The inspiration for these Telemarketing Tips came from my receiving possibly one of the worst cold calls ever!
As an open networker, I accepted a LinkedIn “Invitation to connect” this week from someone wanting to join my network. Within five minutes of accepting, I received several sales emails, followed by a telephone call.
The Phone Call
My new connection immediately tried to sell me his wares. I pointed out that my number was listed on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) file and as such, unsolicited sales calls were not welcome. His response was to argue that because he had “called the telephone number listed”, he didn’t need to TPS screen. This was followed by “We aren’t a call centre and it’s a small team, so we don’t have to screen”.
Now, neither of the reasons above are valid reasons to bypass screening against the TPS file. Such beliefs could land him and his company in hot water with the authorities if someone was to complain. Notwithstanding this, it also got me thinking … is this person seriously still expecting me to buy from him? Does he think the way to a deal is to shout at and argue with your prospect until they buy? Has he not read my blog “10 Things Not to do When Telemarketing?” (shameless plug…)
Top Ten Telemarketing Tips
I hope that none of my readers thinks that’s a good way to sell. I certainly don’t! Anyway, here are my Top Ten Telemarketing Tips. There are plenty more besides these, and they don’t include being courteous – I consider that to be a given!
- Target Audience. Make sure you know your target audience. Aim for the right company and the right contact within, i.e. the decision-maker with the desire and ability to spend
- Compliance. Make sure your prospect list is compliant, i.e. opted in and TPS / CTPS Screened
- Research. Do your research by using resources like social media and the internet. Understand about their business and their potential desire
- Gatekeeper. It’s the gatekeeper’s job to guard their boss, so build a quick rapport and befriend them. Ask when is the best time to call your contact, or for a quiet time in their diary
- The pain. When you speak to your contact, have a good, well-prepared intro that is polite and succinct. You need to build rapport quickly by asking relevant questions to find their “pain”, thus allowing you to present your solution
- The solution. Make sure that your solution is relevant and compelling. Ensure you know your product inside out so that you are confident to answer any questions
- Know the “No”. When presented with a “No”, judge whether it’s a “No, never” or a “No, not right now”. However, there is a fine line between persistence and annoyance. Make sure you don’t cross the line as it will be hard to get the prospect back
- Notes. Take notes and use them. If a prospect gives information that could be relevant in the future, record it. It may be that it’s their birthday, or they have an unrelated event coming up. That way, when you call later, it’s an easy conversation starter to say “How did your party/event go?”
- Take action. If you say you are going to call back on a fixed date & time then do so. If you say that you will send a quote/information. then do so. Right away. Don’t waste the opportunity – strike while the iron’s hot
- Overall marketing activity. Telemarketing works best when it forms part of an overall marketing strategy rather than being stand-alone. Using telemarketing to follow up an email broadcast or a mailshot works very well, we find
I hope you find these useful – they’re not exhaustive as there are plenty of other things you could do, but hopefully, these get you started.
As always, we welcome feedback, good and bad, so please get in touch by emailing info@databubble.co.uk or calling Joanne on 01274 965411
