Targeting.
The most frustrating telemarketing calls are those you receive from people who have no idea about you and the services that you may require. The most effective telemarketing is where you have taken the time to understand and target precisely those businesses that are most likely to have a requirement for your products or services. The more time you invest in targeting which businesses to speak to the less time you will waste trying to convince people who won’t require your services. Target your customers, and then potential referrers and then the market at large based on what you have learnt.
Set objectives, outcomes.
There are lots of things you can achieve on the telephone. It’s not just about making sales or setting appointments, it’s your opportunity to get into a two way conversation with prospective customers, to identify their buying process, understand their business requirements, their existing providers, who make the decisions, deliver targeted information of your own, initiate relationships and organise follow ups. If you set the bar too high and only count making sales or setting appointments as successes then you will quickly lose heart and your telemarketing will achieve nothing.
Data collection.
If you don’t keep a record of who you are calling, what was said and what needs to be done next…then think again as this is the framework of which all your hard efforts and future business rest on. An inexpensive CRM system will allow you to store contact details, give you the capabilities to liaise productively with potential and existing customers, record activities, give you reminders of when to be in touch again and give you up to date information on your sales performance and pipeline.
Smile while you dial.
Maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude is essential for a productive phoning session. This positivity will contribute to a positive experience of you and your business in the eye of the prospect and result in a more engaging conversation. It’s amazing how adopting this mind set and smiling during your conversation can have dramatic results.
Make friends.
Being friendly and expressing interest in your prospect are the foundations to a great sales call. Use open questions as a tool to engage them in a conversation about their business, the challenges that they may be facing and how you might be able to help them with those challenges. A good call is when the person on the other end is doing most of the talking – remember you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
Call structure.
Have an idea before you make the call of where you need to take the prospect and how you are likely to get them there. Spend some time before you start calling establishing what value your service or product will deliver for your prospect, how you will get them to see that value and what objections they may raise. If you have an idea of where you are going you are much more likely to get there.
Handling gatekeepers.
Although you should never sell your products or services to a gatekeeper you should always sell yourself. This person is your barrier to speaking to the person you need to make contact with, you need to convince them that you will not waste the person they look afters time and give them enough interest for them to want to put you through. Warm to them and they will warm to you.
Break down your calling into sessions.
Keep yourself fresh and keep making regular contact with your prospect list by scheduling your calling into clear sessions. If you are planning to spend a day per week telemarketing then split this down into 2 half days for the week. Make sure you limit any distraction during a session (try not to jump at every new email that land in your inbox) instead get yourself a glass of water, sit down and be effective. It will take a hand full of calls before you get in the zone, so keep at it and you will soon be on a roll.
Follow up.
When a potential customer request further information make sure they know you are going to want feedback and that you will be contacting them again. Deliver on your promises and contact them exactly when you said you would, these actions at the beginning of a potential business relationship will impress your prospect of your quality and distinguish you from everyone else that may be chasing them.
Just do it – focus, do a lot of it.
It’s really easy to find other things that you would prefer to do than telemarketing. However, for your business to be successful prospects need to be identified and engaged and one of the most cost effective and direct ways is via the phone. It will takes a lot of picking up the phone so do not expect to turn your business around with 20 calls, it won’t happen.