A good company can be judged by its speed and efficiency. As a customer, you want a company with employees who are fast but still know what they are talking about. If you work as a marketer over the phone, you should know how important it is to show these characteristics. There are always ways to improve the speed at which you make successful outbound calls.
Time Your Calls
Time your calls from the beginning until the end. The moment the receiver picks up the phone, start talking and keep a clock nearby. Set a time for when you want certain parts of the conversation to end.
Create a list of topics you want to discuss and how long you want to discuss each one. It does not make sense to spend an hour talking about mobile phone providers instead of only ten minutes. There are countless mobile phone providers out there, and you cannot touch on every one. It is more efficient to set the exact times when to start and stop talking.
Schedule Appointments
Appointment setting is a vital task for any business that wants to save time. Some businesses specifically hire people just to set appointments for the week and beyond. You cannot expect many customers to show up at once and demand service. Timing your calls means knowing when to make the calls.
You cannot make calls to people who are not home because you will raise the phone bill. Similarly, you cannot make calls at times that are inconvenient to people. Know the times when the leads are best available to take your calls. Then, you and the receiver will be less agitated and more willing to have a discussion.
It may seem that appointment schedules are better used at doctors’ offices, but that is not always true. Any time you plan to do something, create a date and time. Marketers need appointments to organise their tasks because they cannot simply pick up a list of potential leads and start dialling random numbers. They could receive busy call tones, answering machines, or phones that go on ringing forever. Worst of all, the phone bill piles up quickly over time.
All serious professionals must create serious marketing plans. That means being specific about every detail of the outbound calls they make.
Come Up With Talking Points
‘Direction’ is the keyword that every good marketer should remember. A marketing plan is nothing without a direction that leads to an end goal. Without a clear direction, there is only a path without an end in sight.
You do not want to call a lead on the phone and start rambling aimlessly. You will get nowhere with the conversation, you will bore the listener, and the person will refuse to hear any more.
Most people who talk too much do not know that what they are saying is unimportant. If you are making a business call, be personal and friendly, but not too much. The most obvious point is to avoid engaging in off conversations that do not relate to the business. You do not want a friendly discussion to extend into rambling.
Also, avoid going too deep about a single topic when other topics are waiting to be discussed. In either case, you easily get off track and find it harder to stay on track. Since timing is important, you must know what to talk about and when. That involves cutting out the filler conversations that are not necessary or productive.
There are several ways to create more direction in your marketing efforts. Start by creating a list of clear talking points. List all of the topics to discuss and the order of importance. For instance, if you are calling to promote a mobile phone, start by talking about the range of prices. Most consumers base their buying decisions on their budgets, so it is most important to talk about money first. Another way to start is to ask about the phone features that interest them the most.
Dominate the Conversation
Every good telemarketer knows how to dominate the discussion. You cannot expect to save time and increase the speed of your calls by not steering the conversation along. If you let the other person do all the talking, you cannot guarantee any good results. You could sit there and listen to the other person talk for hours without getting in a few words. Then, you will not reach any of the goals that were set for that day.
It is important to listen to what the other person has to say, but step in at the right moments. Let the other person know that you are in control. Good marketers must have strong, assertive personalities that allow them to take charge. For the most part, though, you need to have knowledge about the products and services being sold.
You cannot dominate any conversation with a topic that is little known. Gain as much knowledge and expertise about the product and the lead as possible before you pick up the phone.
Remember: Time is Money
All professionals should remember the saying that time is money. If you do not time the calls properly, you will not conduct proper business. You will not achieve the daily goals that you and the employer have set. To keep doing the job and staying productive, consider the importance of managing time well.
Every business wants to be known through good marketing, regardless of its size or the industry. As a call centre agent, you help businesses in dire need of marketing services. You are trusted to make outbound marketing calls for the purpose of finding new leads and keeping old customers. With your job comes the responsibility of making sure that you are doing it right and not wasting time. Allow Message Direct to discuss the correct way to time your outbound calls. In the end, make sure you are not spending too much time on the phone or planning how to make calls without actually doing anything.
