Ian Titchener, Director of Telemarketing Matters, writes: A good question that I was recently asked whilst attending a Cambridge Chamber networking event, and a subject that we though worth mentioning in our latest article.
In Cambridge and the surrounding alone there are some 20 or 30 telemarketing companies, some you will hear good things about, others not so good. But what makes the good ones good and the bad ones bad? See below for a simple answer:
The Good
1.Firstly and most importantly the people. We always suggest that our new clients visit our offices and meet the team. These are the people who are going to be representing you company; wouldn’t you want to find out what they are like? Are they qualified sales people, or just career telemarketers who put quantity firmly above quality?
2.How do they charge There are generally two methods of charging for telemarketing, one being by results, the other a set daily fee. It has been the experience of our clients that the latter is by far the best arrangement. Payment by results motivates telemarketers to make appointments and leads come hell or high water, if they don’t then they don’t get paid. Of course these meetings and leads can often be a total waste of energy!
We have had conversations with many clients where this has been the case. We guarantee our clients the quality of our work by charging a set daily fee and offering quality every time.
3.Reporting Are you getting the level of reporting you desire? Does this tell you how many conversations, call and what the outcomes are? Does your provider call you if something needs auctioning immediately? Do you know on which days they are working? If you don’t have answers to these questions, then your probably using the wrong kind of provider!
4.Honesty Has your provider told you something is, or indeed is not working? Or are they sending you lots of pointless and vague call notes?
5.Robot Telemarketing Person Do they use a script? If they do, they have not taken the time to understand you or your product/service. We spend a full day and sometimes more to fully understand our clients’ needs and services. We do not charge for this, as we see it as part of our obligation to provide a true quality service.
The Bad
Simple, anything that deviates too far from the above practices!
Which telemarketing provider you use is a personal choice, and different providers may suit your business. However one things rings true, quality is ALWAYS better than quantity.
______________________________________________