Sales & Marketing Authority, Bestselling Author & Business Motivational Speaker

Many industries are backing off of telemarketing as a business tool.  For many this is wise, since more people are utilising caller ID and refusing marketing calls.  However, there are some tips and tricks to help make a phone call campaign successful.

1.       Make it About the Customer

Traditional sales calls are a thing of the past.  It used to be that telemarketing was all about quantity and practically forcing a sale.  Now, people have myriad ways to avoid accepting calls they are not interested in.  Instead of preparing a sales call, do follow up calls for purchasers.  Call them to see how they like their product and ask for suggestions for improvement.

2.       Be Sincere

When you call a customer you should be prepared to take time with each person.  Phone calls are no longer quick sale opportunities, but instead chances to make lasting connections.  Ask for opinions and discuss the potential benefits.  Get into why the customer chose a particular product and what they’d like to see in the future.

3.       Listen and Track

Instead of a super-fast sales pitch, these slower paced calls allow telephone operators to find out more about the customer.  It is important for them to listen carefully to what the customer says and take copious notes.  Every customer should be tracked when possible.  Larger companies with huge customer bases can’t track preferences this way, but small businesses can.  Play to your strengths and keep customer preferences on file.  When follow-up calls are made the caller can record specifics that can lead to further sales down the line.  For example, if you own a clothing store and a client expresses a love for cardigans or the colour aqua, you can make a note in their file and when a product matching their specifications becomes available, there is a great opportunity for a direct sales call.

Small businesses often don’t have the resources to contract out this type of call, but they can usually be handled internally.  Business usually has busy times and slow times.  During slower times of the year, employees can make follow up calls to keep customers connected.  Getting a call three weeks after you buy a new pair of shoes or watch to see how you like it is always a nice pick me up.  Then getting another call a month down the road letting you know that a new shoe or jewellery item has come in with a similar style can lure you back to the store.  This less aggressive marketing strategy is a great way to adapt traditional telemarketing to modern applications.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Marketing Consultant – Sales Expert - Motivational Speaker

Alright, so you’re working on your telemarketing campaign and you’ve finally managed to get your prospect on the phone. What happens next?

Most people want to launch right into a script, babble about the benefits of their products and services, and attempt to make a sale. This is NOT an effective method of telemarketing.

What you should do is take the information you have about your product or service and use it to formulate a list of questions that will help you gain a better understanding of your prospect’s needs. Once you have a list make sure you ask one question at a time and then listen to the answer. Your prospects will tell you what they need without ever realising they’ve done so.

Another common problem is silence – as in, the lack of silence most telemarketers create. Silence is golden when you’re making phone calls. A silent moment or two means your prospect is formulating his or her answer and, when he or she finishes speaking, silently counting to two in your head before speaking will prove that you were listening instead of simply waiting for the next opportunity to speak again.

In your role playing practice (you do role play to prepare for telemarketing calls, right?) make sure you prepare not only to ask questions, but to respond to the answers. What’s the point of asking someone a question if you don’t do anything with the answer?

Lastly, don’t focus on presenting your product. Focus on listening to your prospect, asking detail-oriented questions, and then setting a follow up appointment where you can present a tailored proposal. Your prospects will appreciate the extra time you take to be attentive to their needs.

Telemarketing isn’t easy, but you don’t have to turn it into a terrifying ordeal for yourself. Simply know your product, relax, and enjoy getting to know your future clients!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Telephone 0800 849 6732

Telemarketing is a legitimate sales tool, but it’s only effective if you know how to use it correctly. Properly using telemarketing techniques involves not only making a phone call, but preparing for those telephone calls well in advance.

Today we’re going to take a look at a few things you can do to plan for your calls as well as what you should do when you get a screener on the phone (ie. before you speak to the decision maker).

Before your calls:

Identify your purpose. What do you want to achieve as a result of this call? You may be dying for a sale, or you may simply be happy with generating a new prospect or lead for your team. If you can’t visualise the results you want to achieve, you’ll never reach them.

Question yourself. Think about your purpose and make a list of questions for yourself. Ask yourself how you’ll achieve the goals you’ve set, what actions you need to take, and what actions you’d like your prospect to take. Then ask yourself how you’re going to go about taking those actions.

Have a backup plan. In short, have a goal and a smaller subgoal. Say your goal is to make a sale today. Perhaps the person you are speaking to can’t afford to make a purchase. Will you settle for obtaining permission to contact them again or to send out an information package?

Once the call begins:

When you start making phone calls you’ll run into a number of situations where the person who picks up the phone is NOT the decision maker. You’ll need to be prepared to deal with a screener and know what to say in order to make it through to the person you really wish to speak to.

Do unto others. Treat the screener as politely as you would treat the person you really wish to speak to. He or she has the option of letting you through or not. A misstep on your part may result in a hang-up!

Ask for help. Just because you’ve reached a screener doesn’t mean he or she can’t give you information. Gathering information about a business is essential to your ability to tailor a sales call, so take the opportunity to ask the person who answers the phone for help answering a few questions and then ask to be transferred to the appropriate party.

Telemarketing can result in tremendous sales increases if done correctly. We’ll talk about other telemarketing tips in the future. In the meantime, take a few moments to stop and think about your goals. Are you really prepared to pick up the phone?

Happy Telemarketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

Telephone 0800 849 6732

Telemarketing is the process of generating leads or appointments over the telephone.

Some people love it, most people dread it!

If you are making these calls at the moment, here are some tips to make you more effective at making them. If you are not making any telemarketing calls you are probably missing out on a lot of additional business by not making them.

Here are just a couple of tips to get you started:

TIP – KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVE

Go into each call with a specific objective in mind.

Is it to create awareness?

Generate a lead?

Make a sale there and then?

Think this through.

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