Call Centers. Telemarketing. Purchasing Advice.

Choosing the Right Telemarketing Vendor

Before you meet with a single vendor, check out the top 10 reasons businesses use telemarketing services. It will give you a general idea of what to look for when reviewing options with service professionals.

Top 10 reasons to consider telemarketing

1. Adjust to seasonal changes. For slow business periods, you can amp up the number telemarketers you need to stimulate business. When things get busy, make sure the assigned telemarketers can handle the volume.
2. Save time. Telemarketers set up your appointments while you spend time talking with interested parties.
3. Results are instant. If a customer signs on over the phone or agrees to an appointment in the near future, it opens the doors for new business opportunities.

4. Focus on growing your business. When you don’t have to spend time gauging a customer’s interest in your products and services, you can concentrate on more productive activities.
5. Offers personal communication. Speaking with clients over the phone is a proven tactic over sending informal emails or information packets that may not answer all questions.
6. Instant staffing. With as few (or as many) telemarketers as you need, you can call as many prospects as possible in a single day.
7. Effective follow-up. Telemarketing allows you to keep in touch with existing customers and provide them with special offers that entice them to come back.
8. No technology investment. Since most outsourced telemarketing firms will do the work from a dedicated call center, you don’t need to spend money on special equipment or software. The telemarketing firm has that covered already!
9. Effective testing avenue. Telemarketing provides your business with more bandwidth to try new, unproven programs before launching it throughout your company.
10. Provides a greater business focus. With a variety of outsourced telemarketing firms out there, you can pick one that works exclusively in your industry.

No business campaign is problem-free. Just make sure you measure the good with the bad by considering some of the downsides to the industry.

• Businesses are still very wary of telemarketers, even if it can benefit their business. More often than not, it has to do with the great number of scams and shady companies out there that prevent a lot of companies from taking it seriously.
• One of the better sources for new business leads is a quality telemarketing list. A reputable broker can set you up with a focused list of businesses interested in the products and services you offer. However, there are a lot of junk lists out there that cause you to waste money. Look for companies that stand behind their lists to keep them fresh and relevant.
  
• It may sound clichéd, but Rome really wasn’t built in a day. Telemarketing is often a trial and error process so be prepared to try multiple campaigns before one bears fruit.
  
• Telemarketers can help your business, but they can’t do everything for you. You will still need staffers or outside help to handle fulfillment, customer service, and support.

Selecting the appropriate vendor

It's important to look for telemarketing firms with significant experience. They may charge more, but for good reason: they bring a lengthy history of doing telemarketing for all types of businesses. Experienced telemarketers can also suggest what has worked best previous clients.
You need to make sure your telemarketing project is a worthy investment, so find out if the vendor provides detailed, accurate reporting to see how the agents perform. Before you meet with vendors (and you will meet with several to make sure you get the best services at the right price), figure out what details you want tracked (sales and revenue, time spent on the phone, calls per hour, etc.)

Whether you use an internal list or you rent a list from a broker, make sure it includes a large number of solid prospects. Not only will a larger list provide you with strength in numbers, it also provides an opportunity to hone in on specific characteristics you’re looking for in a prospective new customer.Remember that the telemarketing company works for you. Make sure to set the process for the calls. Some telemarketers may have a different methodology than you are used to. That may be fine for a specific campaign, but make sure the agents hit specific points you are looking for with each call that they make.

Ask to listen in on telemarketers’ calls to customers. No, it’s not invasion of privacy. You want to make sure the reps are relaying information properly in their communication. This also gives you the opportunity to suggest improvements if necessary.