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Monthly Archives: March 2018

Growth of outbound telemarketing set to soar

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Expected growth

Thanks to changing technologies and ever-improving techniques, outbound telemarketing has continued to improve in quality and reach with companies specialising in the area now able to produce consistently strong results. Businesses around the world still rely on outbound telemarketing to find leads, make sales and improve brand awareness and the industry shows no signs of losing its popularity any time soon.

In fact, according to a recent report from Transparency Market Research, the growth of outbound telemarketing is set to soar in the coming years with developing regions and industries driving the boom. Between 2017 and 2025, the market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 3.7%, an impressive rate for such an established industry.

Outbound telemarketing in Europe

Although the growth of outbound telemarketing in some more developed regions like North America isn’t expected to be very significant, in Europe it’s another story. The outbound telemarketing industry in Western Europe is expected to see very strong growth in the coming years with the report predicting that the UK, Germany and France are among the regions that will experience the highest levels of growth.

Outsourcing for quality

Outsourcing has always been integral to the telemarketing industry. However, increasingly we’re seeing more and more companies outsourcing for quality rather than affordability. Instead of using a specialist company in order to save money, businesses are turning to specialists in order to ensure their telemarketing is as high quality and as effective as possible. Treating telemarketing more as a professional service than a ‘one size fits all’ marketing solution is helping many businesses to achieve their goals. Using a specialist service allows businesses to hone their message, take advantage of niche technologies and use telemarketers who are skilled and experienced in the areas.

For a lot of businesses, one of the key benefits of outsourcing their telemarketing is the flexibility and responsiveness it offers. As The Balance says, “Call center outsourcing allows a company to be flexible to changing needs.” During peaks in demand businesses can increase their spending on telemarketing and cut back their budget during quieter periods. What’s more, as long as businesses hire experienced and skilled telemarketers, their outsourcing partner is likely to get better results than they could themselves.

How outbound telemarketing could help your business

The outbound telemarketing industry continues to grow because the sales technique has a huge amount to offer. Businesses can use outbound telemarketing to contact an entirely new customer base, raise brand awareness, boost sales and promote their products and services. Done well, the technique can produce great results and help businesses in a wide range of industries to achieve their goals.

If you’re considering using outbound telemarketing as part of your marketing strategy, we can help to make your campaign a success. To find out more, or to learn about effective and innovative telemarketing techniques, explore our site or get in touch with a member of our team.

Why you should never tell a prospect you’re ‘not selling anything’ and other negative triggers to avoid

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things to avoid

As telemarketing is an established part of the business world, there are some notable clichés that decision makers have heard too many times. Using these tired phrases and overused ruses in your telemarketing calls could cause the person you’re speaking with to write you off completely, before your business relationship has even begun.

‘I’m not selling anything’

Never begin a telemarketing call by telling the prospect that you’re ‘not selling anything’. Both you and they know that this is untrue and it’s guaranteed to get the call off on the wrong foot.

Even if the main goal of your current call isn’t to sell a product or service, the chances are you’re hoping to make a sale further down the line. Otherwise, why would you be getting in touch? Avoid using this tired phrase in your telemarketing calls if you want to stay on the right side of the decision maker and lay the foundations of a long lasting business relationship.

‘It’s completely free’

Again, the vast majority of decision makers will have heard this one a thousand times before and all of them know it’s never 100% true. Even if you’re offering an initial product, service, or estimate for free, prospects know this is a tried and tested tactic to move them towards future commitments. As @B2Community says:

“Veteran executives and gate keepers think of this as a ploy to set up a sales meeting, where they have to listen to a lot of sales pitches.”

‘You won’t find it cheaper’

Unless you’re absolutely sure you offer the cheapest products or services on the market, this is another cliché to be avoided. Even if your goods do offer the best value, telling prospects you’re the cheapest around can give the impression that you cut corners in other areas. Some may also see it as a sign of desperation. Instead of talking about ‘cheap’, talk about ‘value’.

‘I’ll be honest with you’

Although you may think this frequently used phrase builds rapport and trust with the person you’re speaking to, in many cases the opposite is actually true. When prospects hear this phrase they may well assume that, up to that point, you haven’t been honest with them. This could cause them to doubt all of the information you’ve provided and the claims you’ve made, putting them off using your products and services. This phrase could also imply that you’re not honest with other potential customers, something that doesn’t reflect well on either you or your business.

Avoid the Cliches

If your telemarketing team are talented, well trained and experienced, they won’t have to fall back on tired phrases or sales clichés when speaking to a prospect. To find out more about improving the quality of your telemarketing calls, or for more information on how we can help you to boost the results of your telemarketing campaign, take a look around our site to contact a member of our team.

6 appointment setting tips

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Appointment setting guide

Appointment setting is an integral part of telemarketing. As @townsendwardlaw puts it:

“It does not matter how eloquent, persuasive, good looking or charismatic you are if you never get the chance to position yourself in front of a prospect – in-person or over the phone.”

Although it’s crucial to telemarketing success, helping your business to make sales and generate valuable leads, appointment setting is notoriously difficult. Convincing your contact to commit to putting a date in the diary requires skill, patience and understanding, so it’s incredibly important your telemarketers know exactly what they’re doing if your company is going to have the best possible chance of success.

1. Begin with an open question

In previous posts, we’ve talked about the importance of beginning with an open question during telemarketing calls, and appointment setting is no different. Asking an open question will help you to catch your prospect off guard and help you to connect with the person you’re speaking to. Once you’ve got a conversation going, it will be a lot easier for you to raise the subject of appointment setting and get the ball rolling.

2. Don’t be afraid to go in cold

Ideally, when making appointment setting calls you should be contacting people who have already had some sort of relationship with your business. Decision makers are very unlikely to set a date with someone on the first call. Work together with your marketing and sales departments to develop lists of potential customers  who are well suited to the products or services you have to offer. If your list is well profiled and you have something genuinely interesting, you shouldn’t be afraid to pick up the telephone to a potential buyer. The telephone is a great way of engaging buyers in a one-to-one conversation about something which could help them improve their business. You can’t direct a mailing, email or any other medium to ask questions and build a discussion around the unique needs of a buyer, telemarketing can do that.

3. Build a rapport

People are always more likely to make appointments with telemarketers that they like. Use your open question to get a conversation going and then ask insightful questions about the company and person you’re speaking with to build rapport. Once you’ve got a dialogue going, you should be able to bring up appointment setting fairly naturally.

4. Don’t be aggressive

No one wants to feel forced into making an appointment so whatever you do, avoid being overly keen or aggressive. If the person you’re speaking to doesn’t want to make an appointment now, ask for permission to contact them again in the future and leave things on a friendly, positive note.

5. If at first you don’t succeed, try again

Most decision makers won’t set an appointment on the first telemarketing call, especially if you’re calling cold. Work towards setting an appointment  by getting their consent to call again. Calling the company on more than one occasion and building a relationship with the contact you’re speaking to will make them a lot more likely to put a date in the diary.

6. Get referrals

Word of mouth recommendations are incredibly powerful. Wherever possible, try to get your customers to refer your business to other companies that might be interested in what you offer. If you can mention the name of a business they trust during your conversation, the decision maker will be a lot more likely to hear you out and set an appointment for a future meeting.

Find out more about effective and innovative telemarketing techniques by exploring the information on our site today.

The power of referral-based selling

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Referral based selling

Referral-based selling, also known as “word of mouth marketing”, is one of the most powerful sales tools around. We instinctively trust individuals and business we know, so if they recommend a business or a product, we’re much more likely to use that business or product than if we came across it independently. In fact, referral based selling is one of the oldest marketing techniques in the book.

Encouraging existing customers to tell friends and family about the products or services a business offers is one of the best ways to boost sales and increase brand awareness in the process.

Boosting rates of referral-based selling

The best way to improve your company’s performance in referral-based selling is to offer an outstanding service. By providing your existing customers with an unrivalled service, high-quality products and competitive prices, you can become indispensable to your existing client base. This turns short term customers into long term clients. If customers are satisfied with the products and the services you’re offering, they are more likely to tell other businesses and individuals about your company, improving your word of mouth marketing and leading to increased sales.

Don’t put selling front and centre

Although making a sale may be the ultimate goal of every marketing call you make, moving the emphasis away from making a deal can actually help you to sell more in the long run. Not selling at every opportunity will help you to build trust with your customers and will show them that you’re putting their needs first. Instead of always looking for ways to make a sale, ask your customers if there’s anything that you can do for them. The more you can find out about their needs and their requirements, the easier it will be for your business to offer a relevant and high quality service.

Listen

Although it can seem counterintuitive at times, listening is a very important part of the selling process, especially if you’re trying to build long term business relationships. Ask about your customer’s long-term goals and the challenges that they face in achieving those goals. Try to remember important facts about the industry and the individual business and add to your knowledge bank regarding all aspects of your customers’ requirements.

The more genuinely interested you are in their business and their world, the more you’ll be able to adapt your products and services to suit their requirements. The happier your customers are with your products, services and performance as a whole, the more likely they’ll be to tell others about your company.

Be clear about how you can help

One of the main benefits of listening to your customers and taking an interest in their industries is that it will give you the perfect opportunity to show how you can help. Explain to your customers exactly what you can do for them. Don’t exaggerate. Be honest about the products and services you offer. Customers are much more likely to respond well to a realistic sales pitch than to one that promises them the Earth and stars.

If your company offers a high-quality service, competitive prices and great products, customers are likely to refer your business to other potential clients. To find out more about other effective marketing techniques, take a look around our site today.