Tips for Successful Telemarketing
Many people don't enjoy telemarketing. In this often cold form of acquisition, you may call potentially interested individuals to schedule an appointment. Since it's often cold calling, you will frequently hear rejections. This makes many people find telemarketing unpleasant or even avoid picking up the phone altogether. However, if done correctly, telemarketing can often yield more customers.
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What is telemarketing exactly? Before we provide examples and tips on approaching customers by phone, let's explain the meaning of this form of selling. The definition of telemarketing is simple. It's the phone-based approach to customers, prospects, and suspects in the hope of scheduling a meeting for a personal conversation. In many cases, it involves cold acquisition, where you haven't built a relationship with the customer yet.
Telemarketing is still a very popular way of reaching new customers. Despite the various sales techniques today that warm up the customer before offering something, telemarketing remains remarkably effective. Moreover, telemarketing requires minimal investment. With a phone, notepad, and a list of phone numbers, you can get quite far. Good telemarketing does require some preparation time, but afterwards, you can quickly handle a significant number of calls in a day. This means that it's not a big deal if you get several rejections, as long as there are also a few appointments in between. It does require perseverance. After all, "Winners never quit, and quitters never win!"
Are you currently doing telemarketing and it's not going as desired? Or are you trying to avoid this sales method and want to make a change? We have some tips for you to help you attract more customers through telemarketing.
If you don't want to free up time for telemarketing yourself, you can outsource this task. Contacting potential customers by phone takes a considerable amount of time and requires a lot of practice. The more telemarketing you do, the better you become. These could be reasons to outsource the acquisition to a specialized company. Additionally, outsourcing allows you to easily scale up or down the capacity as needed. With outsourcing, you also ensure that the work is done, rather than being overshadowed by other tasks.
However, outsourcing telemarketing also has its drawbacks. It often requires a significant investment to outsource acquisition. You must ensure that the people performing the acquisition for you have sufficient knowledge. Furthermore, outsourcing relinquishes some control. It's more challenging to build a good relationship with a customer if you don't perform the acquisition yourself.
Instead of outsourcing telemarketing, you can also choose to undergo training and then do it yourself. Do you want to improve your telemarketing skills personally? Or could the skills of your employees use some extra enhancement? Then, our Telemarketing Training is a good investment. This sales training focuses on improving the commercial skills needed in telemarketing. How to handle standard objections and bypass 'gatekeepers,' such as secretaries and receptionists. Not only do you get all the necessary knowledge, but you also immediately put it into practice. Practicing a lot is the best way to learn. Bring an example of a 'difficult customer' and discover how to deal with all contact resistances. This will elevate the telemarketing within your company to the next level.
Do you want to start improving your telemarketing skills right away? We give you some immediate tips for approaching customers by phone.
Telemarketing is something that requires time in your schedule. It works better to make a certain number of calls in succession than occasionally making one in a few free minutes. Therefore, block your schedule for a few hours at a time so you can focus on calling. Ensure that you are not disturbed by emails, messages, or colleagues during this time. This way, all your focus goes to the telemarketing. For example, block one fixed time slot per week for telemarketing.
Preparation is crucial in telemarketing. Starting the call well-prepared significantly increases the chances of success. Create a call list with all the companies you want to contact. Go beyond just the company name and phone number; try to find out, for example, the name of the contact person you would like to speak to. Asking for a specific person often gets you further than just knowing a job title. Also, think about when it's best to call. Certain days and times work better than others.
Creating a call script forces you to think about the direction of the conversation. Consider pitching the product, service, or concept, and also addressing objections and doubts. However, remember that a call script is only a guideline, and you will deviate from it in many phone calls. Stay authentic.
Remember that telemarketing is a conversation, not a monologue. Many sellers tend to deliver their own story and have all the answers ready. They forget to truly listen to the person on the other end of the line. By listening well and not expecting a specific answer immediately, you often get much further. Calling is personal contact. This means that every conversation is different because your interlocutor is different. So, listen carefully and respond to what is said.
Especially if you perform telemarketing completely cold, the number of rejections you receive is often quite high. That's not a problem but can be discouraging. Therefore, prepare yourself for rejections. Set a realistic goal and keep it in mind. If you want to be successful in one out of ten calls, it means you have to accept nine rejections. After six "no's," you are closer to a "yes."
Telephone acquisition is a specialized skill. It's not surprising that you need a lot of practice to become really good at it. So keep practicing. Do you want to improve your skills quickly? Then consider a sales training or coaching focused on telephone acquisition. Are you a sales manager? Make sure to train your employees in telephone acquisition or have them trained. You will definitely see the results. Also, keeping track of and analyzing your conversations and achieved results helps with this.
Warm telephone acquisition is easier than cold acquisition. Therefore, try to establish contact with potential customers, where possible, before you call. If the contact person has already seen your name or company before, the chances are higher that they will engage in a conversation with you. This increases your chances of success.
The chance of someone agreeing to a sale after just one phone call is not very high. Telephone acquisition is also a form of relationship management. Clearly agree with the contact person when you will be in touch again and in what way. If you don't hear from you for months, you may have to start all over again. Therefore, stay in touch with potential customers.
If telephone acquisition is not the type of work you look forward to, you are certainly not alone. However, it's important to get excited about it. Your conversation partner may not see you, but they will definitely notice if you sound unsure or grumpy on the phone. So make sure to be enthusiastic when making the call. Inject some humor into your script and convey your enthusiasm to your conversation partner. "Smile before you dial!"
The chance of closing a sale over the phone is not very high. More often, the goal is to schedule an appointment. If you give away too much information during the phone call, the chances are that your conversation partner won't want to make an appointment anymore. Therefore, keep the purpose of the conversation in mind and tailor the information you provide accordingly. Just "triggering" and scheduling an appointment is sufficient.
Having a good calling script is beneficial for telephone acquisition. By memorizing the script, you know exactly what to say in each situation. You have ready answers for the most common objections and problems. It also serves as a guideline that you can refer to if you get stuck. That's why it's advisable to always create a script before you start calling. When writing the script, always consider who your target audience is, what your proposition is, and what challenges you might face during the call.
At the same time, the calling script can be a pitfall. Nobody wants to hear a rehearsed conversation. Also, every phone call is different and never goes exactly as you had imagined. Therefore, don't forget that the calling script is only a guideline and be prepared to deviate from it if necessary. Don't cling too rigidly to the script, especially if your conversation partner's stance is different from what you expected. Prepare yourself for various scenarios and be flexible in adjusting your strategy. Telephone acquisition is a human endeavor, so adapt it according to the situation. Always try to identify a need ("hook") in the conversation to hang the appointment on.
If you want to learn how to create a good calling script or how to deviate from it when needed, feel free to contact us. Our sales experts are happy to assist you with everything related to telephone acquisition. From creating a good pitch and value proposition to writing a successful calling script and developing the necessary communication skills. Soon, telephone sales won't be the most dreaded activity of the week, and you'll easily attract more customers. Isn't that what you want?!
How can I attract new customers? Where can I find the potential target audience for my product or service? What should be my plan of action in this regard? If you provide your contact details here, we will get in touch with you, allowing you to decide whether you wish to proceed to the next step.
