What first comes to mind when you think of telemarketing?
We have found that it is commonly misinterpreted to be an outdated, aggressive sales strategy that doesn’t work – when we know that this is most certainly not the case.
We’re hoping that this blog can help you understand that telemarketing is not what the media and bad sales people have portrayed it to be, and explain to you what it really is – a highly effective form of marketing.
Now the first question is... what is telemarketing?
This is one of the most misunderstood questions out there.
- “Telemarketing is just a bunch of untrustworthy sales people calling up to harass you into buying some dodgy service’’.
Absolutely not.
- ‘’ The marketing of goods or services by means of telephone calls, typically cold, to potential customers’’.
How much better does that sound?
The biggest misconception of telemarketing is that the aim of every call is to sell to the prospect using any means necessary and not taking no for an answer.
However, this could not be further from the truth!
We, for one, believe in the power of conversational selling. This helps to build a relationship with the prospect and creates trust – leading to more success when on the phone, which is proven by the fact that 75% of prospects from various industries have attended an event or scheduled a meeting based on unexpected calls.
Reason One; Telemarketing is Human.
This is an essential part of what makes telemarketing work and if used right, can be a very effective form of marketing.
You can add a personality into your conversation, so you’re not sounding like a robot – as we can all agree, people do not like talking to robots very much!
The best way to implement this human aspect into a call is to:
- Incorporate a normal conversation within the marketing you are using, by seeing if you have things in common with the prospect.
An example:
If you are calling on a Monday, ask them how their weekend was. Engage and listen to what they say and see if you can pick up on any interests they may have. This is highly beneficial when starting to build that trust and relationship with your prospect. Adding a bit of personality into your calls can go a long way!
Reason Two; Good Customer Feedback.
Good customer feedback is priceless when it comes to perfecting your technique for calls and finding out more information about whether your product/service is currently in need, or is already proving to be useful.
- If they are a new or potential client, it is advantageous to find out the experience they have previously had with the product or service from your competitors and find out the reason they may be looking elsewhere.
- However if they haven’t used the product or service before, you can use this as an opportunity to find out the reason they may be looking into it, or use their pain points as a way to showcase the benefits your product/service can bring to them, and the value it will add to their business.
There can be endless reasons for someone not being happy with a different provider, or for why they’ve never used what you’re offering them before, so this is an ideal time to find out the main reason that has caused them to reach out and look elsewhere for what they’re in need of.
Have you ever taken a call before, that you initially thought would be a waste of time, but turned out to be worth your while?
Ask the relevant questions:
- What is the biggest challenge you face with your business today?
- What would you like to see improved?
- What measures have you taken to address these challenges?
- How would you describe the level of service with your current provider?
- What is preventing you from reaching your current objectives?
What we are doing here is finding out as much information as we can, about your prospect, their pain points, what they want to see happen in their business and how they feel about their current situation.
Based on these answers, you can decipher what your next steps are and how you are going to further the conversation.
If they’re happy, how can you make them happier?
If they like their current provider, how are you better?
If they are struggling, how can you fix their pain points?
Don’t take this as an immediate opportunity to sell – it is an opportunity to find out more and let your prospect know exactly why they should be speaking to you about this matter.
Reason Three; Telemarketing can get Immediate Results.
Unless your prospect doesn’t pick up the phone, you are likely to get an answer of some sort straight away. Though it may not be the answer you were originally hoping for, it is better than not knowing at all.
We’ve all been there: you’ve just typed out a really informative, positive email to a prospect, you click send and off it goes. You then spend the rest of the day refreshing your inbox, twirling your thumbs and checking your junk folder… just in case you missed their immediate response.
This is where telemarketing can come in handy!
Pick up the phone, dial their number and (again, unless they don’t pick up) you can get the answer you have been waiting for all day in a matter of seconds.
Realistically, you will get one of two outcomes; yes or no.
If they say yes, being on the phone with them means you can get their details and potentially book an agreed meeting to further discuss what you are offering them.
Of course, if they say they are not interested (no matter how great you think your business is, it happens), or that you need to speak to someone else – you are finding out straight away, and know exactly how to resolve this as it arises.
If they say no, they are not interested, then you are able to put it behind you and move onto the next person on your list instantly, meaning you’ll be able to speak to more people sooner.
If they say they are not the best person to speak to about this, you are able to find the details and contact information for the best person straight away!
Reason Four; Telemarketing enhances & helps other marketing methods.
What marketing strategies are you currently using for your business?
When used strategically, telemarketing is an extremely effective platform for building personal connections with customers, as well as gaining the insights required for a deeper understanding of their interests, needs and buying modes.
When it comes to marketing, each type can be effective on its own – naturally, they all have their own strengths and weaknesses.
But, have you ever thought about combining them? It instantly makes your marketing strategy become a lot more valuable and efficient to you than it was originally as a single strategy.
Take an email marketing campaign for example; you’ve sent out 1000 emails but have only received 49 replies… if that!
What do you do with the remaining 951 prospects?
Yes, we are all for sending out follow up emails – there is a high chance that they simply forgot to reply or didn’t see the email, but you can find this out straight away by picking up the phone and asking yourself.
Telemarketing can thrive in these scenarios because if you have their contact details, you can give a follow up call to create another touch point with them, this time with a more conversational approach.
This will then aid you in starting to build-up trust and create a business relationship, as they would be able to put a voice to the email they received, and potentially a face if they decide to book a meeting to further chat about what you’re offering them.
So, never underestimate how much telemarketing can help within another marketing campaign, it may just surprise you on how well it can do!
Reason Five; Telemarketing creates an effective database.
The reason a database is so important when it comes to telemarketing is because it’s the backbone of the whole operation. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to do any calling – you literally wouldn’t have any data to work from!
When first starting your campaign, it’s key that before you do anything, you have a solid foundation to build from.
As you get further into dialing and finding out more information about the businesses in the area you are targeting, you can sharpen up the questions you are asking through the patterns that may start to occur.
- How many people in the area are currently in need of what you’ve got to offer?
- How many people have picked up the phone?
- Do they have an alternative already in place?
- Were they interested in your offering?
Using the stats you gather from your first round calling can help identify key trends and figure out if you need to start targeting a different location / job role etc.
Not only this, but telemarketing is also perfect for keeping your databases accurate and updates as times move on.
The reason it does so well, is because when you’re talking to potential prospects on the phone, you can have control over the conversation, ask relevant questions and find out the details you need so if they don’t need your help now, you’ve built up enough trust for them to potentially come back to you in the future.
By asking lots of people the same question within a certain location, you can find out whether the rest of that area will be worth marketing to, or whether that area isn’t in need of what you’ve got to offer.
In our opinion…
Though we are biased, we are strong advocates of telemarketing and are confident that it is an essential form of marketing for any business. Whether in relation to lead generation or following up enquiries, it is a highly effective and personal form of marketing, and a great way to build rapport with your clients.
Think about the amount of potential new sales that are just waiting to be made, or new clients you could acquire, but are missing out on because you’re yet to pick up the phone.
If you don’t want to, it’s what we’re here to do!
