subject: What To Avoid In Your Telemarketing Initiatives [print this page] What To Avoid In Your Telemarketing Initiatives
Telemarketing is a method that is almost as old as the telephone, and despite of modern technology, telecommerce is still regarded as an effective way to generate leads and close sales. Be that as it may, due to many years of bad telemarketing practices, this method has also caused distress to a huge population of consumers. Of course, nobody likes to receive a call in the middle of a busy working day or when you are trying to relax or have dinner. The frustration gets even worse when the person who is calling is an overly persistent (to the point of being rude) telemarketer trying to sell services or goods that you probably don't need. This is exactly the reason why the Do-Not-Call Registry was legislated and telemarketing laws/regulations are constantly being amended and passed. These laws gave way to reformed telemarketing practices that most businesses and telesales agencies are using today.
Telemarketing practices do not have to be too aggressive to the point of angering customers or prospects. There are things you can avoid to ensure that your telemarketing activities will bear fruits.
Avoid selling on the first call. Now, this may not make a lot of sense, because the point of telemarketing is to make a sale, right? Not necessarily. The purpose for your initial call should not be to make a sale right away. That is extremely hard to do and usually turns customers off. So, do not sell.
What you can do is to qualify the prospect. Instead of downright selling a particular product to potential customers, let them know first that your purpose is to make some inquiries, if they have time. If they agree, then introduce the product and ask questions that will help you discover if they are familiar with the offer, what product or services they prefer, or why they use it. Their responses to these questions will allow you to demonstrate what your service is all about and how it can benefit them. The key is to keep them interested.
Avoid being pushy. If the prospect shows no sign of interest or declines the call immediately, it is best to back down and move on to the next call. Don't push so hard to convince them otherwise. Don't call them again in the future, as this will only agitate them further and would even provoke a lawsuit against your company and your client. If the prospect says no, then it means no. There are other prospects to call.
It is also important to keep a record of those who requested to be removed from the calling list as this will save you a lot of time in your future cold-calling activities. It is better to have a record of those individuals or decision makers who are more receptive to your efforts and whom you were able to set appointments with for your sales executive to close.
Avoid setting unrealistic sales goals. Although your objective is to make as many sales as possible, there is a limit to your Telemarketing efforts. If you have exceeded your sales goals, then good for you. But never set sales goals that are far too impossible to reach. The important thing is that you are able to keep track of the good leads that have the potential to yield sales for your company. With better telemarketing practices, you will eventually convert them into sales.
Furthermore, make sure that you have sufficient knowledge about the product or service that you are offering whenever you conduct your calls. Genuinely interested prospects will want to know more about the offer and will ask a lot of questions. Keep them hooked by giving them what they need. Follow these tips to help increase your telemarketing efficiency.
