Telephone Marketing / Selling

The thought of getting on the ‘phone and generating leads or making sales is an onerous one to most. However, telephone marketing is generally worth doing and when done well can be very successful. As with all things in business, if you are going to set about your own telemarketing, start with a plan.

First of all, think about the profile of who you will be calling. The more information you have the easier it will be to start a conversation. What is it about your offering that will be of benefit to them? What are the problems your offering solves?

Think about what you want to say – come up with a loose script as a guide (but don’t read it verbatim to the prospect; it’s a conversation not a sermon). Know everything there is to know about what you are selling and write it down. Anticipate what questions you might get asked about your offering and prepare responses.

Buy clean, targeted data from a reputable provider. It’s going to be much cheaper and much more efficient if you are talking to your target market. Go for independent data companies that are not tied down and have the pick of the lists. Ensure that their data only contains opted-in contacts.

Set some time aside which you will spend only on the phone – either a time limitation, for example 2 hours, or set a target for calls, for example 20 calls. Batten down the hatches and give it your full attention, it makes the wholes process smoother and more efficient.

Telephone marketing – basic principles

So, now you are ready to begin. Have everything you need to hand, take a deep breath, get a cuppa and crack on! There are some fundamentals to bear in mind whilst you are making calls:

• Be courteous but not over-familiar.
• Be succinct and open – get to the point about why you are calling.
• Ask for what you want – a sale, a meeting or to send information. It will build trust in the person on the other end of the phone if you are honest.
• Remember to listen – it’s all about building a relationship and confidence. Your listening skills needs to be as sharp as your talking skills.
• If a person says no, it might not be an emphatic ‘no never’. It’s more likely to be a no, not at the moment. Offer alternatives – ‘may I call back in 2 months?’ or ‘May I send you information via email in the future?’

With a bit of practice telemarketing/telesales gets a lot easier and you will have worked out which bits of your script work the best.

Don’t take it personally if someone is not interested, just thank them for their time and move on to the next call … sometimes, getting to a ‘no’ is permission to move on to the next prospect with your calls!

Yorkshire Powerhouse – blunt advice on telephone marketing

Have you any questions?

Here at Yorkshire Powerhouse, we’re happy to help as much as possible – is there anything else we can do to help you, do you have any further questions or can we help introduce you to an expert – please let us know: