Bloggy Business Today

Telemarketing also known as a telesales is a way of promoting products or services via telephone as a medium. Wherein the Telemarketer offer and pitch the customers of their products or services over the phone. Various sales companies are practicing telemarketing that is why the number of telemarketer also increases.

Telemarketing process is commonly categorized into four (4) subcategories: (1) Lead generation – this includes gathering of information such as the company name, decision maker. Telephone or fax number, etc. (2) Sales – product promotion and influence customers to buy or hire your product / service (3) Outbound – directly contacting prospective and existing clients, and (4) Inbound – deliberate action for incoming calls from a customers requesting information or giving orders

To be an effective telemarketer, you should possess the following traits:

1. You should know your company and product – A good telemarketer is well-trained in all aspects  or facet of the company such as the background and products / services
2. Know your prospective clients – research is the best key to generate leads and to know all the needed details in pitching your prospective customers.
3. Good communicator – You should know how to deliver your thoughts and know different ways to make your customers react, answer or ask questions
4. You ought to be an effective listener  -  You should be a good listener, in that way, you will know the needs and wants of your customers
5. Good educator with the product he/she representing – In making a calls, be sure you deliver all the valuable information of your products. Be sure you highlight all the benefits.
6. You should possess a good command in sales – Make sure you are in control of the conversation
7. Establishing rapport to every individual/client – rapport is effective tool or way in having a repeat customer.
8. You need to sounds like a trustworthy sales person – remember you are dealing with customers over the phone. They did not know and see you, in order for them to entertain and make / close a deal with you; they should trust and believe in you first.
9. Be responsible – You should attend to all your customers after sales needs and be remind of your sales collection.
10. Be organized  and a disciplined telemarketer – you should have an organized lists of your leads, a time sheet, wherein your goal is listed and planned in an attainable time frame. Prepare a checklist, as a reminder of how many calls did you make in an hour, whom do you need to make a call back, etc.
11. Be guided to the phone etiquette – As they say, when you are talking to a client, always wear a smile, as they will recognized the gesture over the phone. Always be nice and friendly.

One of the most common occurrences during the course of a typical business day is a telephone call.  In fact, for many businesses, the number of inbound and outbound conversations may be reach the thousands.  Yet, for all its familiarity and frequency, many businesses still drop the ball when it comes to professional phone etiquette.

Here are some helpful tips to consider before you make your next call successful.

• Answer the phone as quickly as possible – Try to pick up the phone before the third ring.  People are calling you because they want to speak with you, … not because they want to hear the phone ring or reach your voice mail.  Respect your customers’ time and they will respect yours
• Identify yourself quickly and clearly – Let the person on the other end of the line know who you are and where you’re calling from.  “Hello, this is David from XYZ Marketing, how can I help you,” would be a good example. And by doing this right away, you’re quickly differentiating yourself from the avalanche of telemarketing and sales calls that every business and consumer gets.

• Be polite – One would think this should go without saying, but in our current technology-driven world of instant gratification, common courtesy has become a lost art. Don’t ever lose your cool with a difficult or irate customer. It’s in your best interest to remain calm, cool and collected. Never underestimate the power of a simple “please” and “thank you” on the phone. If you do anything on the phone, kill ‘em with kindness.
• Keep the slang on the down-low: Avoid jargon and excessively informal speech. Use proper grammar and word choice. A phone call can often be the first opportunity to impress a potential customer. No, you don’t have to speak like a college professor, but it wouldn’t hurt. Aim to impress with your authoritative and professional language.
• Speakerphone. Not cool: Unless it is completely unavoidable, resist the urge to put your customer on speakerphone. Putting someone on speaker phone implies that you’re not 100% committed to concentrating on the conversation. Multi-tasking is an important skill for many business owners, but keep your attention sacred when it comes to listening to the person on the other end of the line.

[tags]voice_mail, phone_etiquette, typical_business, business_day, telemarketing, marketing[/tags]