This blog post is brought to you in collaboration with:
- Estate Agents Leicester: The Lettings & Sales Business
- Producers of Comfortable Shoes for Professionals: Jhuti
At WAG, we hope to change the bad perception of telemarketing. Having worked in the industry for over 30 years, we know how to do it right.
Sure, the cold-calling centres don’t help the reputation of Telemarketers; however, when done well it can be one of the most effective sales tools to add into your marketing mix.
This guest blog runs through 6 common myths around Telemarketing and aims to debunk them.
Common Telemarketing Myths
Telemarketing has lots of misconceptions surrounding it. People often view telemarketers as aggressive, pushy, and uncaring. However, as is the case with stereotyping, in many instances this simply is not true.
In light of that, we’re hoping this article debunks some of these common myths.
Myth 1: Telemarketers Are Aggressive and Pushy
Aggression is not the way to win people over and make sales, and good telemarketers know this. Pressuring and aggressively bombarding prospects doesn’t seal the deal, so this is a tactic many telemarketers avoid.
This is why nearly half of sales reps stop with sales follow-up if they receive a negative response to their initial call. They know when to stop and when to pursue a lead.
Myth 2: You Need The Gift of The Gab
Whilst being able to communicate effectively is an excellent telemarketing skill to have, this can be learned on the job. Not only this, but telemarketing is so much more than talking to potential clients.
On top of that, high-quality salespeople need to listen, empathize and find solutions for their prospects – if all a telemarketer did was talk to the client, there wouldn’t be a sale. There needs to be ample opportunity for the client to speak, voice their questions, and air any concerns they may have.
Myth 3: Anyone Can Be a Telemarketer
This most certainly is not true. Telemarketing takes skill, communication, active listening, empathising, understanding and answering potential questions and issues.
Being articulate and confident are also skills budding telemarketers need. As noted above, these abilities shouldn’t be confused with aggression or being pushy; there’s a big difference, and a good telemarketer knows this.
Myth 4: All Telemarketers Are Dodgy
Absolutely not. Like you and I, telemarketers are regular people trying to make an honest living. Granted, as in any industry, you’ll get a few bad apples, but generally speaking, telemarketers are a hard-working bunch!
Not only this, but those working for reputable companies won’t withhold their name, the company they’re calling from, and contact details from the client. Transparency and honesty are essential for high-quality telemarketing.
Myth 5: There’s Always a Script
Nope. Usually, customers can tell if the person trying to sell them something is reading from a script and doesn’t have any interest in them or their queries. If it were all about script reading, then telemarketers wouldn’t be able to answer questions thrown at them.
That said, telemarketers probably have some notes and pointers in front of them; who wouldn’t? Also, when someone is new to telemarketing, the chances are they’ll sound a little stiffer or scripted (we all have to start somewhere), but with time, conversations flow easier.
Myth 6: It’s All About The Numbers
It would be a lie to say numbers weren’t necessary, but to say that’s what it’s all about isn’t right either. Telemarketers have a limited amount of time and contacts to make sales.
Still, they also know that they won’t succeed if they treat their customers like a number. So it’s somewhat of a balancing act that high-quality telemarketers learn to master.
Training to become a Great Telemarketer
WAG offers various Telemarketing Training in the following formats –
- 121 Individual Training for Telemarketing – in the format of Zoom sessions
- Team Training Packages – deliverable in your office or on Zoom
- Interactive Training Handbook “Making Conversations Count – How to sell over the phone” – complete the training in your own time, at your own pace. There is also a Facebook group for support and follow-up questions.
To learn more, get in touch with us today.
