Telemarketing success is no walk in the park. It takes discipline, effort, good processes, constant follow-up and there are, of course, a whole lot of other success factors. But, to be really successful, your prospects have to like you and you have only a few seconds to make a great impression. So, what are our 6 simple tips to ensure you don’t suck at telemarketing?
It’s about the Customer Not You
It’s not about you. It’s not about your products and services. Customers generally aren’t interested in you and, there’s nothing worse than a sales person who likes the sound of their own voice. That’s especially the case where they constantly spew out uninteresting stuff related to their suite of products and services. Sadly, that approach is often accompanied by little or no interest in the prospect and no consideration of their needs. The conversation is one-way, not two-way and, therefore, the prospect switches off very early into the conversation. Customers are preoccupied with their issues, their problems, and their situations. The sooner you work that out, the quicker you’ll gain their ear and trust and the faster you’ll sell to them
Be Interesting
How do you capture the decision maker’s attention? The answer to that question is simply to say something interesting. Too frequently, telemarketers approach the call with an over-used stock intro that goes something like
‘Hi. The reason for my call today is to introduce our products and services to you and to see if you need any help with telemarketing….’
A much better approach would be to empower and engage the decision-maker with an opening statement such as:
‘Hi, I don’t know whether this is relevant for you, but a lot of companies in your industry are concerned about a drop-off in the number of leads coming into the business. I don’t know if that’s true in your case for you but do you have a moment to speak?’
Don’t Sound Like Every Other Telemarketer
How often have you heard ‘Hi, How are you today? It’s like waving a flag warning the prospect that they’re about to be pitched at. Do something different. Interrupt the natural pattern of buyer and seller and find something more engaging that captures the attention early on and that doesn’t make you sound like the last dozen cold callers that called their line.
It’s like waving a flag, warning the prospect that they’re about to be pitched at. Do something different. Interrupt the natural pattern of buyer and seller and find something more engaging that captures the attention early on and that doesn’t make you sound like the last dozen cold callers that called their line. We’re often asked a very general question which is ‘what’s the best way to do telemarketing?’. The answer? Don’t sound like a telemarketer!
Work out and Focus on Customer Challenges
This is what genuinely interests customers. They have busy day jobs. They are time poor. They have all manner of priorities and important stuff on their mind. So, work out what keeps them awake at night. Find out what challenges they have. Identify the trends and issues in their industry and relate what you say to that. Work that out before the call, and it will at least give you a chance to engage early on in the call and they will be less likely to brush you off as another annoying cold caller.
Motivate Your Buyer
How upbeat are you when you make a call? We’re not talking about sounding like you’re on laughing gas. But, you do need to be positive to be able to motivate your buyer to listen. You can’t motivate a prospect if you’re low-key, monotone and boring. So, find some oomph and energy and you will have a much better call and be more likely to receive a positive response.
Build Rapport
This is where it all comes together. A good intro, based on what motivates your prospect, will take you further into the call. If you’re upbeat and avoid coming across as a typical cold-caller; if you show genuine interest in the customer and their needs; if you tap into their issues and requirements as opposed to banging on about your products and services, the tone of the call will be better suited to getting good results. Ultimately, if you achieve good rapport, you will generate more and better-qualified opportunities and you won’t suck at telemarketing.
If you’d like to know how GSA Business Development can help generate growth for your business through telemarketing or social media lead generation or you’d like to book one of our new business development and marketing strategy workshops, contact us now on 0845 658 8192 or use the form on this site.