Telemarketing can be a very challenging marketing strategy at times, and due to this, you will undoubtedly make some mistakes on your journey to becoming a telemarketing expert, all of which you will learn from and will help to improve your skills.
However, learning from the mistakes of others before ever making them yourself can be just as valuable.
In this article, we’ve covered four telemarketing mistakes that could hinder your telemarketing results, and how to avoid them.
#1 - Failure to Prepare
As the saying goes, “Failure to prepare, is preparing to fail” and this is very true in the telemarketing world. Preparation is key and by going into a call without any previous research, you are setting yourself up to make mistakes and decreasing your chances of success.
Preparation is a vital step in the telemarketing process. By preparing for your calls you can be ready for any possible questions that you may be asked and have a suitable answer/rebuttal on hand. You’ll also be able to tailor the initial stages of the call to the individual prospect and better understand their wants, needs, and problem areas prior to your first interaction.
You should also keep in mind and have a clear idea of what the goals of your calls are, structure your pitch and conversation around reaching this end goal. Just blindly going into a call and delivering a generic pitch, read directly from a script, to the first person you find (which is more than likely going to be a gatekeeper), isn’t going to get you anywhere.
By conducting prior research and preparing yourself for the calls you will be making, you can give yourself a better chance of securing a quality lead.
#2 - Using Closed Questions
On a telemarketing call, you will need to gather information from the decision-maker regarding their business, needs, problem areas, and the current solutions that they have in place. Using closed questions will make this part of the process a lot more difficult.
A closed question is a question that requires either simple one-word answer or doesn’t incite a more in-depth response.
For example, asking a prospect “Do you currently have any need for telemarketing?” their response is likely going to be “No.”. Instead of asking a closed question like this, which is just going to offer the prospect a chance to object, try asking open questions such as “How are you currently generating new business?”.
Using open-ended questions like this, you will get a better response from your prospects and it will help to build momentum on the call and move the conversation forward.
Although some closed questions can be useful for quick response, you can then follow it up with an open-ended question to get them to expand on and clarify their answer.
#3 - Mismanagement of Data in a CRM
Keeping your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system up-to-date with relevant information and ensuring that it is well organised is essential for not just telemarketing success, but also marketing and sales success in general.
A CRM system allows you to manage and analyse your interactions with your clients and prospects and helps to ensure that your team is working to its optimum ability.
The mismanagement, or the lack of management, of data within a CRM system, can cause several issues that can affect not just your compliance and also your performance.
When carrying out telemarketing activities, you’re going to be speaking to up to 200 people each day. You’re not going to remember what happened on each and every call which is why updating CRM records with copious, relevant notes is essential.
The next time you interact with the client or prospect, you will be able to refer back to the previous call notes and see what had been discussed and pick up from there. This is also essential when working in a telemarketing team, so if another agent needs to get in contact with a prospect you have previously spoken to, they can pick up from where you left off.
Also, not assigning the appropriate call outcomes can result in non-compliance with GDPR. For example, if a prospect exercises their right to not be contacted again and have their details removed from your database, you need to ensure that you mark their record within the CRM system for GDPR removal. Failure to do so, or contacting them again, will put you in breach of GDPR, and for repeated offences, you could be fined a substantial amount.
#4 - Over Selling
It can be a rare occurrence for a telemarketer to close a deal or secure a fully-qualified appointment on the initial call; trying to force this to happen can result in a negative experience for the prospect.
Most of your prospects will have had no past experiences with your brand, and therefore, have no reason to trust the product or service you are selling. Overselling to the prospect by bombarding them with why your offering is great over and over again or pushing the sale or appointment before they are ready, won't get you anywhere.
Instead, focus on building strong relationships with your prospects by telling them why your offering will help them specifically, and what problems it will solve for their business rather than what it has done for others.
Building a positive relationship with the prospect over a number of interactions can make the final selling aspect a lot simpler, as you will have worked to build up trust and respect between the prospect and yourself. This is a lot more effective than overselling on the first interaction, which will portray a negative image of your business.
Does your business need help generating fully-qualified sales leads or appointments?
If you would like to know more about our B2B Lead Generation and Appointment Setting services and how we can help your customer acquisition process back on track, then please get in touch to speak to a member of our team!
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