As different forms of marketing emerge, many would say that some tactics won’t last. With today’s advancements in marketing and sales, it’s easy to think that more traditional forms of marketing, such as telemarketing and telesales, would be defunct; however, this is simply not true.
Almost 60% of marketing managers in Fortune 500 companies say telemarketing is “very effective.” It provides direct communication with your customer, and effective cold calling techniques can easily boost your company’s bottom line. Not convinced? Our infographic will emphasize the value of telemarketing and discuss proven telesales techniques that will help you close more sales!
Fast Facts and Stats on Telesales and Telemarketing
Telemarketing is a form of marketing done through outbound calls. Telemarketers or sales representatives connect with their prospects over the phone to try to sell a product or service.
Many companies think telemarketing has long been trumped over by new and digitized marketing strategies, such as email, digital, and social media marketing. However, telemarketing proves to be just as relevant as when it was first introduced. To visualize, it takes over eight calls for a sales representative to reach a prospect. According to Hubspot, eight touches or calls is a good number for increasing response rates, but any more wouldn’t be as effective.
In fact, the Law of Diminishing Returns states that if one factor like a call or an email is increased, but the other factors remain the same, the output (like response rate) will eventually decrease. This means that additional reaches or calls will not be more effective than eight touches. Furthermore, it’s said that around 51% of company owners state that they would rather receive a phone call from a sales rep instead of getting in touch through email, social media, and other channels. Many people prefer to be contacted through phone calls because human interaction boosts the likelihood of generating a lead.
In cold calling, you get to find out the challenges they face and what they think of your product. More people feel that phone calls establish a connection and build trust rather than just sending an email. To improve your telemarketing skills, we’ve listed a few techniques that can help boost your conversion rates.
8 Telesales Techniques That Will Boost Your Conversion Rates
1. Start by asking for permission
As the name suggests, cold calling is a kind of marketing that has no warm-up or preparation beforehand. The sales agent reaches out to potential customers who have not expressed any interest in your company, products, or services.
For this reason, it’s important to ask for permission if you can talk to them about your value proposition first so that your call won’t seem rude or uncalled for. Not everyone has the time to take a call, and pushing them to talk with you might harm your chances of getting entertained.
2. Understand and establish the value of your services
Like any other marketing or sales effort, it’s difficult to tap into prospects and persuade them to at least consider your services.
The first thing you can do to entice your prospect is introduce your company’s values, followed by your services. Most people won’t find your product a necessity unless you tell them why they need them. When you drive at your point quickly and fully understand the nitty-gritty details of your services, you can start converting faster.
3. Have a script but don’t be afraid to deviate
It might get nerve-wracking to talk to someone you don’t know and who didn’t ask to be called. However, a great technique to overcome the jitters is to prepare a spiel or a script of your talking points so that your thoughts and message won’t get lost along the way.
Remember that people will know if your spiel is canned, so try not to follow it to the tee; put your own flair to it, and use the script only as a guide. Your script should be used as a reference, so don’t let it confine you. You’ll naturally vary the wording slightly from call to call.
4. Remember to speak concisely and clearly
When you’re nervous, it can lead you to steer off your script and rush to sell what you’re offering rather than talk about it in detail and clearly.
You can try taking deep breaths before the call to calm your nerves. Try to speak at a natural speed to sound more sincere. You might be nervous, but the important thing is to introduce your company and services quickly but clearly.
5. Be prepared for rejection
Rejection is normal in sales and marketing, and sadly, sometimes, the responses can be rude. However, don’t let it upset you. If you’re able to talk about your products and services and do your best to persuade the prospect, and they still didn’t budge, that’s part of the job. Don’t dwell on the rejections. Instead, use them as a learning opportunity on how you can approach the following calls better.
When you get that big NO, don’t fret. You need a lot of patience and persistence in telemarketing, so don’t be discouraged by a few rejections.
6. Don’t be afraid to converse
Let’s say that your call goes through and your prospect is interested in what you have to offer. You have to ensure that you’re well-prepared to answer any questions or concerns that they may have for you. This is a great chance for you to expound on your products or services and to put your foot down as an expert who can provide solutions to their challenges.
7. End the call politely
Whether you get the outcome you want or not, respect should always be present. Remain respectful even if you were entertained and then dropped in the middle because your services were not a good fit for them.
Consequently, don’t exude the same tone if they outright reject your call without even hearing what you have to say. Instead, thank them for answering the call and encourage them to contact you if ever they change their minds.
8. Remember to keep practicing
No one becomes a telemarketing expert overnight, but becoming an expert in something always requires persistence, hard work, and practice. Telemarketing entails providing outbound solutions to companies through your introductions during the call, so to optimize and ensure that you properly introduce your company and address customer concerns, practice, practice, practice!
Don’t Call It Quits
Some people perceive telemarketing and telesales as irrelevant in the new digital world. However, the human aspect of a call has proven effective and continues to thrive. Try following the few techniques we’ve shared to boost your conversion rates. These proven tactics will provide a more human approach to sales and strengthen the connection between your company and prospects.
In case telemarketing isn’t one of your strong suits, utilizing outbound call center services can help you be more productive with your new and existing clients. Increase your sales and marketing rates with a pool of talented experts. Inquire more about StratAcess’ outbound services and grow your leads today!
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