First is something which sounds obvious but is often not given the due consideration it deserves – define your objectives for each call!
If you don’t do this how can you guage if you’ve been successful or not?
Some potential telemarketing objectives you may be looking for:
- Get to speak to a ‘decision maker’
- Get an appointment for you or one of your sales team
- Promote interest in your product
- Get a name to send your information to
- Arrange an appointment
- Arrange a demonstration
It’s always worthwhile setting objectives for positive and negative calls, for example if a company you call is genuinely not interested in your product for a good reason, then you need to know why. Maybe they are already using one of your competitors’ products or services, in which case you will want to explore whether they may be willing to change rather than politely end the call.
Recording this information will help you influence your other marketing strategies and learn more about the market.
Some potential negative responses you may get:
- They already use your competitor
- They have no use for your product or service
- They perceive your product or service too expensive
- The person you need to speak to is not available
Remember, try to gain something from each call – even if it’s simply market information rather than a sales lead or appointment.
This information can be recorded by your telemarketing company in their call notes and increase the overall value of your telemarketing campaign.