Sustainable business in telemarketing

Telemarketing is often misconstrued as a magic tool: Quickly brings the sales up, preferably by successfully placing the order.

Unfortunately, using this method the numbers often rush down as rapidly as they have risen. Why is that?

Successful telemarketing minimizes the risk of a business because it only pays for each lead generated. However, if you do not invest in sustainable telemarketing, a quickly won lead is quickly worthless. Because: In the medium and long term important information about the projects, needs, wishes and strategic planning of interested parties tend to get lost.

When is telemarketing sustainable?

Telemarketing is sustainable if interested parties are not only accompanied on a long-term basis but are also purposefully connected. For this reason, long-term effective lead management necessarily includes projects that include not only determining needs, event invitations, lead generation and appointments, but also a lead nurturing process. If prospective buyers get exactly the information they are looking for at the right time, the probability of a purchase is considerably increased.

Sustainability can only emerge on a solid foundation

The better the company knows its potential customers, the better telemarketing measures will take – so far, so obvious. However, sustainable telemarketing goes beyond just collecting information about the target audience.

The following points are crucial for success in the collaboration between customer and telemarketing provider:

Solid preparation

In project preparation, the goals of a telemarketing or sales campaign are determined together. Detailed project discussions during this phase guarantee a smooth workflow throughout the entire project.

Qualified team

• A qualified team is made up of agents who bring their own personal skills and who are simultaneously trained in topics, services and languages. Substantial specialist training can take several weeks – time that pays off later.
• Ideally, the teams are trained directly by the client.
• In the team, predominantly agents are employed who have sound experience in the respective topic and can demonstrate success.
• The agents are regularly trained in the further course of the project in order to be able to communicate at eye-to-eye level with the decision-makers of the respective branch at any time.
• Project management is 100% responsible for the project and its implementation. It acts as a communication interface between the agent team and the client.

Targeted data basis

• Cooperation with reputable address providers is a matter of course for telemarketing agencies. It is even better if their offer also includes the identification and analysis of potentials. SIGN FOR COM, for example, offers customers predefined selection criteria that can be used to make the optimum selection for a project from the stocks of various address providers.

Individual strategy

• A holistic approach can speed up processes, but it is the natural enemy of sustainability. Only individual approach concepts and integrated, use-oriented lines of argumentation lead to lasting success.
• The prerequisite for the development of a successful strategy is the in-depth knowledge of the respective market. This results in questionnaire scripts that serve clients and telemarketing providers alike as the basis for the marketing strategy.

What to do if the lead is generated?

In lead management and lead nurturing lies the art of telemarketing – because valuable won leads must not be lost. Among other things, SIGN FOR COM uses its own lead nurturing tool with which clients can use a predefined workflow to reflect the lead information directly to the agent. This keeps track of the contacts with up-to-date information up to the sales ready status. Another option offered by SIGN FOR COM is the creation of lead nurturing processes in the clients’ systems. Practical experience of the telemarketing team – for example in Sales Force – is priceless.

Valuable addition: Account Management

As a special instrument in the sense of sustainability, major telemarketing providers have not only lead management but also account management in their portfolio – SIGN FOR COM, for example, has years of experience here, especially in an international environment. Clients should consider when choosing a telemarketing agency that customer loyalty through professional approach means far less effort than acquiring new customers.

Account management on the phone is an efficient and professional alternative to familiar key account management. It is particularly suitable for manufacturers, distributors and corporate groups as well as purchasing cooperatives and trade partnerships.

How do I implement professional sustainable telemarketing?

As a member of the management of “International Business Management”, one of my tasks is to organize customer projects and to optimize success factors – so that I can guarantee our clients these advantages in the long term:

• Strengthening the image of your company through permanent presence
• Decisive competitive advantages thanks to short reaction times
• Addressing potential prospects at the right time
• Growth in the markets and securing local market proximity
• Use transnational synergies
• Agent teams at a consistent level of knowledge and performance levels
• Experienced project managers during project preparation
• Joint development of concepts for projects in the national and international environment
• Long-term expansion of business relationships with existing customers, acquisition of new customers, first- and second- level support

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Hildegard Pisoke

I have been working for SIGN FOR COM since 2003 and have been a member of the Executive Board since 2014. My tasks include the management and organization of all ongoing customer projects as well as the optimization of all factors that lead to success. My motto is “The secret of success is to never be content with being satisfied.” (Ray Conniff)