Opinions related to Telesales have changed dramatically over the decades. While some have said that telemarketing is a marketing technique of the past, it continues to produce successful results in 2023. From sketchy means of getting people's contact numbers to harassing people with pitches and schemes, the negative light that once cast its shadow on this technique has evolved drastically. Here’s what you need to know...
There is no doubt that other means of communication have become increasingly popular. Nowadays, email, social media and live chats have become primary forms of interacting with your audience for sales. Simply put, digital communication has taken over and will continue to do so. There is also the fact that people are weary of trusting unknown numbers and simply may not answer these calls.
However, there is still a market for telesales. People are increasingly weary of sharing their information, so when they do in the form of giving your business a lead, they’re likely to be open to benefiting from a solution you can provide them with. In as much as the world heads in one direction, there is always the appeal of the way things were before - like the appeal of sorting something out with a simple phone call instead of a string of emails. Hearing a human voice on the other end of the line can be more helpful and personal than trying to speak with a chatbot with limited understanding of your needs.
Telesales provides you with a direct line to your customer and much faster results than most other forms of communication with your audience. Once you have a connection with someone and the process down the sales funnel begins, keeping that connection throughout the process can aid in customers being more confident of their choice. At this point, that line of communication can be transferred from the marketing team to the sales team, who will be better equipped to assist where needed.
There are still successful businesses who rely on cold calling for sales. With that being said, inbound chats will likely increase, with phone call use continuing to decline. That means telesales should still form part of your strategy, though you need to ensure you’re conducting them well and if you do, it can provide you with fast sales. There is also value in telesales beyond the phone call itself, whether it results in a sale or not, as you can analyse the call recordings and find ways to improve from there.
An important aspect to note is that telesales do particularly well for B2B. This is because the interactions between businesses are heavily based on relationships and phone calls are a great way to foster these relations. They are an opportunity to develop an understanding with your prospective customers and with the right person in place, offer a direct and easy to understand way to convey information that can oftentimes be lost or skimmed over when said via text
Mirroring: In order to earn trust from the person you’re calling, you need to mirror their behaviour and style. When you’re talking to them, match their tone and the speed at which they speak. This will work in your favour at a subconscious level.
Naming: The one word people love to hear the most is their own name. Build a sense of familiarity by calling someone by their name when you address them and repeat it if necessary. This closes the gap between you and eliminates the possible frustrations from a strange caller.
Elimination: You are going to want to eliminate the sales aspect, as this can cut a call short quickly. Instead, work on building rapport in the first few seconds of the phone call, and then introduce the idea in a non-threatening yet persuasive way. The most important message to convey is that of value.
Respect: In order to keep someone on the line, you need to openly acknowledge that you respect their time. Do this by asking them if they have a moment to speak for a brief moment and then genuinely get to the point of the call. You’re expecting their full attention, so ensure you’re giving them yours.
Prepare: You will have this person on the line for a limited amount of time, so you need to have your facts per-planned with a script. This will help you to succinctly convey the necessary information. These should be simple and tweaked as you test what works best.
Objections: Be prepared to hear the word “no” often. There are many people who may not be interested in what you’re trying to market to them, so you need to prepare for this by having a resilient spirit and having a response ready that does not deter someone from being a potential customer in future through another marketing technique. You can also make note of common objections relating to your product or service and develop responses to these.
Close: Know exactly what you want by the end of this call - is it a courtesy call to inform them you’ll be sending through an email, booking an appointment or closing the sale over the phone?
Voicemail: If you reach voicemail, either notarise that number on a call back list, or leave a voicemail that will leave the person feeling interested. Do not expect the person to chase you, though.
Text: Consider direct messaging as a new way to conduct telesales. One of the marketing trends for 2023 is that of direct sales through messaging apps with customers. This form of communication is likely to be read at the very least and responded to if interesting and engaging enough. You can also automate this to an extent, however you’ll need to work on having quick response times for success.
It is evident that telesales are continuing to evolve in 2023. There are many successful businesses who still rely on telemarketing and companies that could benefit from it in addition to other sales techniques. With the right strategy in place, it can help grow your business but the telesales process and execution has to be correct and form a clear role in your lead generation strategy.
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