Telemarketing Software Featured Article

Telemarketing is alive and well. But to make it work, you have to do it right.

That’s the message from Genie Parker in her recent VanillaSoft blog. Yet, despite this reality, she says there are many naysayers who suggest the opposite “with little evidence to back their claims.”

Some folks these days see email, LinkedIn Groups, and Twitter (News - Alert) as replacements for phone-based selling. But these methods have significant limitations when used as stand-alone sales strategies, says Parker.

The average open rate for emails is only about 20 percent, she notes. That greatly limits the audience who will even see a message. And clickthroughs, she adds, are much lower than that. Meanwhile, social media can be helpful in warming up prospects, but combining that with cold calling can help actually seal the deal with these targets.

A call can be the fastest route to getting an answer from a prospect, Parker says.

Sometimes the answer may be a no. But Parker says that can be a good thing because it can prevent a salesperson from wasting more time on that prospect.

A cold call also can be an opportunity for a salesperson to gain information from the prospect on what he or she needs to greenlight a deal. And, of course, sometimes an in-person call can result in new business.

For best results in reaching prospects, Parker suggests B2B entities make calls during business hours but not during peak times. And, she notes that salespeople need to remember to take into consideration different time zones.

Once a salesperson gets a prospect on the phone comes the moment of truth. Salespeople should know enough about prospects’ businesses and their own offerings to explain how their solutions can address their targets’ challenges.

“Learn as much as you can about your industry, including how your brand squares up against competitors,” suggests Parker. “Think about the questions that will be asked, and have your answers readily available.”