How to be the best telemarketer
The role of a telemarketer is to sell a product or service over a telephone call. These sales agents only have a few seconds to convince a potential client to remain on the line, therefore it is important for them to evolve a strong set of sales skills. The most successful telemarketers are those who truly know their products and hold the ability to answer detailed and complex questions about them.
Get to know each client
If you have access to a customer database, then make good use of it and pull up your customer’s profile prior to calling them.This will give you access to their call history, service requests or any previous complaints, ultimately preparing you for what to expect on the call. It should also include some general demographic or contact information, meaning that you will never be completely clueless as to who might pick up the other end of the call. This sort of prior preparation allows you to get to know your customer better and therefore enables you to anticipate some of their needs and preferences.
Use open-ended questions
It is far easier for a customer to hang up on a telemarketer if they feel no connection to them whatsoever. Instead you should go out of your way to make clients feel valued by asking them questions about their personal customer experiences and choices. If they have purchased a product or subscribed to a service from your company in the past ask them how it has worked for them. By avoiding simple “yes” or “no” questions, the conversation keeps flowing and a more casual phone call can be maintained.
Maintain a friendly tone
Whilst it may seem a bizarre concept as the client can’t actually see you, telemarketers who smile when they are on the phone to customers sound far more approachable. This simple act of smiling translates over the phone and can be heard in the agent’s voice when they are talking to clients. A good telemarketer should aim to use the same kind of tone they would use with a friendly coworker, and include words and phrases which convey positive messages to the customer, such as “perfect”, “amazing” and “that’s great’.
Treat gatekeepers with respect
If you are calling executives or other professionals, it is highly likely that you’ll first reach their assistant or secretary. Instead of seeing these individuals as an obstacle, use them as an opportunity to demonstrate your professional character and cordiality. Have an abbreviated version of your script to go through with the gatekeeper, giving them a brief overview of the purpose of your calling and letting them know how they may be able to help. Doing small things such as asking them for a good time to call back, as opposed to just telling them a time you’re going to call back lets them know you value their time and judgement.
Don’t take things personally
There will inevitably be times when you come across a client who is rude or frustrated. On occasions like this it is vital that telemarketers remind themselves that they are unlikely to be the cause of their emotions. Customers are people just like you, they have bad days like anyone else. Perhaps you called at an inconvenient time or caught them in a bad mood – these things are out of your control. Call agents should have the ability to brush incidences like this off and move on from calls the second they end, starting the next call with a fresh attitude.