Sales are harder to come by in a recession, but that should not be a cue for companies to cut back on their sales efforts. There is still business to be had, even in an economic downturn, but it must be earned by sales initiatives that work a little smarter than usual. In telemarketing terms, smarter translates to better targeting.

Better targeting of telemarketing calls may be a necessity rather than an option. Under normal circumstances, selling is thought of as the engine of growth. In a downturn though, companies are likely to see more attrition than ever, as clients downsize their spending plans, lose their jobs, or even go out of business. Since business lost due to adverse economic circumstances generally cannot be saved, the only answer is to replace that business. In other words, selling may no longer be the engine of growth, but instead simply the means of survival.

This is why cutting telemarketing sales and other marketing efforts during a downturn is a mistake. It essentially means giving up on replacing business lost, and condemning the company to a downward spiral. Here are four ways to combat this downward spiral through better targeting of telemarketing sales:

1. Targeting higher credit scores: The environment is radically different from just a couple years ago. Issuers of credit have tightened their standards considerably. With a weak job market, many people who were running high debt balances now find themselves over-extended. Rather than see leads and sales fall through because the potential buyer cannot get credit, it is better to clear this hurdle on the front end by targeting prospects according to credit score.
2. Choosing stronger geographic areas: Some municipalities have been harder hit by the recession than others. Some are former boomtowns, like Las Vegas and Atlanta. Others, like Detroit, have seen critical industries fall upon hard times. These areas are likely to much more barren telemarketing targets than areas which, if not necessarily thriving, are at least not suffering from the downturn more than average.
3. Making money saving proposals: All telemarketing pitches should be couched in terms of opportunities to save money, since this is a foremost concern of many households right now. This can include special discounts, cheaper alternatives to current products and services, or improvements such as better energy efficiency that will save money in the long run.
4. Using smart targeting of repeat customers: Customers who have done business with a company in the past clear two crucial hurdles right off the bat: They are known users of the product or service, and they have proven willing to accept the companys particular value proposition. The more data that can be collected on customers, the more precise this targeting can be. Telemarketing calls can be made to coincide with normal replacement cycles, for example, or additional family members who could use the product or service could be identified. andNumber 160;

All of the above combine telemarketing calls with smart use of customer or prospect data. Companies that do not have the data or the tools to refine their targeted lists may find that this is one of the areas in which outsourcing telemarketing services can help.

Sources

AM Online

AJC.com