Telemarketing has received flak lately, making many businesspersons believe that telemarketing calls are more trouble than they are worth. However, the reality is that telemarketing calls do work, but only if they are considered and structured sensibly. The success of any marketing operation depends solely on the value offered to a customer. This should be the objective of telemarketing calls too.
The current generation is bombarded with advertisements and marketing content since the day they were born. They are hardheaded and intelligent enough to not be taken in by sales pitches. They want genuine value in propositions and this is where superior quality telemarketing can draw their attention to it. Each call made to a customer has a specific purpose and is planned to support the offer through various means.
Improving telemarketing quality is a must to its continued existence
Telemarketing is often described as an interruptive and unethical means of advertising. Recent industry figures from US and Canada are an unequivocal warning that telemarketing is losing its effectiveness. Lengthening Do-Not-Call lists verify the misgivings towards telemarketing calls. The count of Do-Not-Call registered users has crossed 2 million in the state of Wisconsin alone, and almost half of it are cellular phone numbers. The national Do-Not-Call list has an astounding 180 million registrations.
In recent news, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has shut down a telemarketing operation run by an East Pittsburgh company and ordered more than $4.7 million as compensation to consumers. Talbots Inc. and its California marketing partner will have to shell out $161,000 in penalties to resolve accusations that they violated federal telemarketing rules related to 3.4 million robocalls (automated sale pitches) made to customers in the past year. In fact, the high volume of telemarketing calls targeting people hurt by the recession and robocalls violating federal telemarketing laws in 2009 has forced the FTC to impose more curbs.
Redefine the objectives of telemarketing
The reason why a lot of telemarketing services have gone downhill is because of the stress on numbers. Statistical objectives have become such a critical component of measuring performance that the customer’s interests are often ignored. Calls are not made with a planned purpose in mind; a sale pitch is made way too early; there is no documentation to substantiate the offer; and there is shockingly little follow up.
If telemarketing companies are to thrive in the advertising industry, elementary improvements are needed. The results of telemarketing calls can get better by:
* Understanding the aim of a call: Telesales executives should develop a framework for its telemarketing staff by defining an objective for each call – setting a meeting with decision makers, evaluating the customer’s expectations, getting approval to send a quote, etc.
* Not selling in the first call: The first telemarketing call is meant to acquaint the customer with your brand name and build a relationship by giving attention to their requirements instead of your products. Rushing into a sales pitch leads to suspicion and restricts further communication.
* Having online and printed information ready: If the consumer asks for further information, you should take that as a positive indication. Provide the address of the business website or send a brochure through email or post.
* Following up on time: Opportune follow up shows your commitment to the consumer, and helps you to take the process forward.
If the telemarketing calls picked up by customers offer real benefits, they will not want to join Do-Not-Call lists. Telemarketing services can regain confidence by taking the spotlight away from statistics and towards customer service.
