Want to have a successful telemarketing campaign and make more new business appointments? Well, make sure you don’t make the following rookie telemarketing errors. Below are the 6 Telemarketing Calamities every caller must avoid if they want to deliver results from cold calling campaigns.
Avoid Stiff and Contrived Intros
The ‘How are you today intro’ just doesn’t cut it if you want to sound sincere and interested and you want your prospect to engage with you right off the bat. The prospect knows you don’t care anyhow. So, make your opening gambit as positive and engaging as possible but not smarmy and salesy and avoid stock language that marks you out as a cold caller.
Don’t Over-Talk
It’s supposed to be a conversation not a presentation. Who likes to be sold to? Prospects want to know you’re interested in them not yourself. Make time to ask good questions so you ensure it’s a dialogue not a monologue. How many times have you answered the phone to a telemarketer that proceeds to talk at you for the next 30 or more seconds without pause. Don’t let that telemarketer be you!
It’s Not About Your Products and Services
The sooner you understand this, the quicker you will sell more. Customers don’t buy products and services. They buy what they do for them. Your company services are simply enablers. Typically, they might reduce risk, support growth, reduce complexity or generate opportunities. Too many cold callers constantly go on and on about the features of their products and what they do. They forget about the prospect during this pitch and consequently they turn the customer off. Talk less about what you do and more in language that relates to the prospect and his or her needs and you will sell more.
Don’t Bore Customers to Death
If you aren’t motivated, why on earth should a prospect be interested in what you have to say. Inject enthusiasm into your conversation. Be passionate about what you do. Be excited by what you sell. Belief sells and that typically comes from both understanding customers’ likely needs and also from really understanding the genuine benefits to the customer of what you offer. Then say it in a way that is positive, upbeat and engaging.
Don’t Call the Wrong People
Sounds basic doesn’t it? But poor quality data is the main thing that impedes most appointment setting campaigns. You won’t make appointments with people that would never be interested in you or your products. That could be because they’re not in the right sector, are too large or small or are located too far away. Or it could be simply that your database is dated and people have left the business. Make sure you’re working from good cleansed data and your campaigns will be more effective.
Don’t Fail to Follow Up
Successful Telemarketing is a process. It’s about making enough calls to gain traction but making sure that you follow up on genuine interest. I called a past prospect this week as agreed after 6 months. The first thing he said was ‘you must have a sixth sense. I was about to call you as I have a project that would be relevant for you. You beat me to it’. A large proportion of lead generation activity goes to waste where callers don’t bother to follow up at an agreed time. That’s especially the case when it’s time for contract renewal with current suppliers. Successful cold callers have a daily pipeline of call-backs and use those religiously to generate ongoing sales opportunities
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Already doing telemarketing yourself but not getting the results you need? GSA can also provide telemarketing training for your existing staff, bringing them new skills, telemarketing tips, know-how or just a different approach.
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