Most probably couldn’t tell you the difference between telesales and telemarketing. Telesales is the older and more used of the two. And usually the one people say they can’t stand!
Busy Directors hate receiving them, and generally speaking your sales team hate making them!!
BUT WHAT ABOUT TELEMARKETING, AND WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
Both are forms of telephone communication. But really, they are two independent techniques and can be defined in the following simple terms;
Telesales
An assertive telephone service where the end goal is to sell your product or service directly to the customer. Prospect’s would typically stay with you for the entire buying process before making a purchase or dropping off the prospect list.
Telemarketing
An assertive but investigative telephone service to gather market intelligence, build brand awareness and rapport. This is used as a means of nurturing potential leads into a long term sales pipeline. The end goal is typically to set appointments and gain RFQ’s (request for quotes) – not sell directly or. However, some follow up activity may be required.
It is important to note that when we refer to a ‘telesales call’ – that doesn’t necessarily have to mean a dreaded cold call or a hard sell, even if the end objective is to take an order over the phone for a product or service. Like telemarketing, telesales is about listening to the prospect, building rapport through engaging conversation, and most importantly, it is all about timing.
Combining your telesales/ telemarketing efforts with other marketing channels will also warm up the call before you make it. You will have far more success if your prospect knows who you are and what you do before you even speak to them.
It is also essential to have the support of a CRM to generate quality leads. Gathering and understanding market intelligence such as trends and buyer habits adds value. It will help ensure a consistent flow of work as well as helping companies to anticipate busy spells and implement processes to reduce any lull periods.
If you think your business could benefit from telemarketing or telesales…or both…then get in touch.
Even if you have an internal sales team, Momentum Partnership can relieve them of their telemarketing/telesales duties so they can focus on attending appointments and closing the sale. It can be a cost effective way of boosting your lead generation and sales conversion success.