In the last 10 years or so (with the emphasis on the last few), people have gone absolutely crazy for everything digital and everything that happens online. Marketing people, sales people, even the decision-makers; everyone has been totally in love with digital and web-based.
A few years later and they are slowly beginning to realize that not everything digital is the best thing ever and also that not everything offline and traditional is bad for business.
One of the marketing tactics that is really making a big comeback is telemarketing. Good old-fashioned practice of picking up the phone and telling people about your services or products.
Why Telemarketing is Back?
There is no one reason why telemarketing is making a bona fide comeback. Instead, it is a combination of reasons, all of them making telemarketing interesting and attractive once again.
For one, marketers are pretty much disappointed by the majority of online marketing techniques. They are fun and they do show promise, but when it comes to the bottom line and actual conversions, much of them have been shown to be all but completely ineffective. Companies have started realizing that and putting more emphasis on actual results.
It should also be pointed out that with so many people doing social media marketing and SEO, it has become much more difficult to make an impact, especially if you are a newcomer to the party.
Another reason that telemarketing is making a return is that it has become more intelligent and personalized, especially in the B2B arena where it is possible to tailor the calls to specific decision-makers and where it is possible to use advanced tactics like appointment setting. Of course, as we are warned by a lead generation company from Melbourne, you need to know who to hire for these advanced tactics.
More than anything else, however, telemarketing still provides that person-to-person interaction that people are craving in an increasingly disconnected world. If done right, telemarketing can put a human face to your operation.
How to Do It Right?
Telemarketing is something that the vast majority of companies in the world will not even attempt to do themselves. It requires an entire department and plenty of people to do it the right way. Sure, smaller telemarketing campaigns can be done in-house, but for the most part, you will be outsourcing it.
Therefore, doing your telemarketing properly comes down to finding the right people.
Perhaps the easiest way to go about this is to contact someone like Globality Consulting who will have all the right contacts and put you in touch with the right people for your telemarketing needs. If you wish, you can do this yourself and if you choose to do so, there are a few things you need to consider.
For one, you will want to work with a company that has been around for a long time. Telemarketing companies pop out around the world like mushrooms after rain and you need to make sure that the people you work with will have standardized practices in place, skilled people and great management.
In addition to this, you will want to know that their past work involved businesses like yours. They will all tell you that they have worked with great success in your industry, but when you ask them for references, some of them will start evading your questions and actually providing you with references. Avoid such companies. You need someone who can prove their experience and expertise.
Of course, you will also want to be smart about getting into a contract with your new telemarketing partners. You should never sign long-term contracts that will lock you in for extended periods of time, making any adjustments very complicated and costly.
Once you find your new telemarketing partners, it is absolutely crucial that you consider it an ongoing relationship which requires your attention. Set regular dates at which you will review the services your suppliers provide. If you are not sure you are getting the service you were promised, talk to your telemarketing people and tell them that you think they are not delivering. If they are doing a good job, tell them this as well.
Closing Word
Telemarketing is back and it can do wonders for your company. In order to reap all the benefits, however, you will need to have just the right partner, so choose carefully.
Pingback: Outsourcing and Other Tricks SMBs Can Use To Get Ahead - Globality Consulting