If you’re just starting out in the world of telemarketing and looking for telemarketing tips and tricks to take with you into your next phone call, then look no further. As telemarketing experts, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best telemarketing tips for you to use during your next telemarketing conversation. Once you have mastered these simple telemarketing tips, you’ll soon be on the path to phone calling success.
Always sound relaxed and natural
Although it can be tempting to follow a telemarketing script word by word, this is not a good strategy to follow. When you follow a script too closely, you remove the opportunity for a conversation to develop organically.
Prospects can also pick up when you’re not being natural. Simple giveaways like instant sales and not listening to them usually indicate that you’re following a script and not engaging with the conversation. If the person on the other end of the phone realises that you are using a script, they are more likely to put the phone down on you. Prospects want to feel heard in a phone call and not just like another task to tick off the list.
Keep the purpose of the phone call in mind
When you engage with a prospect, getting distracted in the conversation can be easy, especially if you let the prospect take over or you’re putting in the effort to get to know them and their business needs. For this reason, you have to ensure that you keep the purpose of the phone call in mind.
Is the point of the phone call to make a sale? Do you need to ensure you get an appointment with the person? Is there an answer to a particular question you need? If you keep these questions in mind, then you’ll find it’s a lot easier to steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go.
Work off a script
Although you should not make it a habit to read directly off a script, having one in front of you is a useful tool for building confidence. You can also use a script as a guide for the direction of the conversation. When you’re just starting out in telemarketing, honing your skills by using a script is perfectly acceptable.
You’ll soon be able to have a conversation without using a script at all, and you’ll develop your own conversation style that best represents who you are and the products or services you offer. Just remember to leave room for organic conversation too.
Set and hit call targets
You need to make the hours in a day count. The best way to ensure that you get the most out of your telemarketing campaign is to ensure that you play the numbers game and make the ratio of phone calls to leads generated work in your favour. The more phone calls you make in a day, the greater your chance of forming connections that will lead to a sale or business relationship.
Most telemarketers have a target of 100 phone calls over the course of 7 hours. If the phone calls you make are going particularly well and you are having well-engaged conversations, then it’s likely that you will only get through 70. This is okay, as the more engaged the phone calls you make are, the higher the likelihood of the conversations materialising into something of value.
Listen to your prospect
As a newbie in the world of telemarketing, it can be easy to jump straight into a sales pitch, especially if you are excited about the product or service on offer – as you should be. However, many telemarketers who are new to the profession tend to start talking at their prospect rather than taking the time to listen to what it is they need. Do not make this mistake.
Listening to the prospect and asking them good questions that will enhance your understanding of their needs will ensure that you keep them engaged. You will also be able to craft a more effective pitch when you can apply what’s on offer to a specific requirement the prospect may have.
Speak clearly and slowly
The more you get to know your product or service, the more familiar you get with it. When this happens, you may find that you tend to talk about it more confidently, which often means you talk about it quickly.
When you have a telemarketing phone call, you have to assume that the prospect knows nothing about who you are or what your product is. It’s, therefore, important to speak slowly and clearly. You should also remember not to sound condescending on the phone, though, as this can be off putting to the prospect.
Develop your skills
If you feel like there is an area in which you are lacking, don’t be afraid to ask for relevant training or mentorship. Ensuring that you continue to develop your skills in the field of telemarketing is essential for driving success and ensuring that you turn more phone calls into good leads. Employers will also be more than happy to send you relevant training courses if they believe that it will add overall value to their business and help them hit their targets.
Work on building resilience
One of the key things that new telemarketers struggle with is their first rejections. Getting told “no” is hard to hear and can impact telemarketers negatively when they are just starting out. The best way to deal with rejections is to understand that rejections are not personal and that they are simply part of the job.
Having this mentality will help you to build resilience which will allow you to simply carry on with the task at hand even after experiencing rejection. In turn, you’ll get through more calls in a day which will increase your chances of landing successful leads during your campaign.
Practice handling rejections
One of the best ways to build resilience is to practise getting rejected. This may sound obvious, but many telemarketers have no idea how to react when they get told by a prospect that they are not interested in what is on offer. Many end up taking it personally, which can be demoralising for beginners.
Practising rejection through mock phone calls with colleagues or noting down how more experienced telemarketers deal with rejection is key to developing your skills in the profession. You must also remember to always be the one that exercises politeness even if the phone call does not necessarily go your way.
Always be friendly and approachable
If you come across as overly aggressive in your phone call, whether you mean to or not, it’s a massive off-putting factor for prospects. You don’t need to pretend that you are best friends with the person on the other end of the phone, but ensuring you remain approachable is key.
Many newbies also fall into the trap of trying to manipulate their prospects into buying a product. This can leave a bitter taste and is part of why telemarketers have such a bad reputation among consumers. Avoid sounding aggressive and manipulative by ensuring you ask questions, practice empathy, and understand the other party’s needs.
Learn about your prospect’s needs
The best way to ensure you understand your prospects’ position is to ask them. If you’re offering something you know can help someone, you’re already starting on a strong footing. The more you ask, the more you learn, giving you the information you need to connect with a potential client or business partner and offer them a product or service that you truly believe will add value to them.
This applies whether you conduct B2B telemarketing calls or cold-calling consumers directly. When you have mastered this skill, it will also save you time, as you’ll soon be able to pick up whether a lead is good or not in the early stages of the phone call. This knack is developed over time but will prove invaluable as you develop your career.
Understand the role of the gatekeeper
Gatekeepers are particularly prevalent in B2B marketing campaigns. Essentially, a gatekeeper is someone who sits in front of the person you’re trying to reach. For example, if you’re trying to reach a departmental head, you will likely have to speak to an assistant or secretary before you can be put through to the person you really need to speak to.
There is an art to getting past gatekeepers, and it’s important you do so, especially if you are in the market to sell something more technical or looking to build top-level business connections.
