Terri Manning is Field Sales Manager for Direct Marketing Services. She has been working in Tele and Field Sales for over 10 years - all at large, successful organisations. She manages a team of five field based Account Managers who are all direct marketing specialists.
How much time should a small business set aside for telemarketing?
Terri: "Any business should set aside at least one to two days per week for telemarketing. This may seem like a lot of time for a very small business but you really will see the benefits in terms of new appointments and sales."
How should you structure the perfect telemarketing call for maximum results?
Terri: "I would advise sticking to a script – this gives you control over the call so you can lead the prospect to the desired outcome.
Your script should start by ensuring you are speaking to the person with the money, authority and need to purchase (otherwise known as the M.A.N).
Once you have established you are speaking to the right person, you can then introduce yourself and your company, before moving onto an “Interest Arouser”. An “Interest Arouser” should grab the attention of the prospect and highlight to them why they need the product or service you are selling.
The next stage is to conduct a “Need Find”. A “Need Find” enables you to get more information about your prospect, so you can make sure you are making the best product recommendation for them based on their specific needs.
If everything has been going well up to this stage, you should feel confident in then asking for the appointment."
How many appointments, leads or sales should you expect to generate?
Terri: "Every business is different, but I would suggest that if you are managing around 1.5 days of telemarketing each week you should aim to make around 10 appointments and convert 50% of them into actual sales."
How should you keep track of your success?
Terri: "A simple spreadsheet will do for most small businesses. You should track your calls, appointments, presentations and sales each week to identify what kind of conversion you are achieving.
Once you know your conversion rates you can try to improve them and you will also have a better idea for forecasting how many calls you need to make to hit your sales targets."
What if you don’t have time for telemarketing regularly?
Terri: "If you regularly find it difficult to set aside time for telemarketing, you should consider employing the services of a specialist telemarketing agency to do the work on your behalf. With the right background, training and preparation, quality telemarketing agents can act as members of your own sales team."
Is it worth sending a direct mail letter before you telemarket?
Terri: "I would always recommend sending a letter first to your prospect list. You can reference the letter in your call and this helps to make it slightly warmer – so it’s not a completely cold call."
Do you have any other telemarketing hints or tips you can suggest?
Terri: "When speaking on the phone you must use your tone of voice effectively so you don’t end up sounding like a robot or uninterested in what you are saying. Make sure you use pauses effectively to emphasise important points and enable the prospect to take in what you are saying.
You should also always refer to your prospect by name to give a personal touch to your calls."
