Telemarketing has a somewhat tarnished reputation, very often (but not always), this is unfairly apportioned and so we would like to stand up for telemarketing and set the record straight. There are many myths regarding telemarketing which we frequently hear and because of a few bad apples or perhaps naivety and lack of experience, telemarketing has got itself a bad name.
So, here's the reality as we, a genuine, regulated and honest telemarketing agency, see it:
Myth 1. Telemarketing is unsolicited and unwanted
It’s not true that telemarketing simply consists of unsolicited calls at unsociable hours. Done right, telemarketing targets the right contacts, at the right time and is key to marketing success. Thorough target market research and well-designed campaign strategy means that telemarketers can speak to the right people, at the right time to warm up leads ready to be passed on to internal sales teams. Credible agencies do the research and only call people that are legitimately interested in their product or service.
Myth 2. Telemarketing is nuisance calls by pushy salespeople
This old-fashioned view of pushy salespeople bothering customers at home is ancient. We are not saying it doesn’t happen, but we are saying if it does, then telemarketing is being conducted inappropriately. As mentioned in myth 1, legitimate telemarking companies only target people with a legitimate requirement or interest. What is more, legitimate telemarketing companies are governed by regulations and legislation such as The Data Protection Act, GDPR and CTPS and will adhere religiously to these.
Myth 3. Telemarketing is old hat
We know digital marketing is ubiquitous. Yes, it has become the backbone of most marketing strategies, but you should not underestimate the value of the human touch! We recommend telemarketing as a standalone product but see even more value when used as part of a multi-touch marketing approach. Used to increase brand awareness, undertake market research, launch new products, convert prospects into customers or support existing marketing activity, telemarketing is a worth maintaining as part of your marketing strategy.
Myth 4. Telesales and telemarketing are the same thing
This is a common misconception. When conducting telemarketing one is acting as a broker between a vendor/manufacturer/retailer and their prospects/clients. Activity involves information sharing, education, appointment setting, lead generation, database building/cleaning, market research, profiling and much more. Telemarketers do not sell, they inform and educate, creating demand which is then down to the salespeople to turn into sales!
Myth 5. Only low-value products benefit from telemarketing
Products of any value can benefit from telemarketing. When used as part of a cleverly devised multi-touch marketing strategy, telemarketing can generate multi-million-pound opportunities. In fact, in B2B marketing, telemarketing has been known to return £11 for every £1 spent; that’s an extremely healthy ROI. Furthermore, used on high value product campaigns, telemarketing allows you to immediately convey product features and benefits and overcome objections, thus enabling easy objection handling.
Myth 6. Telemarketing call centres are based abroad
OK, this is sometimes true, but not always! CPB’s agents are based in Banbury and deal solely with the UK market. Calling us means you speak to someone in the UK who is an expert on the type of technology we help to market.
Myth 7. Telemarketing is easy, you just read off a script!
Again, some telemarketers use scripts, which can make things straightforward – to a point – but we believe this should be avoided. At CPB our telemarketing agents are trained and accredited by the companies we work for, meaning they become experts and brand ambassadors in the technology. When using a script, it’s easy to miss subtle nuances in conversation and fail to properly get under the skin of the prospect. Furthermore, it’s vital to understand pain points and challenges to be able to provide solutions and working off a script makes this virtually impossible. An unscripted approach facilitates a natural flow of conversation, allowing telemarketing agents to build rapport with prospects in an informal manner, which supports future relationship building. This requires a great deal of skill and is just one reason CPB’s clients come back to us repeatedly for additional telemarketing campaigns.
So, there we have it, good telemarketing can have a huge impact on every stage of the customer journey. From initial contact, increasing brand awareness, or converting prospects into customers. To see how, try it yourself with a telemarketing campaign delivered by CPB UK Ltd.
We hope we have debunked some myths about telemarketing. But if you have more questions, get in touch and we’ll answer those as well as suggest solutions to your next marketing challenge.
