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What makes a good Telemarketer?

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Posted by Your Guide on November 16, 2005 1:54 PM

Nearly everyone has had an experience with a very bad telemarketer, but good telemarketers are often forgotten. Consequently, telemarketing is a much-maligned profession; however, it is not an impossible one. If you are managing telemarketers, try to cultivate some of the following characteristics in your telemarketers:


  • Courteousness: It seems obvious to be courteous, but many telemarketers are excessively rude and hostile. Telemarketing is a form of customer service, so it is important to treat the person on the other end of the telephone as a customer; leave the consumer with the impression that you are smiling at them.
  • Knowledgeable: Interested customers will usually ask questions about the product you are selling, so be ready with answers. If you are doing research or seeking consumer feedback, demonstrate your knowledge by explaining the purpose of the research.
  • Resiliency: Even the best telemarketers are told ‘no’ and hung up on far more often than they hear a ‘yes.’ When people reject a telemarketer, they are rejecting the call, not the person making the call.
  • Believable: Even if you are reading off a script, don’t sound as if you are reading off the script. If you are not interested in the product, most of the people you call won’t be either. If you are a manager, take time to explain to your telemarketers the value of what they are doing—whether it is important research or a product that will truly help someone.

Finally, telemarketers need to learn how to be good salesmen and saleswomen. This is a broad topic, but as a first step, guard against either saying too much or not saying enough. When a person politely declines the offer, don’t keep talking with one offer after another until they hang up on you. On the other hand, get to the point quickly, and pay people the courtesy of telling them upfront the reason for your call.



Next Page: What is the Do Not Call Registry and does it make Telemarketing worthless?

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