A seasoned telemarketing executive well-acquainted to the job will agree to the statement that there is nothing more valuable than the on-floor experience of making a number of calls to prospective customers. It is only through regular interaction with the prospects, leads and customers that telemarketers discover their own unique style. But, whether it is a veteran professional or an absolute fresher, there are some vital modules that every telemarketing executive must go through. Some of them have been listed below:
The art of pausing for effect
There are times when we get into a habit of speaking too fast and unconsciously add additional words or noises in order to get that bit of extra time needed for our brain to catch up about a particular problem.
To get rid of this habit, it is recommended to simply take a pause for a moment or two. This will create a couple of astounding effects. The first advantage is that the annoying habit of making a noise or using a repeated word would be taken out of the picture. Secondly, taking a pause will create a moment where the very impact of our next statement will be enhanced.
Going through a gatekeeper
Every telemarketing executive will second to the fact that getting past the ‘gatekeeper’ is quite a challenging task. There are several potent techniques that can work wonders time and time again. There are times when a telemarketing services executive asks to talk to the decision-maker and has to go through a resounding ‘no’ at the very initial stage.
However, the gatekeepers like receptionists and PAs are simply doing what they are being asked to do, and they are quite good at it too. Thus, it becomes all the more important for telemarketers to take this in their stride and take their willingness to serve and use it to their advantage. The key lies in not making a request to speak to somebody; instead it is recommended to change the request to a statement or a command.
Creating a powerful opening hook
When we talk of telemarketing services, the idea of a ‘sales hook’ is that the very first opening line would intrigue them and will make them want to know more about our product/service rather than trying to get the telemarketing executive off the phone. The three vital ingredients of an effective sales hook have been mentioned below:
- It is important to keep the statement under 50 words
- Having a powerful USP is pivotal to long-term success
- It is recommended to end with a question.
To quote an example, ‘My name is XYZ and I’m calling on behalf of ABC Ltd. We ensure to deliver you the best-in-class services and in over 85% of the cases, we have been able to reduce the costs by almost 40%. Who are you working with at the moment?’
Using open questions holds the key
Executives working towards delivering potent telemarketing services understand the significance of strong open questions in a ‘pitch’ as it will ensure a decent interaction with a decision-maker. This will help them in extracting crucial information that can be used to take the conversation in the forward direction. It is important to note that an open question cannot be answered with a simple yes/no and the decision-maker will be required to think more and come up with a more meaningful answer.
A decent telemarketing call will at least have 4 to 5 open questions that will be extremely useful in giving a direction to the conversation. Some of the examples have been listed as under:
- What is our annual budget for this?
- How much time do we invest for this on a weekly basis?
- What is the payout in the current scenario?
- What can be done without the time and budget constraints?
In the best telemarketing services industry, it is imperative listen to the actual answer and special emphasis need to be laid on the tone of voice too.