Everyone loves a good conversation. Real marketers know this; hence, they leverage the telephone to its fullest capacity. According to a recent study, 60% of marketers in Fortune 500 businesses consider B2B telemarketing to be a very effective method for lead generation and conversion.
Here, we’ll discuss how powerful the telephone is and why it remains a better option for marketing than email.
Why Telephone is More Powerful than Email in Marketing
1. More Personal
Few methods of communication are more intimate than a phone call. If you ask any salesperson, they would tell you that people are less likely to sell to strangers. Hence, you need to cross that gap between stranger and acquaintance. What better way to do that than with a phone call?
The telephone allows a lead to hear your voice and tone. It also affords the telemarketer an opportunity to display their personality. All these work together to get the lead to feel more comfortable talking with you, and eventually buying from you.
2. More Efficient
If you’re trying to sell a product or service that needs a lot of explanation to convince leads to buy, then you’ll need a telephone. Email marketing simply doesn’t offer marketers the room to provide detailed explanations unless you want to send dozens of emails in a short while.
The telephone also provides an avenue for leads to ask questions and get answers in real-time. All these can be achieved within a few minutes.
3. Less Liable to Misinterpretation
There’s an unspoken risk you take the moment you write an email copy and hit send. What you just did is leave your written words open to misinterpretation. Not everyone would understand the entirety of your email, and when a lead doesn’t, you may have lost a sale.
Using a phone allows you to clarify the details of your pitch. Not only would the prospect ask questions, but verbal communication would also help you to convey your messages more clearly.
4. Allows for Two-Way Conversations
An ideal conversation or discussion is never one-sided. You can hardly build a proper rapport using email. But with the telephone, you have the key tool necessary to hold stimulating conversations.
Many expert telemarketers have used the telephone to build trusting relationships with customers and leads. If you follow the right steps, you’ll get the prospect more interested as they ask questions, make comments, and provide their opinions.
5. Covers a Wider Demographic
Not many people use emails (especially the elderly). However, almost everyone on the planet can use a telephone. This set of people value simplicity more than anything else.
Automatically, using a telephone for marketing opens you up to a whole new set of potential customers. You’re no longer confined by the tech-savvy requirements of email marketing. Even without knowing how emails work, they would easily receive your calls and hold conversations.
6. Perfect for Discussing Sensitive Topics
If you sell a product or service related to a topic that people are generally uncomfortable talking about, sending an email may not be your best option. Niches such as health, sexual performance, or adult products are usually considered sensitive. An email is easy to intercept, and not many people would be comfortable receiving messages like those in their mailbox.
With a telephone, you can easily confirm who’s on the other end before tactfully proceeding with the topic of discussion. Also, emails regarding sensitive topics may never get responses. So, it’s best to call those leads and use your authoritative voice to give them the confidence to discuss sensitive topics.
7. Makes Complex Discussions Simple
It’s never easy explaining how a new-to-market product works to the average person. Some people don’t have the attention span necessary to read long paragraphs of texts. Others just don’t care enough to pay close attention.
Thankfully, a telephone in the hands of a capable telemarketer would instantly solve this problem. You can explain to the prospect how the complex product or service works using simple everyday vocabulary with examples and case studies.
Even if you manage to get all that in an email sequence, the likelihood of the reader going through it is closer to zero.
How To Make Your Telemarketing Even More Powerful
Here’re some telemarketing tips you can try today that will instantly improve your conversion rate.
Slow Down Your Speech
Many amateur telemarketers believe speaking quickly on a sales call makes them sound more authoritative and hence, increases their chances of closing a sale. This method is not only wrong but outdated.
If you don’t want to fit into the stereotype of the sleazy salesman, it’s best to speak slowly but clearly. Don’t run through your sales script, but take a deep breath and read it as a normal person would when talking to a friend.
Create a Vast FAQ
You need to prepare yourself for possible questions the prospect might have. Nearly every telemarketer knows to prepare to counter objections, but few are ready to accept difficult questions the lead might have about the professional or service.
Prepare to Outsmart the Gatekeeper
Do you find yourself constantly stuck in the unyielding grip of gatekeepers? There’s a way out. If the receptionist won’t let you speak to the director or manager of the firm, you can still get the information you need using either of these two strategies:
- Call before office-opening hours. You might be lucky enough to find the decision-maker on the other end, as they tend to resume work earlier.
- Ask for the helpdesk staff. They don’t usually have the resilience required of gatekeepers and are more likely to let you in.
Bottom Line
It’s not uncommon to find people claiming that telemarketing is an outdated strategy. With new marketing inventions and automation coming up every year, one can understand their scepticism. However, the decision to buy still depends heavily on the establishment of a connection with the seller, and no marketing method has as much power as the telephone when it comes to human intimacy.
