Telemarketing Success Factors. Jonathan Silverman GSA Business Development Ltd Oct 2010

Transcription

1 Telemarketing Success Factors Jonathan Silverman GSA Business Development Ltd Oct 2010

2 What kind of business calls can you make using the telephone?

3 What is Telemarketing? Sometimes called telesales, telecanvassing, telephone marketing or coldcalling The use of your phone to make outbound calls with a view to generating business opportunities.

4 Types of outbound calls Account management / customer service calls. Cross-sell or up-sell to current customers. Resuscitation calls to lapsed customers. Face-to-face new business appointment setting. Follow ups for direct marketing or marketing campaigns. Telephone appointments, web demos and webinars. Booking and follow up for seminars, exhibitions, breakfast briefings, workshops and other events. Telesales to generate sales quotations. Subscription or membership renewal services.

5 Integrate with Other Activity It doesn t have to be a totally cold call. Seminars and webinars may also need calls. Send them articles. Send them invitations to webinars and events. Meet them at exhibitions. Send them a press article. Introduce them to a client.

6 The Telemarketing Challenge

7 What percentage hit rate would you expect from a cold call to reach a decision-maker?

8 The Telemarketing Contact Process Your decision-makers are Illusive, busy and under pressure. Time / money Opt outs CTPS/ Voic Inaccurate data Decision-makers 15% Gatekeepers 34% Influencers 16% Switchboard / Reception 20% 15%

9 So, what factors influence success?

10 Tip Number 1 Realistic objectives What level of new business meetings can you handle alongside the day job? Not every prospect is looking for your services at the time of the call. Your proposition needs to be attractive. Set objectives consistent with your business status. If you have something everyone wants & the credentials & client base to back this up, you will achieve more than a start-up company with few clients & no experience. Go to speculative meetings They build momentum for you and your mid-term pipeline.

11 Tip Number 2 - Take action No time is perfect and the key is to generate impetus and momentum. Successful business development requires effort and consistency. Every business has a defined gestation period before sales leads and profit begins to flow. Don t wait for the perfect literature to send out. Most marketing brochures end up in the bin.

12 Tip Number 3 - Define your market Lapsed customers Current clients Vertical sectors where you have experience New markets? recognise the impact Work to your strengths Don t go after Financial Services business if you have no experience and no compliance knowledge

13 Tip Number 4 Use a good list Don t use old data including your own! Get a recent & accurate list from a quality list provider Validate the list & screen against CTPS A specialist vertical sector list from an industry magazine or association? Data is King! 5.7m business details change every year: a company name change occurs every minute a business closes every 2 minutes a business fails every 4 minutes a business moves office every 6 minutes

14 List Parameters Get the parameters right Location National, International or local. Sectors Size 20m+ Companies to justify your fees or validate the cost of marketing? Head office or branch site Decision maker Who holds the budget?

15 Tip Number 5 - Proposition How do you make your business and services attractive to prospective clients? How are you different from the next company that calls? What problems does your business solve rather than what services do you offer. On the phone you have one or two sentences at most to grab a prospect s attention. Decide what product or service to focus on Build a Trojan Horse

16 Tip Number 6 - Brief your callers well Why are you unique, why a prospect should see you, why they should see you now and what problems does your service cure or help? Provide a written brief (about your business) Put together a strong call structure (not a script) including likely objections & buzz words Present to your telemarketer(s) Keep two-way communication high with your callers. Give regular feedback. Don't keep them in the dark and expect results.

17 Tip Number 7 The right people What are the attributes of a good caller?

18 Tip Number 7 The right people Choose the right people Attitude, interest, enthusiasm, energy and consistency. Attitude and passion will outperform technical knowledge You can train skills. You will struggle to train attitude! Match the telemarketers with the prospects you re calling. If you re calling the marketing director of Mars or Unilever or have a very technical sale, you probably don t really want an 18 year-old student to make the call. Peer to peer communication is important Get training on skills, rapport, tone & technique.

19 Tip Number 8 Measure performance What you can t measure you can t manage Use a good system and proper database to manage and measure results Number of calls Calls per hour (but take care not to measure in isolation!) Decision-maker %, gatekeepers, voic Call per decision-maker and per appointment Incorrect data (you may want to data clean) Track and manage performance on a weekly if not daily basis Refine the approach based on the learning

20 Tip Number 9 Be patient Telemarketing isn t a precise science. To some extent it is a numbers game Don t expect results overnight. Be consistent and build momentum. Record & make the call-backs and build rapport. Document every call and record properly Record verbatim comments to mirror language and build rapport! Update records with new data

21 Tip Number 10 Follow-Up Follow-up - Follow-up - Follow-up Have relevant written or information available. Make sure info and meeting confirmations go out promptly Prepare for the meeting. Review the prospect website if possible. Use Linkedin for the person you re meeting. Agree next steps at the end of the meeting. Agree a time to call back or meet again. Follow-up when you say you will and keep doing so until the lead either converts to business or it becomes clear that no business will be forthcoming. Make sure you work with your telemarketer to brief them on the outcome so the loop is closed.

22 Summary Tip Number 1 - Realistic objectives Tip Number 2 - Take action Tip Number 3 - Define your market Tip Number 4 - Use a good list Tip Number 5 - Proposition Tip Number 6 - Brief your callers well Tip Number 7 - The right people Tip Number 8 - Measure performance Tip Number 9 - Be patient Tip Number 10 - Follow-Up

23 More info / advice Jonathans@getsoundadvice.co.uk