Telemarketing, marketing in which salespeople call potential customers on the phone, is the second most common direct marketing method in the United States. However, cold calling is often not appreciated by the people being called, so “Do Not Call” lists have been created in various areas.
The advantages and disadvantages of telemarketing
Although cold calling is not popular with consumers, it is still very popular with marketers, why?
Well, first of all, telemarketing is a form of direct marketing that is not only trackable in terms of positive response, but also gives you an immediate response: people will react positively or negatively when you call them and you don’t need to wait to get their feedback. reactions.
The downside is that telemarketing, and particularly cold calling, has a bad reputation among consumers who often associate it with scams and illegal pyramid schemes. This means that people are often predisposed to give a negative response when contacted by phone.
How to use telemarketing effectively
If you are going to use telemarketing to promote your business or products, it is important to do it correctly if you want to get the best results.
An excellent method when it comes to telemarketing is to do it in at least two calls: the first call to assess the needs of potential customers and how your product might help meet these needs (but no sales), and then the second or subsequent call. to actually sell the product based on consumer needs.
You should also carefully consider where you are getting your telemarketing leads from. Try to get as specific a list as possible and not just all the names in the phone book. The more specific you can get with your lists, the better the response.
Telemarketing is a form of marketing that can get you immediate responses, whether positive or negative. Unfortunately, many people are already predisposed to giving negative responses to cold calls, so it’s important to telemarket the right way to get as many positive responses as possible.