Anyone can pick up a phone and read a sales script…right? Unfortunately, that’s a grossly oversimplified approach to one of the most powerful marketing tools available to a business. Telemarketing is a comprehensive concept that addresses call center activities and every phone call between employees and customers.
In other words, telemarketing is a marketing concept that encompasses customer service and customer relationships to build a business that is responsive to the market. Properly applied telemarketing concepts can lead to increased sales, increased customer retention, a constant influx of new customers, and more profits.
Companies that approach telemarketing strictly as cold calling sales are missing the opportunity to use leads as the foundation for building a strong marketing program.
Yes, it’s true that anyone can get on a phone and read a sales script. But if the employee has no commitment to the company’s vision, the call will simply be a phone call and not a marketing call. This is an important distinction and requires call center training and sales coaching that start with a foundation made up of the company’s mission.
Marketing working harder
A marketing program has many components and telemarketing may be one of the most important because it is an opportunity for direct and personalized contact with an existing or potential customer. It is an opportunity that the company needs to take full advantage of so that the greatest marketing force is exerted.
It’s easy to see that just someone reading a script and not being prepared to really promote the company can backfire. In fact, a mishandled telemarketing call can result in lost business far beyond the potential customer on the other end of the line. People interact with friends and family and can badmouth a business just as easily as they can promote it.
Telemarketing should be seen as an opportunity to make the company’s marketing program work longer and longer, but also in a more personal way. Therefore, it is critical that telemarketing skills be developed and honed so that the greatest benefit is achieved through personal contact with consumers or other businesses.
For example, a telemarketing call may be trying to promote a single product or service. But what if the contact indicates that they are interested in a different type of product? Does the seller just say, “Sorry, we don’t sell that particular item.” Or does he or she say, “It just so happens that our company may offer you a different product that meets your needs”? After the first response, the call ends. After the alternative answer, the call can continue and lead to the sale of a company product even if it is not the one that was originally promoted.
In other words, a “no thanks” can possibly turn into a “let’s talk more about your company.” This is power marketing.
skills that work
Developing effective telemarketing skills requires training for maximum results. A qualified trainer can provide valuable resources to develop sales skills using the company vision as a starting point.
* Develop effective sales approaches using the phone
* Learn to handle conflict
* Master turning a rejection into a sale
* Learn how to manage calls in a way that creates a sense of exceptional quality of service
* Motivate vendors within the organization.
* Learn to develop the relationship with the potential client
* Develop cultural sensitivities
* Develop sales closing skills.
These are just a few of the telemarketing skills that can create a strong and successful sales program that supports a comprehensive marketing program. The skills learned for application in a call center are the same skills that should be used every time a customer is contacted over the phone.
The call does not have to originate from a telemarketing department to be a marketing tool. Throughout the company, managers and staff are on the phone with potential and existing customers around the clock. They just need to recognize the incredible opportunities.
