have time to give your offer consideration.
Telemarketing vs Telesales
It’s a small, yet important distinction. In telemarketing, you’re open to generating leads, and you’re ready to follow up with the information that turns leads into sales. But you’ll give your prospects some time to think things through and you’re ready to help with insights and data that might fast-track decision-making.
In telesales, only one positive outcome is recognised: the sales made. This approach to customer outreach may leave unrealised opportunities in its wake. Consider creating a hybrid model in which sales are the primary aim, but lead nurturing is recognised. With a personalised approach at your disposal, selling can be an ultimate goal rather than an immediate one.
Telemarketing Skills
Never mistake telemarketers for unskilled workers, at least, not when you’ve chosen RSVP to represent you. Our personnel have proven communication skills, know how to listen, and are able to build rapport with prospective customers. Naturally, they have an in-depth understanding of the offers they’re presenting and are able to respond appropriately to customer questions and concerns. They’re empathetic and adaptable, fielding curveball questions with aplomb.
To top it all, they’re masters of negotiation, are able to solve problems on the fly, and know how to accept any refusal with grace. After all, no product is right for absolutely everybody. There’s a time when even the most determined telemarketer has to concede that persistence should have limits. Accepting them with grace may even result in referrals down the line, so “defeats” really can be wins.
How to Acquire a Skilled Telemarketing Team
Building your own telemarketing team could be as easy as hiring a few entry-level employees, providing a modicum of training, formulating a script, and letting them loose on your phone lines. We won’t deny it. In its most basic form, that’s a telemarketing team. Whether it’s equipped for success, however, is an entirely different question.
RSVP offers a unique and interesting approach to telemarketing that has a proven track-record. We choose talented actors who are in training, between roles, or waiting for the big break to work in our call centres. They’ve mastered communication. They know how to develop rapport.
They’re great at reading off scripts, but they also know when to ad lib. To them, it’s an art, not just a telemarketing job. They’re intelligent, articulate, and educated and they’re willing to practise their art in real-world situations.
Best of all, they can step into the role, representing your company as if it were their own. If you’re wondering why we’ve become the UK’s leading call centre; and why leading brands like Mercedes Benz choose us as their representatives, we’ve just given away our secret. Make it your secret to telemarketing success. Contact us for outsourced telemarketing services. Fast track your success.