Telemarketing Software Featured Article

The only thing more frustrating than getting telemarketing calls is making them. I know; I worked in a teleservices center one summer in college. And you have to make a whole lot of calls before you get someone on the line. And that’s not necessarily even someone who’s willing to listen to you or buy what you’re selling.

In fact, one study indicates it takes an average of 18 calls to connect with a buyer. That’s double of what such efforts used to involve, according to VanillaSoft’s Genie Parker.

So, Parker suggests, people who use the phone to reach out to customers should:

• consider time zones in deciding when to call

• send confirmations before, and follow up emails after, scheduled calls, and

• arm themselves with helpful details to use during calls.

I’ll never forget the time a former supervisor asked our administrative assistant to line up a week of appointments for her so she was ready to go when she returned from business travel. The assistant did what she was asked, but she didn’t consider the varying timezones of the clients and contacts. So my supervisor’s schedule was a mess. It was an honest mistake by a new and unexperienced employee. And it was a learning opportunity.

We can learn from it, too. Time zones are important when you do business with people outside your region. So, you need to take that into consideration in calling customers and prospects, and setting schedules with them. That can spar both of you from a poorly timed call during the customer’s dinner hour, for example.

Because people’s time tends to be at a premium, be sure to take at least a few minutes to prepare for your call. It will cost you in time but could pay off in a sale.

“You need to understand your audience well enough to know what its members might appreciate or actually need,” notes Parker. “An effective appointment setter knows the product he or she is supporting and is able to anticipate the possible needs or concerns of the call recipient.”

Appointment-setting software can go a long way in helping salespeople reach out to clients and prospect at the best time and in the most effective and efficient way, adds Parker. For more tips on better appointment setting and information on relevant software, check out her blog at this link.