Using telemarketing for lead generation and appointment setting in order to generate new business

1. Using telemarketing for lead generation and appointment setting in order to generate new business More and more businesses are adding telemarketing into their sales cycle in order to open up new business opportunities and develop long lasting relationships with new clients. Telemarketing is the act of marketing a product or service via the telephone. Most companies, from SMEs to large enterprises, choose to outsource this service to a professional supplier. Telemarketing, not to be confused with telesales which is the act of selling over the phone as opposed to marketing a product over the phone, can be used for a range of different activities. Telemarketing can be used for lead generation, appointment setting, data cleansing, customer satisfaction surveys, information gathering, market research and many more. Most outsource suppliers offer outbound services although some do also offer an inbound service too. The results that can be generated from a telemarketing campaign depend entirely on the nature of the project being carried out and on the desired outcome of the campaign. Larger companies may want meetings with other large companies whereas a smaller company may be looking for new business by encouraging prospects to take part in a web demo. Most business owners tend to find they simply do not have time to get on the phone, make 150 calls per day and convert some of these calls into business. The reason most companies decide to outsource is down to time and cost. Setting up an in-house telemarketing team is surprisingly expensive and time consuming; running, managing and monitoring the telemarketing team is also very costly. Engaging with a professional outsource supplier is the best way to ensure that the campaign is set up and monitored effectively. Plus, all telemarketing agencies will already have everything in place to start a campaign by simply uploading the data and making the calls therefore eliminating this cost entirely. Initially, a business will have to invest some time in getting to know the partner telemarketing company as developing a strong relationship from the word go will much improve the chances of success with any campaign. The more your partner company knows and understands about your business, the better they can represent you and project a professional image of your brand that is in keeping with its ethos. Appointment setting in the competitive UK marketplace takes a significant degree of skill and knowledge; this can be found in a professional outsource company. At the end of the day, a business’s sales team is at its best when it is in front of a client closing a lead. Getting sales people in front of a client often poses a problem for businesses because sales people do not like generating leads or spending days on the phone chasing cold data trying to get a sniff of a lead. Lead generators, however, are a blessing in disguise for sales people. The lead generators perform the arduous task of contacting hundreds of decision makers trying to find someone who is interested so the sales people can attend the meeting and do what they do best – close.