Thursday, 7 July 2011

Telemarketing? It Doesn’t Have to Be That Bad!

Telemarketing is, or can be, a useful tool to promote your company, your brand and to gain insight into your target market. Do it wrong though, and you can find your company despised and even blacklisted by those you were trying to reach.

The average consumer probably does not have a very high opinion of telemarketers and the telemarketing practice, especially those who of have had the misfortune of dealing with the less than reputable services. How then, can your business tap the endless resources out there without falling into negative light?

Whether it is B2B Telemarketing or dealing with individual consumers, make sure that your customer service standards are never compromised. It is important to be very diligent when outsourcing your telemarketing needs and doing research. Keeping the outsourced employees up to date on your company and product information are just a couple of things that can help you achieve your goals with this process.

Here are a couple of other quick points to consider when choosing an outbound call center service to promote your company and your products.

How can they help?

Telemarketing firms offer a vast array of services from lead generation, setting sales appointments, gathering information and even directly making sales pitches to name just a few. It is important that you first decide exactly what is you want the firm to do on your company’s behalf.

Different call centers will specialize in different services, they may offer the same things, but some will without a doubt be better at certain aspects than others. One firm may excel in B2B Telemarketing but falter slightly in making direct sales calls to at-home consumers, while another may excel only at gathering market information. So identify which one will best suit your company’s needs and objectives.

Once you have found one it’s a good idea to check them out as best you can. First check to see if they have a rating with the Better Business Bureau, and if that doesn’t help sometimes simply Googling them can be beneficial.

Consumers or even past clients will often share experiences, both good and bad, in forums and blogs so you should be able to read reviews about them – aside from what they have already shared on their website. Another quick and easy trick is to see how long the call center has been in business. The longer it has been around, the easier it will be to get information and check their references. Generally speaking, longevity is often a good sign of quality.

Who are they?

A quality and successful call center will be comprised of pleasant, personable and articulate employees. These are the type of people you wouldn’t mind talking to even if they are trying to sell you something. A great telemarketing service representative will be able to quickly establish a rapport with the customer and make them feel comfortable being on the phone.

Make sure the firm you choose employs these types of representatives, because otherwise you company’s reputation and public appeal will be the factor that suffers.

Even the if the overall objective is not met each time, a call made by a pleasant, professional and courteous representative can still have a lasting positive affect.

As far as the customer who is being contacted is concerned, the representative on the end of the line works for your company. This means that you need to help them as best as you can , like they were your employee. Make sure the information they have is complete and up-to-date, and that you know what they are going to say beforehand. Going over their script and offering your input and revisions is a good way to prepare them as well.

The more prepared they are the better they will be able to represent your company when contacting potential customers. Remember, this will likely be the first (and maybe only) contact between your company and your target market so their ability to satisfy all of the customer’s needs will have lasting effects, whether positive or negative.

Once you have settled on your telemarketing company, keep in regular contact with your representatives. Even in cases where they are working off your script, remember that they are the professionals, so listen to any feedback or suggestions they make. You are paying for this service so make sure you continually work with the call center to ensure that both of you are getting the most out of the opportunity.

Who are you calling?

The recipients of your average telemarketing campaign are most likely normal everyday people. They work hard, they have families and the last thing they want is the phone to ring right as they are sitting down to dinner.

It’s also very likely that your call center will not be located in the same time zone the people or businesses they are calling. You don’t want them using your company name while calling at inappropriate times in the morning or evening because they are on an opposite coast.

Now, these are all things your call center should be on top of but seeing that your company’s name is on the line, it doesn’t hurt to keep an eye on them for yourself. By being knowledgeable of who they are calling, how they are calling and when they are calling you can help keep any issues that may arise to a minimum and address the ones that do come up quickly.

If you are doing B2B Telemarketing, remember they are likely very busy, much as you likely are during the work day, and they won’t be expecting your call. Tell your service representative to make an appointment, when possible, for a more convenient time to call back. Be persistent but not pushy, since you do not want to burn any bridges with potential clients before they even hear what your company has to offer.

The most important thing is to do your research. Find the best call center to fit your telemarketing needs, and make sure they have the highest quality representatives and that you have given them all the information they need to succeed. Play an active role in the process because many telemarketing calls never get past a greeting.

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