Will telemarketing work for my business?

This is a question we’re often asked…and like lots of important questions, the real answer is – it depends.

It’s true that the best approach is generally a combination of marketing channels. But often, budget dictates that we can either do one option well, or a few poorly – so we have to choose.

Telemarketing is a hugely effective way of connecting with your ideal clients. It’s also one of the only marketing channels that gives you a high degree of control at the point of delivery. Not only can influence the prospect’s reactions by your choice of words, but you can pro-actively tailor your message and approach as the conversation progresses. Telemarketing is also one of the few marketing channels where you can get immediate feedback. The prospect will often let you know whether they like what you are saying or not, and you generally know at the end of the call whether your prospect is interested!

However – it’s also one of the most labour intensive methods, requiring an actual person to sit with an actual phone, having actual conversations – which takes time (and therefore money).

On the one hand it’s easy to measure the success of a telemarketing campaign (you make xx number of calls, speak to xx number of prospects, make xx number of appointments, resulting in £xxx of closed business). However, telemarketing is also uniquely sensitive to human foibles and the expertise of the person delivering it. What kind of mood is the caller or prospect in? Did we give the same message in the same way on each call? Did we push too hard or give up too soon?

Know your numbers

So the first thing to do is look at the numbers. What is an average client worth to your business over the lifetime of that relationship? How long does it take for a cold prospect to become a client? Are we offering a low risk, transactional purchase, with a short sales cycle? (which may lend itself to a highly targeted digital campaign combined with an effective website)

Or do you have a complex offering, with a longer sales cycle that requires a high degree of relationship building, prospect education and discussion? Often this can mean you’re trying to get a foot in the door where there’s an incumbent supplier (think insurance as an example). Or perhaps you’re solving a problem clients don’t realise they have, or a problem they don’t know there’s a solution to (software development and consultancy often fall into this category). In this case then it’s absolutely essential to have a conversation with your prospects and telemarketing may offer the best solution.

At CleverVine we work across a broad range of sectors and can offer our insights as to what works in businesses/sectors similar to yours. If you’re wondering whether telemarketing will work for your business, get in touch via our website here or give us a call on 01244 569800.