An Introduction to Business Telemarketing

Coined in the 1970s, telemarketing refers to a salesperson with the hopes to reach new customers by calling to industry members of a desired market. In-person appointment generation, web conferencing, e-blasts, and direct mailing are all techniques used in telemarketing.

The technique of telemarketing originated from Bell System Communications’ need for a term to describe their new outbound WATS (Wide Area Telephone Service) and inbound toll-free services. These services allowed for potential customers to call and request information from Bell, all at no cost.

Telemarketing Options

Different types of telemarketing exist which can be used for sales leads and they all work toward a desired outcome. These types of telemarketing include: outbound sales, lead generations, inbound sales, fundraising, market research, and political telemarketing.

Telemarketing is most popular among charities, political parties and alumni organizations seeking donations. It can also be utilized to survey public opinion, especially concerning elections and ballot issues.

The main focus of this guide is to inform you on lead generation, outbound sales, and outbound call centers.

Telemarketing Resources

To get a list of potential customers that could benefit from your products and/or services, keep in mind your target demographic by analyzing your current customer base. Once you get a feel of the type of people you are targeting, you can give this information to the telemarketing company you are working with so they can put a list together of prospective customers for you. You also have the option of creating an internal list of sources while using your company’s existing database. Sources to keep in mind when making internal lists include:

• Purchase history (past customers/prospectus)
• Requests for information
• Competitive entry forms
• Application forms

In this buyers guide, you will learn comprehensive information about telemarketing. Important things to learn include how to choose a qualified firm, how to effectively incorporate telemarketing into your business marketing strategy, and how to gather all of the necessary resources to make for an efficient and cost-effective process.

 
| Next >>

Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,