Recent events in the global economy have led many experts to highlight the importance of marketing in difficult conditions. However, while the benefits of direct mail and email have been touched upon by professionals, many have ignored the role telemarketing could play in such a climate.
While the channel may be looked upon badly by consumers who are not fond of cold calling, Paul Cross, Product and Marketing Manager at Thomson Local, believes it is a "highly successful" promotional tool.
He has claimed that telemarketing is useful for a number of reasons, such as the acquisition and retention of customers, outbound lead generation and the sale of products, particularly when selling business to business.
"It's very easy to track the success of your telemarketing campaign on a day-to-day basis by keeping a simple record of calls made, leads and sales," he explained.
"This makes it a marketing channel which is both measurable and accountable and its transparency enables you to see your return on investment."
Discussing what growing businesses should bear in mind when using telemarketing, Mr Cross said preparation is important and encouraged firms to have an introduction on hand that will ensure they outline information about the business clearly to consumers on the other end of the phone.
Open-ended questions also help to engage potential or existing clients in conversations, he explained, while a positive tone which hints at a sense of urgency can also boost interest.
The expert said: "People buy either from fear of loss or the opportunity of gain. If you can appeal to either of these motives then an appointment should follow."
He added that another way to increase the success of telemarketing for lead generation could be to consider outsourcing to an external specialist agency, which he claimed is more cost-effective than many think and allows companies to focus on a "core competency".
Considering how telemarketing compares to other channels, Mr Cross claimed that the marketing technique "is relatively inexpensive and easy" for growing businesses to use, as firms do not need the specialist knowledge required with formats such as direct mail.
Finally, he added that companies currently using other channels to promote to consumers could gain major benefits from combining their use of telemarketing with them.
He said: "A cold prospect can be warmed up with direct mail or email, arousing interest and communicating key messages, before launching a telemarketing campaign to follow up and convert interest into actual leads and sales."
So while some may have doubts over the benefits of telemarketing as a lead generation channel, it appears there are several reasons why firms should certainly consider its use in the near future.
