As an organisation, The Telemarketing Company strives to make every campaign a success. And, when we say success, we generally mean generating leads, face to face meetings, telephone appointments, delegates, or whatever it is that the client has decided is our primary focus. We are always upfront and honest about the level of results we believe we can generate, so before the client signs on the dotted line, they have a good feel for the likely return. However, sometimes, a campaign does not achieve the level of success that a client hopes it will.
Tim Newman, Telemarketing Specialist
If results are not what the client expected, but they believe they have a strong product and proposition, it is often assumed that is the fault of the agency, but that‘s not really a fair or objective assessment. The good news is that a highly measurable channel such as telemarketing can, in these cases, provide clear, actionable insight into what did work, and what didn’t work. It can be invaluable for refining any future messages and helps laser-sight future marketing strategy.
A properly run telemarketing campaign can gather so much more than just leads, it can generate genuine insight and awareness. Which other marketing channel offers the opportunity of so many live conversations a week?
How do you know what customers want?
Most companies care what their customers, or prospective customers, think of them, their product, their marketing or any number of other facets of the business. Constructive customer feedback is essential to developing a market offering that will command your customers’ time, money and trust.
But, how to go about it? Focus groups, advisory bureaus? These can deliver some interesting information, that’s for sure, but can it be scaled? Does the point of view of a handful of people really speak for the general masses? Are the individuals within a focus group a genuine cross-section of your customer base?
Other companies enlist the help of existing customers to get feedback. It’s true that these people, more than anyone, are likely to know your range and your brand very well, but if they are already a customer, it is likely they already appreciate your offering.
As I said, these activities can give insight, but can it be entirely trusted?
Telemarketing generating insight
Telemarketing campaigns, even relatively short ones, will involve speaking to hundreds of people. The people we speak to aren’t just receptionists and juniors, we speak to the exact profile of decision maker for each client’s product.
However successful a campaign, there will always be a proportion of individuals who say ‘no’ to your offer. A “no” is rarely looked on as a positive outcome, and no one is trying to convince you that it’s as good as a “yes,” but a “no” is not devoid of value. As long as you are asking the right questions.
Because these decision makers are in the know and, quite possibly, experts in the area that the client works in, their opinion is gold dust. In conversation with a decision maker, we can legitimately ask them why they aren’t interested in the product.
This final question can uncover a whole host of added information that no amount of focus groups could ever reveal. Why aren’t they interested? Is there some new legislation we are not aware of that is shaking up the industry? Is a competitive company growing their presence and market share?
Any number of issues can be brought to the fore. Because we ask this question and collate the responses, you can receive a report with hundreds of opinions, not generated from conjecture, but from speaking to the exact people you are targeting.
Awareness Building through Telemarketing
Any company without a general level of awareness surrounding them will have a difficult time surviving. In fact, one of the reasons why people come to us is to build their awareness.
These days, adverts consume us. They are everywhere. People become “ad blind.” This means that even the biggest advertising campaign can only do so much. With ad-blockers on browsers and the slow death of printed material, getting your message out is cheaper than ever, but also much less effective.
An email shot can be generated for free, but the number of people who are likely to open that email will be vanishingly small.
Telemarketing is a different animal. It is direct. People are much more likely to listen to a personable human having a conversation with them. A question can be raised and answered. Objections can be overcome and rapport can be built. Because our telemarketers are experienced, they speak to people in the manner in which they would like to be spoken to, which in itself builds trust in a brand.
At the end of the call (whether it was a “yes” or a “no”) we can send out a branded and specifically tailored email to their direct email address (rather than admin@ or info@). Personally addressed emails are much more likely to be opened, especially if they come hot off the heels of a conversation.
Our bespoke telemarketing platform allows us to call data in a “smart” manner. We can focus on specific industries or levels of decision maker, adjust the message and tailor our approach to make sure that our pitch perfectly suits the audience. This ensures that the decision maker receives the information most pertinent to them. Rather than a generic message, they get a tailored introduction to the brand and the specific offering.the heels of a conversation.rt can be built. Because our telemarketers are experienced, they speak to people in the manner in which they would like to be spoken to, which in itself builds trust in a brand.
Even if a message is complicated and sensitive, a human approaching the call can deliver it with much more ease than a blanket marketing drive. Perhaps only part of the offering will be relevant to this particular decision maker, if so, the telemarketer will tailor the message according to the interests of that individual, as opposed to an email that has to fit in every facet of the message in one side of A4. This personalised experience creates a more powerful first impression of the company, and as we all know, it’s those first encounters that stick.
Additionally, a telemarketing campaign can be an incredibly effective facet of an overall marketing drive. Starting the call with “did you receive the email/leaflet we sent out?” In this way you are closing the loop, driving the customer to look at something which otherwise might have found its way into the bin.
At the end of a campaign, the data we have collected goes straight back to the client. A detailed report informs them exactly what happened with each conversation. It means that if someone said “no” in July, you can call back, long after the campaign has ended in December and say “I know you spoke to us in July and were not ready at that point…” This allows an organic and seamless relationship to be built. So, even if the answer is in the negative at the time, it might not be further down the line.
When the sales person does pick the record up to progress it, they already know what the company’s set up is, thanks to the telemarketer’s notes and the call recordings; they also know when they are likely to buy and what areas of interest they have.
So, by asking a huge collection of the right kinds of people the right kinds of questions, our clients can glean granular, actionable insight that is near on impossible to gather by any other means.
Similarly, the level of awareness that a telemarketing campaign can generate is matched by no other channel. Talking directly to the individual in the right place, sending personally addressed information and brochures, and following up in a timely fashion. This level of tailored interaction communicates your brand values and establishes your brand personality with your target audience much more effectively than an email or other channels ever could.
To summarise, even if a telemarketing campaign doesn’t perform as predicted, it can still bring home oodles of insight and awareness, which can often be priceless.