Telemarketing has long been a valuable tactic for increasing sales. This time-honored method is also useful for a broad range of applications, including identifying target audiences and conducting research. Not all telemarketing services are the same, nor are those service providers that offer telemarketing to clients. The leading telemarketing providers are equipped to deliver incredible results, boosting sales and reaching a steady stream of new customers. By approaching telemarketing as a strategic, fully-integrated process, the end result is a system that creates relationships while improving overall credibility of a given business. There are four priorities to be aware of in leveraging telemarketing services; each of these serves as a part of the complete process.
Primary Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Surveys
Identifying and understanding a target audience is a critical part of the sales process. Telemarketing service providers engage in two forms of research to help clients gauge the interests and desires of potential customers, and typically use surveys as a tool to achieve this understanding. The first research method is quantitative surveying, which focuses on collecting facts in the form of statistical data. Data collected through quantitative surveys give businesses general conclusions about their target audience, such as demographic details, regional preferences, and generalized interest in a given topic.
Qualitative surveying, the other research method, delves deeper into the topic, illuminating specific motivations and attitudes. This form of survey brings a greater understanding of a target audience through impressions and opinions rather than cold facts, allowing sales tactics to be modified to suit the particular needs and desires of that audience. Together, quantitative and qualitative surveys can be a vital part of the overall sales picture.
Pre- and Post-Event Calls
Many businesses take part in events such as conferences, trade shows, and seminars as a way of making personal connections with potential customers. Telemarketers know the importance of these events, but participating in the event is only the first part of the process. Pre-event calls define objectives before the event takes place, allowing for a tailored approach to the presentation and execution of the event. Post-event calls gauge the responses of event attendees, which can be valuable not only for future events, but also to further enhance the relationships made during the event itself. Finally, post-event calls offer valuable feedback in the form of concrete data, which can then be used to communicate with customers more effectively.
Audience Acquisition, Exhibit Sales, and Sponsorship Sales
Telemarketing works to reach out to new audiences. This process of audience acquisition is made possible by thorough market and demographic research. This isn’t the only benefit of high-quality telemarketing service providers, however. Exhibit and sponsorship sales are often overlooked by in-house sales teams, but should be seen as an important part of the sales process. These two potential sales streams reach new customers through personal interaction and the ability to demonstrate the benefits of a given product or service first-hand. Sponsorship sales, in particular, can be useful in penetrating new markets and audience pools by attracting key solutions providers to events like trade shows and seminars.
Cross-Sell Strategies
Cross-selling is a proven tactic for adding value to a sales interaction. This method offers products and services that complement and enhance one another, in effect multiplying sales. The leading telemarketing service providers are adept at cross-sell strategies, leveraging their industry experience and the ability to gauge customer desires into a system that produces significant returns on investment. Sometimes overlooked by sales teams, these strategies can create new opportunities for a company and have the potential to improve relationships between a company and its customers.
