Busting Telemarketing Myths

It is definitely no secret that everyone has their own ideas of how successful telemarketing is, what makes an ideal telemarketer, and hold their own beliefs & opinions on telemarketing in general.

But the truth is, most of these ‘first impressions’ come from pieces of information they have heard through the grapevine… which 99% of the time, actually aren’t true.

So, we scoured the internet and found 5 of the most common telemarketing myths, and decided to put an end to the misconception of this side of the marketing industry.

1. ‘It is all about numbers and sales.’

Ultimately telemarketing is about making telesales – but it is also so much more than that. We care about the people behind those numbers – building relationships and maintaining a strong, lasting rapport with everyone that we talk to.

Telemarketers are people too; we want to help you reach your goals. We know that it is a waste of time to get in touch when we know you won’t benefit from a service; prospects are called because we believe they can benefit from the product or service on offer. For every product or service, there are always specific industries to target over others – we have to make the most of every opportunity. It can’t be treated as a numbers game; as such, we must spend time and effort putting attention into each conversation.

Quality over quantity.

2. ‘Telemarketing is dated.’

Surprisingly, it’s the complete opposite; telemarketing is far from dated.

People appreciate conversation – they want to be talked to, not talked at. Having a real conversation with real people is a lot more personal; it shows the thought that has gone into the conversation and the effort that has been put in to understand your prospect – who they are, what they do and why they could benefit from the product or service that you are offering.

Whilst the world is heavily invested in digital, why not be different and keep it simple? The individualised approach that telemarketing brings allows us to understand customers, receive instant feedback and determine their reactions and opinions – ultimately, it makes the decision process much faster. We can be proactive and speak directly to the top decision makers.

Go find your clients, don’t wait for them to come to you.

3. ‘Anyone can do it.’

Like any job, to be successful you must possess a specific skill set: confidence, ambition and articulation are essential when communicating to potential clients over the phone. It is crucial to be a good listener and to understand what the prospect is saying – these traits are important to build a genuine, strong rapport with them.

You want to be able to persuade your customers as to why they should choose you and trust your service; be resilient and don’t take any setbacks too personally. Gauging the personality of the individual on the other side of the phone is so important as you will be able to alter your tone of voice and wording to how they respond.

Be able to pick yourself up and stay on track, even when you don’t seem to be getting anywhere.

Telemarketing is a difficult game, rejection is rife, but that is what makes the successful moments even sweeter.

4. ‘It is aggressive, hard selling.’

Making successful calls involves conveying your personality to build a strong rapport with prospects. Every individual has their own approach; what works for one may not work for somebody else. So, as well as developing a personal approach, it is also important to be aware of other approaches that can be used where appropriate.

That being said, being aggressive is never on the cards. We care about who we speak to on the other end of the phone and want to represent the business in a professional, high class manner. To do so, you must be friendly, approachable and persuasive – it is highly unlikely

to make a sale through the first introduction call, so create yourself a reputation that will be remembered and make people want to find out more. It is important to remember that

telemarketing is a part of sales; it is a process. It will only come across aggressive if you force a sale from the first call you make.

5. ‘Telemarketers call anyone and everyone.’

Absolutely not – research is completely essential to successful telemarketing. As previously mentioned, it is a waste of time to call when no one will benefit.

It is almost impossible to effectively inform people about what you do when you don’t know anything about them and how they would benefit. To create a memorable and convincing conversation, you must understand how your prospect works beforehand, so you can tailor your message to their pain points, wants and needs.

We don’t just ring round in hope that someone will answer who is in need of the product or service that is being provided – that is never the case. We know, from our research, that the product of service on offer if often purchased by businesses in the correct demographic.

We have to segment the market and approach different industries with various conversations to make each conversation relevant to the target market.

The truth is, telemarketers need a lot more skills than you may originally think; as well as striving for the most high-quality results for both your company and prospects interests, it is essential to have a good judgement of character and be aware of the needs and values of others.

Don’t read into these lies and false impressions of the telemarketing industry – we know the truth and hope you now do too.

So, now we have busted these myths, what is your opinion on telemarketing?

At the end of the day, we’re not monsters; if you need more evidence, why not book in an appointment with our telemarketing company to have a chat?