Why Telemarketing Still Works

While telemarketing has gotten more difficult over the years, it is by no means outdated.

By Liz Lemarchand, MediaDev

A lot of people think that telemarketing is dead. They believe that prospects have been called too much, are over-solicited, and don’t respond to calls anymore.

While telemarketing as a tactic certainly has gotten more difficult over the years, it is by no means dead. It just needs to be done in the right way and by the right people in order to be effective. Here are our reasons why telemarketing still works and how to best leverage outbound calls for sales and marketing success:

Quality callers mean quality calls

​Have you ever received a call from a telemarketer who insisted on reading his script word for word? There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re speaking to a robot on the other end of the line. When callers can engage in high-level discussions naturally, they are better able to grab the attention of the decision-maker they’re speaking to. 

Engage prospects in a peer-to-peer discussion

By having natural flowing interaction with a prospect, a telemarketer can establish trust. When a prospect believes he is being called by a peer, he is more likely to talk about his needs and give out valuable information. 

 Speak clearly and get straight to the point

No-one likes a mumbler. If a prospect cannot understand a telemarketer straight off the bat, he will hang up. A clear and to-the-point pitch will help grab your prospect’s attention and get your message across in the first 10 seconds of the call. 

Know your stuff

When a telemarketer masters his subject matter, he is more legitimate and can more easily converse with high-level contacts.  Knowing the in's and out's of your topic is key to being able to respond to questions, rebound and counter-argue so as to keep the conversation going.

Stand-out from the crowd

Breaking the ice within the first few seconds of the call can help create rapport with a prospect. It puts you on equal standing ground, gets their attention, and sets the tone of the call. Creating attention grabbers will set you apart from all the other telemarketing companies that are out there vying for the same prospect’s time.

Speak your prospect’s language

Local native language coverage is key in order to establish a relationship with decision-makers. Trying to target everyone in English doesn’t work and will only frustrate prospects further.

Make sure you’re calling the right people

Nothing’s worse for a caller than dialing a prospect that left the company five years ago, and getting stuck with a gatekeeper barrier. Having clean data ensures that you are calling the right prospects susceptible of being interested in what you have to say.