A Telemarketer's Guide to Customer Likes and Dislikes
By
VendorSeek
Business-to-business telemarketing is not very much estranged from business-to-customer telemarketing. There is a stigma affixed to the industry, yet people covet information and opportunity that interests them. As long as that remains a truth, telemarketers will exist.
While telemarketers may remain a necessity, it is still helpful to know what are the likes and dislikes of those who receive the telemarketing calls. So, what habits should telemarketers employ, and what should they stray from?
Consider the following:
What they do not want
- If you are telemarketing, they do not want to know it. People not of the industry have a negative association to the word. They do not want to be contacted by a ‘telemarketer’ even if it is in their best interest to hear what they have to say.
- People do not want to hear how excited they should be about a product or service, or want to be approached in a sales-like fashion. They have too much experience and have had too many bad experiences.
- They do not want to hear how great your business is and how many awards you have been granted.
- People appreciate when others can get straight to the point, but they do not want to feel as if they are being used. For instance, thanking them for their participation in an online survey and then pitching them or asking them about making a purchase will not go over well.
- They don’t want to hear the word, ‘just.’ As in “I just need a couple minutes of your time….” Customers are smarter than that; they know there is more beyond the ‘just.’
- Customers do not want to be asked a plethora of questions in order to fill in your spaces on their profile. The conversation gets to be both boring and annoying.
- Customers do not want to update several representatives from the same company. If they took the time to supply information once, they will be perturbed to hear from a representative that makes them go backwards rather than forwards.
- Cold calling is not the most beloved job for a telemarketer, and it is even more hated by those receiving the calls. If you are going to cold call, at least have a remote reason for the call rather than calling based on demographic research, history, etc.
What they do like
- Immediately make the receiver aware of the advantage of receiving your call. Be forthright and sincere. They will appreciate your honesty.
- Be aware of the time of day of your call. Calling early, at dinner, and late will annoy most of the population. Choose your timing wisely. A failsafe tactic is to ask the receiver if it is a good time to talk.
- Do not employ circumspection or obfuscate your reasoning for the call. Let them know the information you have, and state why you think they would be a good candidate for hearing what you have to say.
- You cannot sell anything effectively without first gathering information. Be a listener before you are a teller. Learn of the recipient’s situation, match their information against that of your goods and services, and then inform the customer of a solution you have to offer.
- People want to buy products and services that will benefit them. Listen to the recipient, and then personalize the benefits ranging from most specific to most general. People don’t want to buy your product because it “is the best in its class,” they want to hear why ‘they’ need it.
- Use a call to action for the recipient. If they are interested, they will want to know how to take the next step. Do not push the recipient into making an immediate decision; it is better to show them ‘the door.’
- This ties closely with the preceding insight. Know when to throw in the cards. Unfortunately, you will not always be able to make a sale. There is always the next call; do not be overly aggressive.
- Treat the caller as a person not a prospect. Yes, you do want to make the sale, but never forget to treat the caller with the respect they deserve. No one wants to feel like a means to an end. If they are possibly spending their hard-earned money, then they want to be treated accordingly.
- Do what you say you will do and be who you say you are. If you are going to follow up with the recipient, then do it. Follow through when you make a commitment to the recipient. You are a reflection on your business, as well as your goods and products.
- Make it about them and not about you. They will spend their money if they believe it is worth it. That is why you must spend most of the time listening to their needs and addressing them in accordance with serving them and not selling them.
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