Telemarketing is an excellent way to reach consumers and get your message out there. Despite recent DNC legislation, the phone is still a powerful way for businesses to do business. The fact of the matter is telemarketing works and there are still many ways to get your message into the right people’s hands without annoying them.
Here are some tips and ideas to boost your sales and make your prospects thrilled that you called them:
Get on Target
There are thousands of databases containing business and residential telephone numbers. The more precise you are with your selection, the better the results.
For a business list, consider geography, industry, SIC code, company size, revenue, size of the business, annual sales, number of employees and job titles.
For a consumer list, consider geography, household income, age, gender, number of children, profession, credit status, buying patterns, hobbies, and special interests.
You are not trying to reach everyone, not everyone wants your product. You want to focus your energies on the people who do!
Know the Objective
It’s important to know the primary objective – “What do I want the prospect to DO as a result of this call?” It’s also important to have a secondary objective – something you’ll strive to accomplish, at minimum, every time; – if you can’t close the call with a sale at least have the prospect agree to receive further information by way of a follow-up call or mail out.
Know the Rules
The U.S. and Canada have recently implemented Do Not Call regulations. You cannot call anyone on the Do Not Call list and all end users of telemarketing lists are required to register for a Subscription Account Number (SAN). While this reduces the amount of telephone numbers available, it also self-selects; the people not on the Do Not Call list may be open to receiving telephone sales.
The Right Script
You have just a few seconds to make a good initial impression on the phone. Your script should be clear; you are more likely to succeed in your goal if your prospect fully understands what you are offering, and it needs to get their attention as quickly as possible. Remember also that practice makes perfect, so know your script in and out before you start to call your potential clients or customers.
Test! Test! Test!
This is one of the most crucial steps in any campaign. You should test your telemarketers, test your scripts, test the lists you’re using. Fine tune whatever needs it, and try again. Not until you are satisfied with the response rate should you settle into a larger scale operation.
With a friendly voice and the right list of targeted prospects you can build a positive relationship with new and current customers and increase your direct marketing success.