Business-to-business telemarketing (B2B telemarketing) is one of the most effective marketing campaigns to generate interest in your business, establish prospects, conduct market research, and actively promote the business to interested parties. However, no strategy is ever going to be effectively executed without the right people for the job.
For this reason, certain skills are absolutely essential to being an effective telemarketer. These are the skills that Novus Business Connections instill in our trained professional telemarketers, making us the right team to have on your side.
Telemarketing Experience
The art of telephonic conversation is something that is dying in the world of instant messaging and email. An experienced telemarketer will have the right conversational tools to speak with a prospect and effectively communicate the products and services on offer.
Through experience also comes confidence, which is another essential characteristic of a telemarketer, particularly in the B2B space. Speaking confidently conveys the belief a telemarketer has in the product they are selling, and in turn, gives the prospect confidence in the product too.
Experience also means a telemarketer will know the difference between confidence and arrogance. Confidence in a product and in a marketer’s telephonic conduct is important, however, understanding the prospect or customer’s position is the only way a valuable business relationship will be formed. These are the soft skills that come with telemarketing experience.
Excellent Communication Skills
Communication is a two-way conversation and a good telemarketer understands this. When effective communication happens, it leaves very little room for misunderstanding which helps establish trust with a potential business collaborator.
When you engage in B2B conversations, trust has to be established early on in order for a healthy, mutually beneficial business relationship to be formed. The marketer who is representing your business therefore has to possess excellent communication skills to carry a relationship forward.
The Ability to Listen and Understand
We’ve all been in a situation where we’ve received a call from an “annoying telemarketer”. Customers typically deem telemarketers as annoying because they simply talk at them to get their pitch across without opening the conversation up to the person on the other end of the phone.
When a telemarketer listens, they open the door to new opportunities because they gain better insight and understanding of the prospect’s needs. Understanding the requirements of a customer is key to building business relationships and closing a sale because it allows the telemarketer to provide specific solutions based on the given criteria.
Possess Empathy
A good telemarketer will understand that they are offering clients a service or product to make their lives easier. Genuinely wanting to help a prospect is communicated through effective empathetic mechanisms.
When telemarketers can place themselves in a prospect’s shoes, they automatically become more relatable to the other party. Good telemarketers not only make the effort to relate to their customers or prospects but also become more relatable themselves. This, of course, builds trust, but also gives the customer the feeling that that marketer genuinely wants to help them.
Exceptional Resilience
Let’s face it, not all phone calls are going to be a walk in the park. Some are just downright awful. However, a good telemarketer will understand that the right connection is out there, they just need to keep at it.
The ability to bounce back from a difficult conversation or from a deal that may have fallen through ensures that the campaign to establish effective relationships carries on despite challenges encountered along the way.
The Ability to Persuade Others
Telemarketers need to have the power of persuasion to convince a prospect why they need whatever is on offer. Through exercising empathy and understanding, telemarketers can then use what they’ve learned about the customer to appeal to their specific needs.
The persuasive technique lies in the telemarketer’s ability to use information gained to build rapport with their prospects. This is an important skill to have when making sales and closing deals.
Brilliant Customer Service
Possessing all the right tools for an effective introductory call is only half of the battle won when carrying out a telemarketing campaign. A good telemarketer will understand that their job doesn’t end after they put down the phone. If a customer is interested, that relationship needs to be nurtured through follow-ups and through delivering on agreed terms and meeting deadlines.
Good customer service is ultimately what is going to lead to customer satisfaction and therefore positive business growth. If a telemarketer can establish and nurture business relationships in their interactions after the initial phone call, they’re onto a winner.
