The vast numbers of consumers opting into the Do Not Call List seems to have placed the art of telemarketing on the obituary listings. But all is not lost. Telemarketing is still alive and well, albeit vastly outshined by much more recent marketing tools such as social media and inbound marketing. Telemarketing remains a highly effective means of generating sales leads, if you know how to hire the appropriate telemarketers. There is no cheaper marketing tool that allows a more direct contact and a quicker response.
Telemarketing and cold calling are still the fastest ways of connecting with potential sales leads. But how can you make these tools work for your business? The answer is by hiring the right telemarketers or the right telemarketing firm.
There are important questions to ask when deciding which professional telemarketerto hire. If it is a firm, you should ask if the telemarketer assigned to you will be dedicated or shared with other companies. This should be clearly laid out right from the beginning. Without a doubt, it is better that your telemarketer is dedicated to your business alone. This will facilitate going through the learning curve faster and memorizing & mastering the script will be easier.
Another important question is to ask if you can have a trial call with a sample script from your dedicated telemarketer. If they don’t agree, then look for another service provider. If they do, then take these points into consideration when you listen to your future telemarketer:
- did you understand what was said the first time?
- was the tone of voice pleasant? did it sound too somber, too eager, or was it just right for the message of the script?
Then, as you talk to your telemarketer, think of these points:
- did you have to repeat a question over and over?
- was the reply to the question you asked correct?
- did the telemarketer have annoying speech tics while answering your question?
- did he/she let you finish your sentence before answering or did he cut in?
- did he/she sound confident while answering?
If he/she does not pass with your trial call, you should ask for another telemarketer and do the trial call again. After the telemarketer passes, you should do another trial call using your script.
It is important that you are comfortable with your telemarketer as he or she will be representing your company to complete strangers, and you want them to have a good initial impression of your company. Telemarketing is still effective, as long as the person doing it is doing the cold calling properly.
This post originally appeared at CallBoxInc