Is it time to bolster your high-tech online marketing campaigns with some old-school telemarketing mojo? Find out what's involved and how to make it work for your company.
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It isn't surprising that small and medium sized businesses often overlook one of the most traditional marketing methods. Telemarketing just seems so old-fashioned, so low-tech, and so out of date compared to Internet-based strategies like Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), and e-mail marketing.
It's true, telemarketing services aren't the perfect solution for every business -- but when used strategically and for the right reasons, they can drive sales, increase customer interaction, and boost overall marketing efforts. With telephone center costs currently the lowest they've been in several years, it's a great time to consider whether your business could benefit from outsourcing outbound calls or using an inbound call center.
Wondering if telemarketing could be an effective strategy for your company? Here's a quick overview of the basics.
Outbound Telemarketing
Outbound telemarketing services -- using outbound telephone calls to contact potential clients or customers -- are often viewed skeptically, especially in the age of more "high-tech" marketing strategies. Just because outbound telemarketing has been around for a while doesn't mean it can't be effective for some companies.
According to a study by MarketingSherpa, 53% of businesses contacted by a telemarketer on behalf of a technology company report adding the business to their database for consideration. And that's after receiving a cold call. And 40% of those contacted report inviting a vendor to provide more information via e-mail or a follow-up phone call.
Outbound telemarketing tends to work better for companies in specific industries, or for those that focus on business-to-business sales. Outbound telemarketing can be used for actual sales prospecting, lead generation, appointment setting, customer service surveys, sales promotions, and just about any other purpose where outgoing phone calls are necessary.
How It Works: Designing The Campaign
Outbound telemarketing campaigns can be outsourced or undertaken in-house. The objective of your campaign is important -- calls made with the purpose of setting appointments will necessarily differ from those made to make sales. Efforts comprise three main parts:
- Phone Script: The phone script is a framework for telephone service representatives (TSRs) to follow -- you can have an actual "script" or a loose outline that callers can use to steer the conversation. Phone scripts can be purchased (a typical script might cost a few hundred dollars, depending on call length) or crafted in-house.
- Phone List: The phone list provides the numbers to be called. Phone lists can be purchased from a market research firm or telemarketing company, taken from your current customer database, or obtained from other sources. For example, some businesses will verify leads generated by PPC ads with a phone call. Phone list costs range from free (self-generated lists) to hundreds of dollars for a 1,000-name list purchased from a list broker or telemarketing firm.
- Call Guidelines: How long should callers stay on the phone before obtaining certain information? Should they leave messages if a call goes to voicemail? Are TSRs allowed to transfer calls to a more knowledgeable salesperson? Call guidelines describe the practical facets of the campaign -- how many calls to make, how long they should be, when to terminate a call, and other important logistical concerns.
Outsourced telemarketing companies will either charge hourly or per call. If they charge hourly, determine the length of each call so that you can accurately predict your costs. Another important element of a telemarketing effort is tracking: given hourly or per call charges, you should be able to calculate the cost per lead (for lead generation efforts) and cost per sale (for all efforts) to determine if this marketing strategy works for your business.
Next Page: Practice Makes Perfect
