Telemarketing Expert UK

Picture the scene: Someone is asking you if you’ve got “Time”: Time to answer or fill out a survey, time to look at this latest report or website, time to attend a particular meeting or event… How are you feeling now? Chances are, a little more overwhelmed and somewhat resigned to the fact that more people seem to want more of that precious commodity we seem to have so little of: Time. Draining, isn’t it?

This issue relates very well to telemarketing. It has to do with the image that we help to create in people’s minds, an image of being a time thief, a situation less favourable to them, more favourable to you. It’s far from being ‘win/win’ in their eyes, so you can hardly blame them for thinking and feeling this way.

This article has been in the pipeline for years. The main reason is because the issue it focuses on rears its head with ongoing frequency. The issue is this: Are you taking a campaign mentality or a continuity mentality to your telemarketing and cold calling activities?

Whilst it is true that telemarketing can provide a “shot in the arm”, a surge in your sales pipeline, a leap in the number of leads you have, what many people seem to forget is that telemarketing works best when continued, consistent effort is made to engage with both new prospects and existing clients alike by telephone. It is more personal than email, provides greater scope for sharing ideas in the early stages and cements relationships. We can always commit our conversations to email afterward.

Almost all of the posts written here on this site to date have advocated the use of the telephone in a variety of situations. This one breaks the mould in that it’s purpose is to highlight when using the phone can be more of a hindrance than a help.

For many of us, the default reaction to a variety of situations is to pick up the telephone and call someone. Here are some situations where using the telephone may be considered less than productive:

One of our PhoneMentor clients challenged me about calling around a direct mail and email campaign he was preparing. Whilst still uncertain of the exact form the direct mail piece and email would take, what concerned him more was how he would follow them up. After thinking of how to get maximum response from these forms of marketing, here’s what I shared with him:

Call your contacts before sending mail / email. That way you can establish correct contact, correct contact details, address, email, everything. In addition, the mail / email ceases to be an unsolicited surprise for them.

What this article covers is the way we perceive things, and how to re-frame them when the labels we give them fail to support us. Most of us know that any great achievement or progress always begins in the mind. The better prepared the mind is for all eventualities then the better you’ll take the results you generate in your stride and become aware of the actions necessary to take that will alter those results.

In the end, on a call the bottom line is we’re looking for two things:

These words, unfortunately, sum up what a lot of people feel about the cold calling and telemarketing process they labour so painfully under.

If people buy for two main reasons, namely avoiding pain or attaining pleasure, then how will people ever consider talking to you, much less buying from you, if the calling you do represents these negative stereotypes?

This can be changed largely by ensuring that when you start a call your attitude and approach is based on honesty (how good do you feel about willfully deceiving people?), and that you will ask questions to continually assure yourself and the person you’re speaking with that you both understand each other and are comfortable discussing a given topic or situation. Nothing of mutual value can happen between two parties without agreement.

Yes, it’s one of those titles where two words look identical but are so different in their meaning.

The prompt for this came from celebrated Time Management Coach, Clare Evans. Having received multiple calls from the same company, it was obvious that for Clare, their telemarketing staff weren’t interested in the former (conversation), and largely as a result of that, wouldn’t realise the latter (conversion) in any case.

With the emphasis on a focused approach to a finite number of contacts at 10 selected companies, and without the need to be tied into a long contract, phoneforbusiness launches the Top 10 Targets Telemarketing Program.

Recognising that not every company can afford to outsource ongoing or large scale cold calling efforts, phoneforbusiness has developed a simple and short-term program with the emphasis on determining outcomes for companies that know who they want to speak with but haven’t the time or the core skills to put such a campaign into practice in-house.

Finally, for those of you that hate the object on your desk that makes a noise, phoneforbusiness has created PhoneMentor

For the first time, a comprehensive breakdown of every aspect of successfully using the phone for business can be delivered direct to you, in short sections by email for just £1.00 per day over 50 days. Yes, that’s £50

Ideal if you don’t want to spend time and money out of the office and are still committed to growing your effectiveness and confidence on the phone. Just think what the alternative will cost. Painful, isn’t it?

Recession, recession, recession! Have you heard much about anything else in the news these past months? The point of today’s article is to outline why cold calling (and telemarketing in general) shouldn’t be discounted as a means of starting and developing new business relationships.

While many businesses are laying off staff, cutting costs in some of the most dangerous areas and generally forecasting downturns in profit, other businesses whose marketing activities remained an important, constant part of the business plan are weathering the economic storm and some are actually thriving.