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5 Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
Training good telemarketers is our specialist role. When it comes down to common mistakes people make when telemarketing, we have seen it all!
Here is a round-up of 5 common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer.
Get more sales on the phone by making sure you take note of these top tips!
Telemarketing can prove to be very effective and is a marketing method that has been used for businesses for as long as we can remember.
Unfortunately, it’s the most misunderstood and there are a lot of negative stereotypes attached to this job role.
For most people, receiving cold calls are just pushy talkative strangers who call at the most inconvenient times and try to sell things.
And because of inexperienced telemarketers who don’t have the proper know-how to make calls, telemarketing gets its bad reputation.
Here are 5 common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer.
Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
1. Don’t Forget Rapport
Building rapport is the most important part of any sales call – there’s no denying it!
However, it can sometimes be quite difficult to perfect.
It goes without saying, people will not buy from you if they don’t like you.
Think of how many times you’ve received a sales call, and the person on the other end of the phone jumps straight into their script – you just switch off right?
On the other hand, when a telemarketer calls and actually says hello, introduces them and explains why they’re calling – you’re much more inclined to listen.
Moreover, when speaking with a smile on your face, even though you can’t see your prospect in person – your friendly nature radiates through the phone and they’ll be more likely to talk with you.
Ultimately, building rapport shows your genuinely interested in the customer and their reasons to buy.
To achieve this, use intelligent questions, let the customer talk back and listen to their answers – having a good flow of responses between you and the customer shows you are building rapport.
Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
2. Don’t Give Up at the 1st Objection
An objection is an obstacle that the customer puts in front of you.
For example, a common objection is “just email me some information”, usually this is just a tactic to get you off the phone.
A good telemarketer should understand how to best overcome this, which comes down to relevant training and understanding all the objections you may receive.
To put simply, not every prospect will want to buy your product or service and so when these objections appear, you need to be prepared to handle them.
Furthermore, the biggest mistakes to avoid are mumbling, changing the subject or continuing to talk over them with your sales pitch.
Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
3. Not Closing
Arguably, closing is the easiest part of the sales cycle – you’ve done the hard bit which is keeping the prospect on the phone until the end – now all you need to do is simply ask for their business.
Typically, new telemarketers will perfect their presentation and the prospect is giving off all the right signals, but instead of going in for the close, they start talking about another benefit.
Consequently, the prospect becomes confused and then either says no or “I’ll think about it”.
Therefore, always be closing throughout the presentation, not just at the end, and you’ll save both yourself and your prospect time and effort.
Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
4. Not Listening
Telemarketing is more than just listening, it’s about really hearing and understanding what the other person is saying.
Moreover, listening is a good way to determine buying signals which indicate if your prospects are ready to buy.
Most of the time, telemarketers are given a script to follow when talking on the phone, and yes it’s good for starting a conversation, however you shouldn’t just read from it continuously without giving the person on the other end a chance to speak.
As such, listening carefully helps you to ask the right questions at the right time; if you don’t listen, you’ll come across as pushy and drive them away rather than gain their trust.
Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
5. Reading the Script Word for Word
There is nothing worse than receiving a cold call and hearing telemarketers read directly from a script word for word – believe me, it shows!
Regardless of what your product or service is, even if it’s the best on the market, reading the script word for word will have you sounding like a robot, and will not build rapport with your prospect.
Rather, scripts should be used as a baseline and aid you in having the right conversations.
The Final Say on the 5 Common mistakes to avoid as a telemarketer
Telemarketing is a classic form of communication in sales, however it’s very common to make these mistakes mentioned above.
The next time you go to make a call, keep these mistakes in mind and avoid them to see your results skyrocket!
When you find yourself making these common mistakes as a telemarketer and want to change the situation, do get in touch.
For personalised telephone training, book a 121 Power Up session with Wendy.
