Today, in the electronic age, with air travel, telecommunications, media, Instant Messaging and overnight deliveries, the distance between the east and west coasts have become much smaller.
Telemarketing has segmented much larger geographic regions into manageable sales territories, to reduce cost per sale and capitalize market potential. Telemarketing has also enabled companies to broaden and intensify market coverage while maximizing advertising and marketing investments.
The telemarketing campaign should function like a streamlined locomotive. Why, then, do so many telemarketing efforts become derailed?
Too often, telemarketing fails because the role of the telemarketer is not adequately recognized, defined or supported. Done wrong, telemarketing can be an expensive exercise in futility, or worse, cause alarming damage to a company’s image by alienating customers and prospects.
Research, planning and preparations support a successful telemarketing program. Reinforced by direct mail and direct sales, advertising, public relations, catalogs, brochures and other marketing strategies, it is still the telemarketer who breathes life into the mix.
As an integral link in the marketing chain, the telemarketer performs two vital functions:
• Accepting and responding to the inbound call, in which a customer or prospective customer inquires about products or services; and • Initiating the outbound call to the customer or prospective customer.
In a nutshell, effective telemarketing blends sales skills and product knowledge. The well-trained and well-prepared telemarketer:
• exudes confidence • is thoroughly familiar with the company’s products and can identify their features and benefits.
• demonstrates a well-polished and rehearsed telephone sales presentation using scripts, prompts and varied approaches as appropriate.
• can clearly and concisely explain the benefits of the product to the sales contact.
• matches the product’s benefits to the customer’s needs (it’s not a benefit your customer if it doesn’t fill one of his/her needs).
• routinely upsells (sells more of a product) and cross-sells (sells additional products).
To manage each call, the telemarketer should begin by setting call objectives. Overall objectives may be to create interest in your product, build your customer profile, overcome objections, and if appropriate, close the sale. Depending on the type of call and the product you’re selling, your objectives would be more specific.
Consider, too, that the voice must be trained to convey enthusiasm, conviction, confidence, interest and concern. Impeccable telephone manners are crucial, of course, as is sounding alert, expressive, natural, friendly and distinct.
Choose your words carefully, recognizing that they are powerful tools, which can have a positive or negative impact on your customer. Your choice of words should match your sales contract’s needs.
Competence and confidence are partners. Competence allows you to manage most situations that you are likely to encounter. This derives from an in-depth knowledge of your product or service, and of the ways in which your product or service will benefit your customer. This knowledge that can’t be faked, because your customer will sense it immediately.
Yet, confidence is sometimes elusive to the telemarketer who may be having a “cold streak.” Try to view confidence as a skill to be acquired and honed. And, never let yourself be discouraged by objections; they’re simply part of the sales process.
Perhaps the most important skill for the telemarketer, however, is listening. You should know how to listen: for needs – both spoken and unspoken; for facts; for interest; for objections; for opportunities.
“Prospecting is as important to the telemarketer as it is to the direct sales force.”
Skill and Knowledge are Telemarketing Partners - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.
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John Brennan
(Visit John's Website)
John Brennan Ed.D.
Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal
Development, LLC, a training and
development firm. Interpersonal
Development has provided sales training
and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps
from over 100 companies.
A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan
received his doctorate from the University
of Rochester. His dissertation researched
the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling
Technology in training people in
interpersonal skills. While he has spent
most of his career designing or delivering
training, he was also a Vice-President of
Sales of a training and development
franchise with operations in 25 markets.
Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered
sales training in North America, Asia,
Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He
has been a guest speaker at numerous
national and regional professional
conferences.
When Microsoft wanted Best Practices
articles on sales for their web site, they
called Dr. Brennan. The results are at office.microsoft.com/e
n-us/FX011387391033.aspx
His firm’s clients have included Volvo,
The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman
Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the
Economist Group and countless small
businesses.
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