Telemarketing is the skill of acquiring leads via phone calls via the call center. It is a huge investment because it requires physical, human, and financial resources. On the other hand, a business that chooses to outsource telemarketing services is mainly trying to free up its workers from the hectic process so that the job can be handled by skilled industry experts who keep the best return on investment (ROI) during implementation. Telesales often involves working with the latest technology and target data to identify leads that are most likely to convert. That skill is not common in a typical office, and here’s why you should consider outsourcing it instead. Let’s go over the reasons
If you choose to assign telemarketing duties to your in-house employees instead, you will be chasing away potential leads. It is obvious that they lack the expertise needed to execute the job effectively. This can result in stress and negative emotions which will quickly be sensed on the other end of the line. The result is that the client in question will want to stop the call as soon as possible.
Noise and distraction coming from other employees in the office may prevent other employees from carrying out a successful telemarketing campaign. With everyone around, the telemarketer who also happens to be your employee will feel naturally self-conscious, and will not want to talk as freely to the person on the other end. This situation makes it difficult for them to respond to any signals that might be relayed from the client on the phone and so you will lose the lead.
You might opt to source for your own data in a bid to cut costs. But it will quickly turn out that this process is costly regarding money and time. On the other hand, poorly sourced data is often cheap and not effective in converting leads. And you agree that this will affect your ROI. On the other hand, a telemarketing company only provides leads based on relevant and strategic data. In the end, working with this data leads to a big boost in conversion, which is good for your business.
Temporary telemarketers are paid low wages on an hourly basis. For this reason, the temptation to hire them is often high because they come at a low cost. However, the problem with these temporary ‘’professionals’’ is that they often don’t have intimate knowledge of your products or services. After all, they are just temporary, and this means lack of that sort of commitment which you get from full-time professionals who guarantee their support while integrating their skills into your company’s vision, thus promoting sales.
Most businesses are never confident when it comes to writing these scripts. This often results in undesired loopholes and closed questions. It is for this reason that you are encouraged to outsource telemarketing services to spare your money and time on calls that will cost you for no apparent reason.\
If you work with your employees to acquire leads through phone calls, you will need to change your approach every time you engage with a lead. There is calling a selected list of contacts, and there is also dedicating time to sort out these potential leads. Achieving this kind of flexibility is never an easy task. Managing these leads then becomes an impossible task.
Flexibility should also come into play when considering your employees’ time. Can they work on a Sunday afternoon? If yes, will you compensate them for the overtime work? In short, telemarketing campaigns need flexibility and the ability to handle leads at any time of the day, and not just between 9-5. Now, consider these cost implications, and you will soon realize that you are in a better position to outsource telemarketers rather than have your employees taking up that extra job.
Cost means investment regarding money and time. The cost of acquiring resources comes in the form of software, scripts, calls, and much more. Do not forget the cost of training your employees and boosting their morale when they work overtime. Also, to keep up with technology in the industry, you’ll be required to update your hardware and software on a consistent basis. Apart from this, you require technical support, maintenance, cleaning and so much more. These can quickly add up, thus upsetting your budget.
This point is still related to cost. You are spending more because employees who double up as telemarketers need a separate room with separate desks for conducting their duties. You still need to acquire equipment such as automated dialers, computers, software, phone lines, cables, headsets you name it. In addition to this, you still need support and proper maintenance of these types of equipment. This is the cost implications of not outsourcing your telemarketing campaign.
As with experienced telemarketers, this is not an issue. But with in-house employees who do not have what it takes to handle the client in any direction they will take them, this can be a big challenge. It takes more than just following the script. Experienced telemarketers express themselves clearly and confidently even when under pressure. Also, because they are skilled, they know how to capture the attention of the caller with certain phrases. They know how to keep their interest using the script so that they can skillfully prompt them to take action. In short, a skilled telemarketer addresses the need as opposed to just selling. The choice of words used here encourages the caller to proceed with the conviction that what they are getting is the right thing. Outsource telemarketing after you do the following five thingsOnly a specialist company has what it takes to effectively generate leads for you. And because this is a costly undertaking, there are certain things which should be done before you can consider hiring a third-party. They are as follows: Clarity of the strategy you are using for your sales and marketing A sales and marketing strategy is something that most small businesses will ignore. But the truth is that you should know your target audience and why they would be interested in engaging with you concerning what you are selling. In that context, a telemarketing company will either choose to offer it as a separate service or wove it into your campaign. If they offer it as a separate service, it will cost you more. If they integrate it into your campaign, they will essentially be doing trial and error work. In fact, to be sure of whether or not you need a telemarketing specialist, you should consider who your audiences are. If you don’t have a clear picture, hire this service separately. Budget allocation Telemarketing is a slow process that yields result consistently in the long run. This happens because clients soon grow familiar with your business name as they trust you more. For this reason, your leads may respond to one campaign but not to the other which is completely fine since you are likely to experience the same thing if you chose to do the job on your own. Most telemarketing specialist will suggest a 2 week trial period. But the right way to go about it is to find an ideal specialist whom you will assign a 3 week trial period instead. After all, telemarketing should make you more money than you currently spend. 2 weeks is a very short time to affirm this. So adjust your budget allocation accordingly. The process of interviewing a telemarketing provider People masquerade as telemarketers when the truth is that all they have is a desk, a computer, and a phone. Do they have what it takes to build rapport and consequently an effective communication with the lead? You find out. By hiring a telemarketing specialist, you are not buying sales leads. Instead, you are buying time and skill much the same way you do when outsourcing IT-related tasks. There are costs involved in employing and managing specialists. These logistics are important to consider in the hiring stage. You essentially need to know the person who will be speaking to your clients on your behalf. You also need to work with someone who is specifically assigned instead of people working in a pool. Expectations need to be realistic Sales leads that are generated from networking referrals tend to convert immediately because they have been pre-sold to already. Apparently, many business owners who seek the services of a telemarketing specialist will assume that getting them in front of the right person will always mean closing the deal. Unfortunately, that’s the wrong approach. Getting leads through telemarketing is a process that takes time because leads have to be nurtured. This is quite different from what happens in networking where closure rate percentage can reach 90% while that of telemarketing only playing between 20-30% for the skilled professional. Also, the relationship between the telemarketer and their list builds over time. Following a script and implementing other techniques of selling will definitely yield results, but not right then. Get the right quality of salesmanship For telemarketing to work at its best, you need to keep quality salesmanship in mind. Sales teams who do well tend to get regular training which often involves coaching from managers. They practice and give feedback in a bid to refine the craft. At the end of the day, it boils down to how your competitors are trained and skilled in selling. If they are indeed skilled, you will be disadvantaged. In short, the quality of your salesmanship plays a critical role in your telemarketing campaigns. So approach it with eyes open.
How To Identify The right telemarketing companyThese companies come in a variety. There are those who get involved in direct marketing where a wide range of services is offered from generating leads to fulfillment. Then there are those who invest in inexperienced call reps who are often required to make hundreds of calls just to get a dismal pay at the end of the day. Whatever the case, consider the following:
How long have they been around? Do they specialize in B-to-B sales lead generation? Well, if so, get a call center that has vast experience in your specific industry. Don’t hire call representatives who will cold-call your clients in the most inappropriate times to pitch sales. Ensure they have customer support call center agents.
You need to find out the average return on investment from this company. Apart from this, ask them about the number of leads the program will generate as well as the anticipated sales ratio.
You need to meet the various account Managers and call teams in this company. See how they are fulfilling requests from leads and listen to their phone conversations as well. You should be able to get a clear picture when you tour the production floor.
This should highlight the company’s background, program recommendation, qualifications, and fees. This proposal will tell you whether or not the company is attentive to your needs. It will help you ascertain if they are the right candidate.
You need a sample report on the company’s activities. This will help you gauge whether they have experience in your industry and are capable of integrating their systems with your needs.
You should speak to one or two current customers as well as those who stopped using the services of this company a year ago. This will give you a clear picture of the people who handle accounts as well as the overall quality of services offered by this telemarketing company. In addition to this, find out if these individuals would be willing to outsource this telemarketer again if there was the need to. ConclusionThe bottom line is that b2b or b2c telemarketing is extremely effective in generating, nurturing, and ultimately converting leads. And because of the reasons mentioned above, hiring outsourced telemarketers seem to be the best option for all business owners. from http://www.outsourcinginsight.com/outsource-telemarketing-services/
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