EFFECTIVE TELEMARKETING

Telemarketing, marketing in which sales people call potential customers by phone, is one the most common direct marketing methods used by businesses.

Cold calling however is often not appreciated by the people who are called and so “Do not call” lists have been created in many countries.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Telemarketing

Although cold calling is not popular with consumers, it is still very popular with marketers, why is this?

Well, firstly, telemarketing is a form of direct marketing that is not only track-able in terms of positive response but also gets you an immediate response – people will either react positively or negatively when you call them and you don’t need to wait to get their reactions.

The disadvantage is that telemarketing, and in particular cold calling, has a bad reputation with consumers who often link this to scams and illegal pyramid schemes.

This means that people are often negatively pre-disposed when encountering a telemarketer.

How to Use Telemarketing Effectively

An excellent method when it comes to telemarketing is to do it in at least two calls – the first call to assess the potential customers needs and how your product may possibly be able to assist with meeting these needs (but no sales), and then the second or subsequent call to actually sell the product based on consumer needs.

You should also carefully consider where you get your telemarketing leads from. Try to get lists that are as targeted as possible and not simply every name in the phone book. The more targeted you can get with your lists, the better the response is likely to be.

Telemarketing is a form of marketing that can bring you immediate responses – either positive or negative. Unfortunately many people are already pre-disposed to give negative responses to cold calling and so it is important to go about telemarketing in the right way to get as many positive responses as possible.