Telemarketing has gained a negative reputation in the past, which diminished its viability in business contexts. However, this seemingly outdated practice can still be an effective business tool when used properly. In fact, if you are struggling with lead generation, outsource telemarketing might be the solution that gives your business new life. Consider the advantages for your company before you design a program to fulfill your lead generation goals.
The Advantages of Telemarketing
If you think that telemarketing seems outdated, then you should look again at the cost benefit analysis of such tactics. The fact is that telemarketing still generates leads, and it often does so with far less overhead than other, newer methods. This is particularly true when you outsource your outbound calls. Outsourcing calls to an experienced telemarketing company is often affordable and efficient. Many such call centers have competitive plans to give you access to skilled professionals and new technology to advance your lead generation goals.
At the very least, outsourcing telemarketing to a third party can be a good way to see whether or not it is a good fit for your company. If you see results with the telemarketing, then you can assess whether or not it is worth your time and money to develop an in-house program.
No matter how you approach the telemarketing, it can be surprisingly effective. As more lead generation is being done through electronic or online methods, telemarketing is a less saturated market. Because of this, many people are more likely to answer a phone call rather than read an email or answer a text. This type of response changes over time, but it does mean that now is a unique time to invest in telemarketing lead generation.
Creating a Telemarketing Program
The advantages are clear, but these advantages only exist when you use telemarketing the right way. To do this, you have to know what you are trying to gain and design your efforts around that goal. Start by considering the nature of the calls. For lead generation, you want two tiers of calling support. The first is the initial call. This can be handled by a telemarketing expert. These callers are trained to be engaging and to get the initial message across. It is the goal of these callers to generate interest.
Once this interest is generated, you should have more knowledgeable sales representatives on hand to close the deal. A telemarketing team is effective for high volume calls, but closing the deal requires finesse. Never forget that telemarketing is about lead generation. You have to have your sales staff primed to follow up on those leads immediately.
There are other practical considerations as well. You will have to think about the scale of your campaign. How many calls do you want to make? How fast do you want to make them? These decisions dictate how many callers you need, how much software is needed and how many phone systems are required. These things cost money so it is important to find the right balance between cost and profit before making a single call.
Other considerations should be the length and timing of your campaign. Make sure you know your target market to hit your calls at exactly the right time. If your call center is in one time zone and your target market is in another, that can be hard to coordinate for success.
Monitoring Your Progress
In order to generate leads through telemarketing, you have to maintain your efforts over the duration of the campaign. Despite the advantages of telemarketing, it is still an industry that can be hard. Call center employees can suffer from burnout, and the retention rate in the industry is poor. If you cannot keep your call center employees around, you will waste time and money training new ones. Therefore, work hard to create a positive atmosphere with plenty of enthusiasm. Pep talks are highly encouraged in order to create a cohesive team experience.
Moreover, always keep track of your call center data. Make sure you know how many calls go out each hour, and track how many of those initial calls lead to further contact. Never be afraid to adjust your calling script in order to see better results. Talk to your call center employees to know what has been working well. This type of monitoring allows you to refine your efforts in order to maximise the impact.
Making Telemarketing Work For You
Everyone is looking for the latest and best tactics for lead generation. However, sometimes the best tactics are not new at all. Telemarketing may seem dated, but it can give your lead generation fresh life right now. Consider the advantages before you design your campaign. By monitoring your progress, you can increase your odds of better lead generation through telemarketing.