telemarketing faq's
Some agencies specialise in either inbound or outbound telemarketing, others offer both. what is the difference, and what is your area of expertise at brittain marketing?
Inbound calling = reactive, outbound calling = proactive.
At brittain our expertise lies with outbound telemarketing, usually delivered as part of an integrated campaign.
Can telemarketing replace my sales force?
Our telemarketing is designed to be an extension, rather than replacement, of your sales or marketing team. Telemarketing's role is to identify opportunities, build relationships and create the right appointment with the correct level of decision maker. A successful telemarketing campaign relies on a dedicated and coordinated approach and will encompass a high level of questioning, active listening and an articulated response to secure appointments that meet your criteria.
When should telemarketing be used?
The main reason for selecting telemarketing is to secure new business growth. Telemarketing is a specialist approach that ensures a tangible return on investment and can provide a competitive edge within your market sector. Amongst other objectives, telemarketing can be used for product launches, increasing market share, market penetration and increasing seminar/exhibition attendance.
How soon can I expect to see results?
The answer to this question varies and is dependant on the objectives of the campaign. At brittain marketing, each campaign executive is responsible for managing their lead pipeline. This means managing a database effectively to ensure your prospect customers are contacted at the optimum time for an appointment to be made. The complexity of the product or service, level of saturation in the market place and awareness of your company/brand can have a significant impact on the success rate of a campaign. Results are also affected by the procurement process and as such contract driven campaigns vary to switch sale opportunities.
What are some common set backs that may affect a campaign?
There are a number of barriers faced during the course of a campaign. These include the widespread use of voicemail and email, and the implementation of 'No Names Policies' in many organisations. Also, we do encounter the reluctance on the part of many decision makers to take unsolicited calls. Where you might often find excuses made, our highly trained campaign executives are equipped with a wide range of tools to overcome these obstacles and turn them in to opportunities.
What is your response to the call centre stereotype?
The word 'telemarketing' is sometimes associated with the negative concepts of cold calling, scripted conversations, and robotic call centre operatives. As a people-focused organisation, our success is founded in our ability to build relationships with your prospects through intelligent conversations. Two way communication between the team at brittain and the client is essential in facilitating this.
Do you have experience in my industry sector?
We have experience across a wide range of industry sectors. This provides our executives with extensive understanding of a variety of techniques that can be used in different circumstances. We believe these skills are transferable. New clients are encouraged to meet with the team on-site to conduct product training and ensure a full understanding.
How do you measure success?
When it comes to measuring the impact of any marketing campaign, most senior management will conclude that the proof of a campaign’s success is in the bottom line. This holds truth with every telemarketing campaign we run at brittain marketing, ensuring a continuous ROI for clients is achieved.
Our efforts in the outset of any new campaign will concentrate on the pre-defined criteria which will help formulate a profile of your “ideal prospect”. Utilising this pre-qualification stage, we can assess and identify opportunities in the market that hold a pre agreed value, which in turn, will pay for our services and provide a profitable return on investment.
There are also many other behavioural indicators of marketing success, such as an increase of inbound inquiries, a greater receptiveness for integrated e-marketing campaigns and a boost in website traffic . These indicators demonstrate the integrated marketing approach brittain employ improve not only the companies new business activities, but also strengthen the company’s brand awareness and reputation.
Can we target more than one industry sector?
Brittain can accommodate many telemarketing requirements, and as such, are able to segment a campaign to focus on a number of specific industry sectors. This enables us to provide our clients with an industry sector breakdown to display which industry sectors are most receptive to our clients’ product/service. We can gather market intelligence for each particular sector and report back the findings to aid in future sales and marketing strategies.
The information gathered incorporates procurement processes, contract renewal dates, buying motives and specific “problem areas” companies maybe experiencing with an incumbent.
Can you guarantee results?
No Telemarketing company can guarantee results – what brittain marketing can guarantee is the quality of the appointments we secure for your sales team. We conduct a strategic review and briefing meeting prior to any business-to-business activity taking place, in which time we will work closely with you to determine the qualifying criteria that is used to distinguish what is and what is not a genuine new business opportunity.
All findings and qualifying criteria are detailed in business reports for each appointment made. These reports provide an insight into the relationship we have built with the prospect thus far, and provide all market intelligence we have gathered to assist your sales team during the meeting.
If you would like to see an example of the business reports we produce for each and every appointment, please contact Aaron Mears on 0844 880 4584.
