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Telemarketing is hard. You have to make a lot of calls to achieve your goals. When you do, it’s a great feeling and there’s nothing more motivating. That’s the same in any sales situation. But, so many sales people, and especially those making cold calls, set themselves up for failure by not doing the right things that lead to success.
Below are our Essential 7 P’s of Telemarketing Success:
Profile
Successful telemarketing comes from accurate targeting and from focusing calls on industries, companies, job functions and individuals that are likely to be most receptive. So, a fundamental part of the ingredients for success is how you define your target market. Get this right and you’ll be off to a flyer. Spend time identifying the right way to pull together your database for calling. You can compile the data yourself but that may take time using Google, LinkedIn and other sources. Or you can go for a list broker assuming they have the job roles you need. Or you could opt for a hybrid approach by starting with data from a broker then adding and validating the data before you kick off.
Proposition
So, you’ve reached your target decision-maker. What next? It’s all well and good getting to speak to the right person but the approach needs to be right. Too many sales people pitch at their prospects and forget that the customer is only interested in their issues and their business. So, a good telemarketer needs to position their proposition in customer terms. Articulate the benefits in such a way as they are more compelling for the prospect.
Purpose
Every sales person needs a target. It’s impossible to hit a target you can’t see. We all need measurable goals that provide focus for sales our activity. That can be annually all the way through to hourly. How many calls are needed to deliver a sale? What level of calling is required to generate 10 appointments this month? What level of qualification is needed to justify a valid sales lead? Clarity of objectives will definitely improve sales outcomes.
Personality
People buy people and personality is important. A positive outlook, without going all happy-clappy weird on them, is essential. A key component of success is the ability to build rapport. That means getting your intro right and then backing that up with warmth and personality that will enable you to ask good diagnostic questions to further engage the prospect.
Process
The sales process can start online and finish offline. In an ideal world, businesses want low cost of acquisition sales leads. That means ideally attracting them through all manner of online means to your website and other online platforms where they will hopefully send you an enquiry or simply pick up the phone. Lead generation has changed and nowadays, to be credible, your online presence must show how you walk the walk not just talk a good talk. Organisations need to look at how they manage the process of lead generation. This is both in terms of marketing to develop the sales lead pipeline and in terms of the CRM systems and processes they use to capture, contact and nurture those leads.
Probability
Sales is, in part, a numbers game. To make this work in your favour, you need to know your ratios. If you’re only doing a relatively small amount of calling, it’ll be hard to work out KPIs and ratios. However, if there is a consistent call schedule over time, it will be much easier to assess what’s needed to achieve the level of results you require. But probability also relates to who you call and with what proposition (see earlier). If you are a start up with no credentials, it’s going to be tough to crack large blue chip companies. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t aim high. But you do need to stack the odds in your favour by targeting areas where you feel you could have the best success. Otherwise, not only will you fail to deliver results, but the costs will also escalate.
Patience
I’ve often said that success in high value telemarketing can be a marathon not a sprint. Larger customers don’t make quick decisions unless there’s some emergency. Even then, there are normally layers to go through for approval. Persistence is key and the most successful telemarketers build and nurture their pipeline over time. They identify when renewals and reviews happen and keep in touch. They send periodic info that keeps their business front of mind. They make periodic calls to stay in touch. Success comes from good timing but it’s hard to know when the right time is for individual companies unless you’ve identified that through previous contact. So, build the pipeline and use systems to schedule call backs at the right time to be in position to get onto new supplier shortlists.
For more information on the skills your telemarketers need to attain telemarketing success, check out this blog.
If you’d like to build your own targeted database or know how GSA Business Development can help generate growth for your business through telemarketing or social media lead generation, contact us now on 0845 658 8192 or use the form on this site.
