As more and more industries and enterprises pay more and more attention to telesales, it brings more resistance from customers to telesales. As the modern lifestyle is turning people to be busier than ever before, they generally don’t like to get calls from salespeople and consider it as a disturbance. In such a scenario it gets challenging for telemarketers to start the conversation itself. But it doesn’t mean that telemarking is old school in modern times. Telemarketing has totally held its relevance and is still an important marketing tool in every firm’s strategy basket. All that is needed is a combination of patience and passion to learn. A telemarketer with the right strategy and good communications skills can easily make the customer comfortable in talking with him and get ahead with the transaction. Read on to learn some good strategies to improve your telemarketing skill.
Table of Contents
- Know The Customer First!
- Time To Plan!
- Introduction Matters!
- Mind The Tone!
- Learn To Handle Rejections!
- Always Be Polite!
- Organise The Data And Follow Up Timely
- Final Words
Know The Customer First!
Before telemarketing, you must clarify the customer’s information, and more importantly, make sure that the person you call has the power to make purchasing decisions. Also try to gather relevant information about customers needs, preferences and behaviours. All this information will help you plan your call well.
Time To Plan!
Always have a plan before you call any customer. Many of our sales staff don’t think seriously before calling and don’t organize the language at all. As a result, they don’t say what should be said and consequently, the sales goals are not achieved. Before you make any call, think clearly of the objectives of the call and the type of customer you are dealing with. Prepare a plan accordingly. Your script will serve as a guide for what you will do during the conversation. It includes what points you talk about and how you handle tough moments. There is however no need to follow your script precisely. You’ll in fact find that your language will naturally vary from call to call. The script is simply here to let you remember what you need to say in case you get stuck. It’s possible that the person on the other end of the line will have questions for you. So have a plan to address any questions as well.
Introduction Matters!
Introduce yourself and your intentions clearly within 1 minute. Clearly state your company name and your own name. Then comes the most important part of gathering the interest of the customer to talk to you. Don’t rush to the selling, but first, try to get the customer comfortable. Many salespersons start to introduce themselves and the product as soon as the call is made, which is wrong. The customer may respond by saying that you have called the wrong number or that I am not so and so. Some salespersons mistake the customer’s name, the customer’s job title, and even mistake the customer’s company name. These mistakes reduce your credibility even before you start selling. So make sure to avoid such silly mistakes.
Mind The Tone!
The tone should be steady, the words should be clear, and the language should be concise. Many salespersons are afraid of being rejected, get nervous when picking up the phone, have a flustered tone, speak too fast, and cannot speak clearly. These will affect the communication between you and the other party. Try to be natural and speak at a natural pace. You’ll sound more sincere if you speak at a more natural pace. In business, sincerity is a good thing. It also makes you sound like a professional.
Also read: Understanding Customer Resistance | How Customers Resist Salespersons
Learn To Handle Rejections!
To be honest, the response from the customer may be really rude at times. To be honest, the response from the customer may be really rude at times. Don’t be bothered by it. If you’re feeling confident, you can try to persuade them, but sometimes a no truly is a no. Consider the opposite side of the coin: you yourself don’t always say “yes,” do you? Allow it to go, thank the individual for their time, and try again the next time. To get good outcomes, telemarketing needs a lot of perseverance.
Always Be Polite!
Always appreciate the customer you are talking to for their time, whether you receive an expected response or not. It may take several calls to obtain what you want, and if you’re not courteous, you’ll be remembered for rudeness and not in the manner you want to be remembered. You are just as good as your previous call and your first impression is everything. However, not just for first impressions, you should of course be polite throughout the entire call.
Organise The Data And Follow Up Timely
After the telephone salesperson has made a call, he must register the customer, make a summary, and divide the customers into categories. Category A may be the most promising transaction. It is necessary to make a return visit in the shortest time to reach an agreement. Category B may not be too promising but yet a good and acceptable customer. If you strive for it and follow up without interruption, sales can be made.
Final Words
Being good at telemarketing requires an appropriate combination of skill and experience. Skills can be learned through books, from leaders and from colleagues as well. However, the application of skills is something you learn and master only through experience in the field. Your passion for your work and eagerness to learn of course plays a big role.