Creative Uses of Telemarketing to Increase Your Business

The Telephone is the most powerful business tool you have. The question is whether you are using it to its maximum potential? It is a quick, easy and economical way to get results. Other than cold calling to increase your customer base, here are a few other ways you might consider using the telephone.

Introduce New Products

When you want to introduce a new product or service into your business, you could do a survey by phone of potential customers to get their opinion and determine the demand before you go into production. You could also call your existing customers to get their opinion too. Telemarketing is a lot more economical and up to date than launching a new product on gut feel or paying for expensive industry marketing data.

Stay In Touch and Keep Up to Date

You need to keep your database up to date and stay in touch with your customers every 90 days. Have someone call your customers every 3 months to update the details and update any changes of staff. You can even ask your customers what they think of your service and if they have any ideas how to improve it. Take note of their favourable comments too, you can use them as valuable testimonials when you need them.

Service the Retail Stores

If you are in retail, call the store managers to check on how your goods are selling. Ask them if they would like any demo or advertising materials to display, to help them increase sales. It just keeps you foremost in their minds that you have taken the trouble to do this.

Seminar Confirmations

If you are holding a seminar, make sure the attendees are called the day before to reconfirm the starting time and the venue. You will be amazed at how many have forgotton or lost the details of the venue or start time.

Trade Shows

When you go to trade shows, make sure you follow up all the business card leads you acquired. Send them some information by mail but ensure you follow up within 3 - 7 days or all your efforts are wasted.

Customer Service

Have someone responsible for making customer service calls to clients who have had complaints sorted out and clients who have had service calls by representatives from your company. Make sure the issues were fully resolved. An unhappy client will talk to at least another 20 about their bad experience. You can avoid this happening and resolve anything bad straight away.

Inform Your Customers of New Developments

For example, when you get a new website, use this as an opportunity to call all your clients to tell them how they can more efficiently do business with you over the net.

Promote Events

Cold call new and existing customers to promote product launches or seminars. You can reach people quickly and more economically by phone.

Call Your Non-Active Customers

Have a telemarketer call all the people who have not done business with you for a while. Find out why they are no longer doing business with you and try to win them back again.

Mail Outs

Ensure you follow up a mail out to maximize the return. Mail outs only get a 1% response these days and telemarketing can easily turn that around to a 10% - 20% response.

Pre-Qualify Your Sales Leads

Prime the telemarketer to find out the answers to a number of questions about a prospective company from their receptionist. Then when they speak direct to the decision maker, they are better informed about the prospect's needs. This information will also assist them to better qualify their leads .

Sales and Telesales Solutions
71 Coolaroo Road Lane Cove
NSW 2066 Australia
Tel. +61-2- 9427 3479 Fax +61-2-9418 9069
Email: info@telesalestraining.com.au