Top 10 Telemarketing Mistakes
The Top 10 Telemarketing Mistakes
It is one of those things that most people struggle with. A difficult process that can be frustrating, can be time consuming and can be soul destroying.
The top 10 telemarketing mistakes can be avoided by using b2b experts.
This is why we suggest using experienced companies to handle cold calling; as they can normally avoid the simple telemarketing mistakes listed below.
However if to is approached properly and professionally, then it can be very fruitful and a great marketing tool.
Unless – Some Telemarketing Mistakes Are Made
None of us are perfect and we have all made telemarketing mistakes in the past when using the phone.
Here are some things to try and avoid when calling prospects (either for the first time or on a repeat call) in no specific order.
- Yawning. We have all done it. We are waiting for the recipient to answer but we feel the uncontrollable urge, then it happens, the client answers the phone. Yawning is completely natural; nothing to be ashamed of, but do try and make sure you have a good nights sleep before you start calling. Also, pick your moments, try not to do it when doing your b2b calling.
- Laughing. This is not as common as yawning, but can be something that is inappropriate. You call up a prospect, and the person that answers the phone has a very strange sounding voice/name/company name. Be prepared – you are bound to face these situations the more calling you do, but trying to remain professional could save you a call. Ignore background conversation in your office, a joke could come at a bad time.
- Not Listening. We have all been in this situation, we have been talking to someone on the phone and our mind wanders. Instead of stopping the prospect and clarifying, you just agree with them and get to the point where they ask you what you think and you are stuck. Be honest, most people are understanding (especially on a Monday morning).
- Being Overly Friendly Always always be professional. Sometimes prospects will use slang on the phone, or call you ‘mate’; do not reciprocate this – always remain professional and keep the cultural level to business.
- Swearing Sometimes people will drip feed swear words into a conversation as a matter of culture or quotation. One of the major mistakes is reciprocating this and swearing also. Swearing is unprofessional and should never ever be done – even if you are quoting. Ever.
- Waffling People are busy, they do not have all the time in the world to spare you and chat; so do not be greedy with peoples time. Introduce, comfort build, present and give a call to action. Sales cold calls should only be 2-3 minutes unless the prospect is themselves waffling. This is one of the rookie telemarketing mistakes.
- Eating & Drinking Never ever ever eat or drink while making a call/waiting for a call to connect or while there is a lull in conversation. If you are waiting for someone to answer, you may choke – and are caught out. Take 30 seconds to take a sip of water after the call – there is nothing worse that listening to someone on the phone while they are smoking/eating or drinking (people can tell, it is not going unnoticed).
- Questioning skills are an important part of the sales process. If your call is one of the first calls to a prospect, then use open questions, if you are close to closing a sale/meeting – then use closed questions. Know how to use questioning to lead conversations and listen for buying signals.
- Give A Reason For The Call When calling up a prospect, you need to give a reason for your call. You have interrupted their day, delayed them from a meeting, prevented them going to lunch – so give a reason for the call and make sure they know your call is worth giving 30 seconds of their life to.
- Call To Action At the end of the call, you must give a hook – a next step. This could be a time to meet, a time to chat again, a call to action. Do not leave the call hanging but give a chance to follow on. Always thank the person for their time – time is a valuable commodity that we will never get back, so you have taken something precious to someone – thank them for it.
Above are the top 10 telemarketing mistakes.
Cold calling is tough, it is even harder when riddled with mistakes and self caused hindrance.
If you have been chasing a prospect for months, and then finally get them on the phone – you want to ensure that you get the max out of the call.
It is always good to seek advice for cold calling; it is a skill and is hard work. Not everyone can do it and not everyone has the patience and tenacity that is needed to be good at it (and get results).
By talking to an agency you can ensure that an industry experienced professional can handle your calling and deliver quantifiable results that will result in profit.
Remember, that prices can vary, so compare quotes from a variety of agencies.
Rather than spending time on google trying to find a good agency that does not make telemarketing mistakes, just fill in the form.
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