3rd July 2007
The only similarity between telemarketing and telesales is that they both use the telephone as the communication medium. Here's 6 powerful ways you can use telemarketing in your business growth mix.
1. Appointment setting - the overriding role of marketing is to create opportunities for your sales team. The best opportunities come from one-to-one meetings. Telemarketing delivers qualified appointments with pre-qualified decision makers.
In researching your appointments a top telemarketer will have had a number of contacts with your prospects' decision makers. They will have built up a relationship and set expectations so that your appointments are geared for optimum results before you get to meet the client.
2. Lead creation - telemarketing for lead generation is a less in-depth process than appointment making. The objective is usually to contact a prospect, create interest in your services and capture contact details for you to pursue. Following up on these leads is your responsibility.
3. Database building and cleansing - many companies have built large prospect databases. Current data protection legislation means that you must keep this data up to date or delete it. Telemarketing is an excellent way of reviewing, updating and building your contact database. The odds are you will gain a few leads and appointments along the way.
4. Follow up - if I had to pick one key to successful small business marketing it would have to be a comprehensive, robust follow-up process. In business every one of your staff will make contacts and maybe receive enquiries about your company. Every such contact is manna from heaven. follow up has been shown to improve sales in every company that systematically applies itself. Telemarketers can provide a truly professional service in contact follow-up further multiplying the benefits of following up.
5. Customer Information - it's between 6 and 12 times more profitable to sell to existing customers than it is to gain a new one. Telemarketing to your existing customer base is an excellent way to educate them of all your products and services.
6. Customer reactivation - reactivating old customers can often be as simple as asking them why they have left.
Telemarketing is a great method to make contact with customers as soon as they stop being customers. Often that is all that is required. Give it a try.
There you go. Six ways you can use telemarketing to boost your business. And don't let anyone persuade you it is expensive. Telemarketing is the ultimate modern cottage industry. All you need is a telephone and some confidence. You can instantly set up as a telemarketer. And if you are any good you can quickly use telemarketing to sell your own services.
Not surprisingly then, there are thousands of small telemarketing businesses - many of them absolutely excellent. There are, of course, others that are not so good. With that much competition you can get some outstanding telemarketing services for a very reasonable price.
Your challenge is to find the ones that are right for you.