Tele-Reality Often Bites...

The directive is received from above: "We're going to start a telemarketing department." The impetus may include some of the following objectives: increase sales, reduce the cost of sale, make the sales force more efficient, increase customer satisfaction, because our competition is doing it, etc. Quite often, the end result of a telephone marketing effort is visualized, while the intermediate steps are entirely void of focus, thought or direction. To make the situation even more difficult, individuals are often charged with initiating these departments who have no prior telemarketing experience.

Not surprisingly, failure is a very common occurrence. Here today and gone tomorrow, the holders of the big picture fail to recognize that a host of elements need to work in accord, and they are quick to abandon the concept when instant success is elusive.

What is the missing ingredient that will tilt the odds toward an encouraging outcome in many new projects? I believe that what's needed is a genuine understanding of the fact that all elements of the program need to be thoroughly experimented with and evaluated, in order to arrive at a winning combination. Below is an overview of several major issues that should be scrutinized and adjusted (when necessary), before settling on the format to be expanded upon.

Five Key Components

1. Direct Mail: The competition for a prospect's attention is growing more challenging by the day. You may need something that will help the prospect recognize the caller and increase the likelihood that he or she will listen. Could your product or service benefit from a letter that precedes the telephone call? What should the letter say? What should be the lag time between receipt of the letter and the follow-up call? What about another letter that is sent after the first call has occurred? Direct mail can be a phenomenal complement to a telemarketing campaign. Several strategies should be undertaken to determine the verbiage and angle that will increase the percentage of positive responses to the telephone call.

2. Lists: A good list can elevate a weak TSR and a mediocre product into profitability. A poor list can bury a great product and a superstar TSR! No amount of energy expended is excessive when it comes to researching and testing different list alternatives. The degree to which you are able to pinpoint the most likely prospects will have a tremendous impact upon the achievements of the program. Remember, your competition is probably on the phones; whomever is quicker in accurately isolating the target audience will have a decided advantage.

3. Scripting: Scripts can assume many different forms. The length may depend upon the complexity of the product and the attention span of the recipient of the call. While the product may seem self-explanatory to you, it may be perceived differently by the prospect. Several versions with varying amounts of detail should be tested. The best script will be the one that results in the highest percentage of yes's, while being as concise as possible (thus allowing the highest number of conversations). Viewed another way, a script that results in a twenty minute conversation and a closing ratio of one-in-four may be less effective than a script that requires a five-minute discussion and a closing ratio of one-in-six.

It's possible that the TSR's will be routinely interrupted at a certain point in his or her presentation. A portion will then need to be rewritten. Figuring when to pause is also vital. Pausing too early may give the prospect the opportunity to exit prematurely; waiting too long may invite daydreaming.

Is an assumptive closing technique effective? For example: "Would you prefer delivery on Tuesday or Thursday of next week?" Or does that approach result in an unacceptably high level of cancellations and returns?

If the specific purpose of the script is to send out literature to interested candidates, you could phrase a question in two distinct ways: "Would you like to receive additional information on the (product) that I've just described?" or "Would it be okay if I put some information in the mail to you?" Although these questions seem similar, they will result in a large disparity of yes's and no's.

The first question is phrased in such a way that the prospect has to actually say "Yes, I'd like to receive more information," the second one allows the prospect to escape with an "okay." The "okay" requires less emotional commitment and may be used as a means of terminating the call. The style of questioning that is appropriate for your product or service will only become apparent after both are tried and follow-up calls are made to both groups. Testing for satisfactory results is imperative!

What are the objections that the TSR's are experiencing? You need to write and explore different answers that will redirect the conversation toward the desired result. Objections are great, because they indicate interest on the part of the prospect. The primary ones need to be identified as rapidly as possible, so that the TSR's can be taught how to conquer them.

4. Type of TSR needed: There are a variety of people who earn income from communicating on the telephone, and they possess a broad spectrum of education and skill levels. It may not be immediately apparent which caliber person will be the best fit for the position. It's inefficient to have an overqualified staff, but it's worse to have one that is incapable of accomplishing the task. Don't be afraid to try several different people with divergent skill levels in order to identify the appropriate type of person.

5. Coordination with other departments: Telemarketing departments rarely work in a vacuum. They are usually designed to work in harmony with outside sales, marketing, customer service, etc. It is often assumed that this marriage will flow effortlessly, yet it is rarely the case at the beginning.

There will typically be questions that arise about responsibility, budgeting and personnel. These need to be identified and sorted out during this trial phase. Meetings should be scheduled to share information and delineate everyone's role in the process.

The fact that so many organizations in the United States and abroad are engaged in telephone marketing is a testament to the fact that it can be a very lucrative endeavor. The fact that so many companies believe that their programs are underachieving and so many others cease operation altogether invite the following conclusion: Telemarketing often appears deceivingly easy from the outside. Yet, like many other professions, there's a whole lot more to being successful than meets the eye. Just ask Michael Jordan.

Enthusiastically testing every element of a program is crucial for long term success. The greater the willingness to be flexible and fine-tune the details of the program, the stronger the likelihood that telemarketing will not be a m