Thanks for dropping by!Posted by Maxine on October 7, 2008
Welcome to my telemarketing, marketing and general ramblings. It gives me something to do during tea breaks or whilst I am on hold! Feel free to comment and ask questions or Sign up to the Maxxy newsletter for telemarketing tips and news, or subscribe to the rss feed. I hope you can benefit from some of my tips and experiences.
Regards, Maxine
Ways to start and open a telemarketing or telesales callPosted by Maxine on February 3, 2012
There really is a difference with the call greeting or opening phrase you would use with a telemarketing or telesales call.
If it is a sales call then the objective is to get to the decision maker in the quickest possible time with the least amount of cost and make the pitch and get the sale. Obviously I have made that sound a lot easier than it is in real life!
If it is a marketing call then the main objective is primarily to locate prospects and then to either qualify them in or out as a potential. Rceptionist or gatekeeper can sometimes help with that process depending on what the product or service is.
Phrasing questions with this approach need to be carefully planned and tested.
The opening line is the absolutely most important part of the call. It will completely make or break a campaign.
Personally I never ever start with “Can I speak with the person in charge of XXX”. Here are my reasons:
* You are implying that you don’t want to waste your time with anyone who is not important enough to be in charge (this ignores the value of influencers)
* You demonstrate that you have not done your homework in why you feel it is ok to interrupt their working day without having a good reason for it.
* You make it very easy for the person dealing with the call to say No … followed by an enormous list of possible reasons and excuses.
* By parading yourself as a blunt telemarketer/telesales caller it walks into a competitive opening almost challenging you to have the skill/tenacity to get past them. Not a start that I would prefer if can be avoided.
If you are introducing mobile phones then expect “Oh we just renewed for 3 years”. If it’s advertising space then “We get all our work through referrals” or if it’s Accountancy services then expect “We already have an accountant”.
There are much better ways of opening calls. Some pre-empt the main objection and build on it. Others lead into business benefits. Others are consultative and ask questions. There are other techniques too.
The main bit of advice apart from the opening, is to really understand in your heart of heart why you are calling and what the real benefit is to the person you are making the call to. If you cannot connect emotionally and logically with a campaign then it is like swimming uphill through treacle
Being “rewarded” with a basic salary for telemarketing!Posted by Maxine on February 1, 2012
I’ve seen this phrase used quite a bit recently on forums and discussion groups and it always makes me smile.
Usually it is written by business owners who do not want to commit to a basic salary without being sure that their employee is going to earn the salary. Quite often the salary they are afraid of committing to is minimum wage.
Now actually I have mixed feelings on national minimum wage. Some employers will always get around this with things such as Internships, Unpaid work trials, Informal Apprentice Schemes and of course the Self-Employed Employee! If there really is that element of risk in the business model with the cost of sales being too much of a burden on profit margins then there is usually a clue there …. Either the price is not profitable to be a going concern or the cost of sales is too high and alternative methods should be sought.
But anyway. Back to the point of being rewarded with a basic minimum wage after proving delivery of results on a pay per lead or commission bonus scheme.
Why would anyone in telemarketing want to opt for a lesser financially rewarding alternative to the one they started out on just because the employer now feels comfortable supporting risk and cost?
It’s ludicrous and honestly has me worrying about the state of business owners level of commercial thinking.
Imagine you are a telemarketer and you work on a pay on results basis only and earn a nice wedge after supporting own costs, often building up a pipeline in the early days for results to filter through later on and then instead of getting £300-£500 per week the income being proposed is in the region of £200 per week. There is no real incentive is there?
I hope this provides another view point for anyone thinking of “rewarding” a telemarketer with a basic wage.
Another Cold Caller “Defeated”Posted by Maxine on January 30, 2012
I thought I would share the inspiration with you for this blog post from UK Business Forums.
http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=239799
You will need a large cuppa to read through the entire thread so I will sum it up for you and give you my thoughts on it …
* There are always “rants” to these kinds of cold calling threads on UKBF because some business people are totally against cold calling. Some posters on the forum believe this is because they fear making cold calls themselves.
* I believe that actually a lot of business people get their feelings as a consumer in receipt of a cold call when their number is registered on TPS mixed up with how they feel about cold calling and telemarketing for lead generation in a business to business context.
* Yes it is irritating if you are a consumer, have put your phone number on TPS, and get called repeatedly for untargeted or irrelevant products and services, or anything for that matter as the do not call register is supposedly there for a reason. But… this is not at all similar to how telemarketing for b2b works (business to business).
* The percentage of consumer telephone numbers on the TPS register for any list that we look at is on average 50-60%. This is a lot higher than a business listing which usually only has around 15-20% of telephone numbers on the CTPS.
* Businesses are a lot more respectful and open minded with telemarketing calls. They don’t pretend to know everything or have the best of everything. They also know what it is like to have a marketing mix that works and that telemarketing can sometimes be enormously valuable.
* They know the intentions behind the call are usually pretty good and some will try their chance at negotiating better value for money against services or products that they are currently a budgeted spend for them.
This is how business works. Telemarketing for a lot of businesses can sometimes be the only marketing and sales channel that works for them and they would be stuck without it!
So if you are one of these people who rants on business forums about any form of b2b telemarketing, maybe you ought to consider a bit more with what really can work and does work for other businesses .
Consultative TelemarketingPosted by Maxine on January 22, 2012
Taking the consultative approach to telemarketing and telesales can seem like you are going all round the houses but in actual fact it can be a great way to ask the right questions, listen, understand needs, all with the aim of meeting those needs in a way that is perceived as better or different than you competitors.
This style of calling is more relaxed in terms of goals in that it is not about making 200 calls to promote one particular offer and aiming to get X amount of leads from that exercise.
Consultative telemarketing is about obtaining as much useful information as possible in order to be able to tailor services and products specifically to the prospect.
It’s a bit like interviewing someone for a job. Why do you want this job? What would you enjoy the most?
Imagine these types of questions in a telemarketing approach. “What are your biggest costs at the moment with xyz service/product? What would prompt you to change supplier? What would be better value for money for you? How would you get the most benefit from xyz in your organisation? These help to get conversation going and help to undestand what appeals the most from a suite of products or services.
This has worked really well for companies that quite frankly have so much to offer and to so many people that it is difficult for them to either differentiate themselves or the costs to do this do not warrant it. I am not saying whether I agree with this or not you will note. Rather that this is what appeals the most for the types of clients that we do consultative telemarketing for.
It helps our clients to identify products and services that are stronger than others and the reasons why. This knowledge and understanding can then be used when planning promotional activities.
The actual call itself needs to be goal orientated so that it does not come across too much like a chit – chat with all the time in the world available. Getting organised and having an approach that is efficient is likely to get information quickly during a call as it doesn’t come across to the person being called as if you are likely to take up too much of their time. Having a list of the things you want to know besides you will give a bit of focus to the call although it doesn’t matter what order the information is obtained in. It is better to prioritise the “must get” pieces of information alongside the “nice to get” and don’t forget to come away with the decision maker contact details. It be so annoying to have a brilliantly useful conversation with someone only to have forgotten to take their email address or phone number.
Which brings me onto my next point ..
Have a workflow in mind with the journey that you will take your prospects on if the information they have given you indicates an opportunity. Decide whether email or phone call follow up would be more appropriate or even a well written piece of direct mail with a personalised letter.
Consultative telemarketing is very useful to gather information and reflect and then pitch services or products in a way that is then perceived as good value and full of benefits.
Good luck
Maxine
Twitter better than email and phone for responses!Posted by Maxine on September 12, 2011
I had an interesting discussion last week with someone who was asking me why they got a quicker response from me if they tweeted me rather than email or phone me.
I figured I am not the only person in the world who reads text messages whilst they are on the phone or in meetings or conference calls and demos. Even in the car if they are quick to read at traffic lights!
Yes it is a bad habit, and rude to sit reading messages and texting or responding when in a meeting with other people.
Glancing at incoming text messages whilst making a telemarketing call is not disruptive though as it is very easy to do. There are lots of times in the day where I am waiting in a queue for a call to be answered, on hold waiting for someone etc. It might even be that I am on a conference call or web demo and looking around during an irrelevant bit 
Possibly I have popped out to tesco to get something for lunch or stock up on tea bags and I’m in the queue waiting to be served! The opportunities for reading text messages and push notifications are endless.
Emails are much more structured in terms of time management. I am sure everyone does things differently but the routine I have fallen into over the years is to have set times of the day to action them rather than keep looking at them every 5 minutes. Personally I find otherwise that I get sidetracked and end up dealing with an email there and then and the rest of my daily plan gets compromised.
Phone calls due to the nature of what I do with telemarketing are a bit more tricky as if I am on the phone then the call will get routed to a colleague to answer on my behalf. I am sure this is the same for lots of business people who spend a lot of time on the phone even if they don’t work in telemarketing! Telephone messages are passed on via a note pad and physically put on my desk or perhaps I get the message by email (in which case it goes into a time managed activity).
So you can see why the best and most instant messages I get to see are either text messages or twitter mentions and direct messages. The same goes for skype and other instant messaging I have on my phone.
I always have my phone with me. Along with my bank card and house keys.
Perhaps we can see how business communications are changing and where twitter plays a part in rapid conversations throughout the working day.
My friend the Whiteboard!Posted by Maxine on August 31, 2011
I am a big fan of my whiteboard. I use it as a live sales and telemarketing board. In a collections environment I always used it to display performance to target and it’s a habit that has stayed with me for telemarketing and sales performance too.
Some people may think it is a bit old fashioned what with all these apps, cloud based systems, gadgets etc but here are my reasons why the Whiteboard has a key part to play in any office environment:
It’s always there in the same place. No passwords are needed to access and update. It is a regular reminder of how important things look right here right now. No need to shuffle about files online or piles of paperwork on desks to find it. Here it is in the same place for everyone to see.
No matter what you are doing you can always glance over to the board to see how you are doing against performance to target. Like an extra screen on the wall that is not going to get interrupted with other things. When you get up to make a coffee you can see the current state of play. Most of the time I look at it I get further ideas for improvement.
It’s easy to get caught up with other things throughout the day, week, month but my board helps to keep me focused on performance to target. It says to me “This is what you are here to do”. Whatever else I do I remind myself with the board that it should be linked directly or indirectly and it helps to prioritise time and activity.
I remember from Lord Sugars autobiography was that in the early days he would set himself a target of selling £x by Wednesday each week. Looking back I have done something similar for a long time. The must-do’s come first each week and the discretionary nice-to-do’s come later in the week. Everyone organises and motivates themselves slightly differently but this has worked for me purely because I am naturally a butterfly that likes to flutter off at the first seed of a developing idea. The board for me keeps me grounded and helps to give time orientation to performance. I display on there the target by time period each week and this helps me to see if I am on track, ahead of myself, or behind. I am not a stressy person these days and don’t go into panic mode if I am slightly behind but I do work hard to keep on track as I like to reward myself with discretionary nice-to-do’s. When you are your own boss there is nobody breathing down your neck on the strategic or high level stuff so little things like this help me to balance working on the business with working in it and getting the job done.
In a larger office environment it is easy for senior management to walk by a whiteboard and take stock of the info on it. This leads to praise, contribution and interaction. I have seen some of the most introvert and stand-offish bosses use this as a springboard for conversation where otherwise there would be none. In call centres this is particularly powerful where agents can feel like a number and a nobody. Having the CEO say “Well done Shirley” in front of a team can be more powerful than any amount of bonus schemes. In a smaller working environment visitors and passers by can equally comment and contribute. It can be a conversation starter and generate further ideas for improvement or for feedback no matter who they are from.
You can have the most comfortable and relaxed working environment but still have a reminder of what we are all here for. How you use the board is important. If you have jumped up Team Leaders nagging, bossing, and cracking the whip then obviously people will switch off. Having something that people can use as a common purpose is helpful but I prefer for this to be used to just gently help people to keep on track of things linked towards overall goals for a bit of direction and clarity as I am not the only person who butterflies off to other interesting things!
Yes there are apps for pretty much everything these days but apps for me are fairly private as they are used on mobile or computer devices viewed mostly by one person at a time. A whiteboard is public and there for all to see and contribute too at any time.
No need for the super duper smartboards if you don’t need it. Photos can work just as well if you want to just capture a moment in time from the whiteboard
Amazing Summer Email Opt In Offer!Posted by Maxine on July 18, 2011
Here is an amazing telemarketing offer you cannot refuse if you want to build up a quality email marketing list!
* 150 Call Attempts to a targeted prospect list
* Introduce your company for brand awareness in a professional manner
* Obtain decision maker contact details and email opt in permission by phone for you to use for ongoing marketing purposes
* 1000 prospect records profiled by location, business type, and industry. This includes contact name, telephone number, valid TPS/CTPS check, addresses, industry codes, employee numbers and turnover where available. This is yours to keep for ongoing marketing purposes and is not subject to a one-time use or rental use condition.
This is less than half our usual price for data and cold calling and works out less than paying someone national minimum wage to do this, or even paying for TPS/CTPS checks at usual standard rate.
All you have to do is Like our Facebook Page or Connect with us on Google+ and submit your requirements via the contact form below.
Please read our Terms and Conditions below the contact form before submitting your request.
Terms and Conditions
I hate being in moderation!! Get me out!Posted by Maxine on July 1, 2011
So you have carefully written your blog article, you have selected a nice image, put your tags in appropriately, put into the right categories, made sure your permalinks are seo friendly, primed a few people to be on standby to comment and share your article with their tribes…
… your article lands in front of a complete stranger who is interested enough to comment immediately with the intention of sharing further with their tribe and then…
“Awaiting Moderation”
Arghhh!!
This now means that I am tapping my fingers on the desk, pacing up and down, and getting impatient.
You see this was gonna be great content for me to share with other people in a timely manner and now that momentum has been spoilt.
I was going to share it in several places with all my best people who may have turned into subscribers and regular visitors as they probably would have liked your content as much as me and also go on to share it hot-off-the-press with others.
But they would be drumming their fingers on the desk too, and pacing up and down.
If it goes past a couple of minutes then if it is still interesting and timely enough for me to share then the next step for me is to write on my own blog or other place and share it that way and just link back to your article.
Now who has the visitor? Me or you?
Who gets shared? Me or you?
So if you want my traffic don’t hold me in moderation for too long.
I feel like I am on the naughty step and being the rebellious sort that I am I shall sneak off somewhere else
Target Audience or Product.. which comes first?Posted by Maxine on June 30, 2011
Last nights episode of The Apprentice was all about biscuits and what I found particularly interesting was the discussions about the product and the target audience.
Melody became a bit of a broken record going on about “target audience” but as annoying as she may have been to the project lead and the other team members I think she had a very good point to make and very early on too.
Right from the start the teams knew their biscuits would be luxury products at £1.99 price so that should have generated discussions about target audiences in that price bracket. The losing team attributed their loss to a naff biscuit which was probably the main lesson to be learned from the show but I have to say that the other messages about target audiences were very good and very relevant.
I often come across business that have a product or service already in place and then it comes to marketing and selling. At this point the businesses have to then think about what audiences best fit their product or service. This then leads to possibly tweaking a product or service or marketing it in such a way as to maximise appeal through USP’s or perceived benefits.
The Apprentice reversed this by giving the teams the opportunity to think about target audiences and products at the same time. This involved ideas such as “emergency biscuit” (love it!) and biscuit as the new popcorn. Brilliant original thinking. Helen’s team (the winning team) listened to their focus group, clearly defined their target audience, created and branded their product in line with that feedback, and pitched with their target audience in mind.They won by a landslide of around £1.6m orders.
The other team despite Melody’s constant reminders of defined target audience decided their biscuit would be a mass market product. This had a knock on effect with the approach they then took with packaging, and their pitch to the supermarkets. Ultimately they ended up with something confused. A snap and share product where one half was plain and the other chocolate (meaning that someone ended up without any chocolate and a bland half of a biscuit) but also for girls sharing a biscuit during a night in. Their pitch changed as they went along and they didn’t get any orders at all.
So, the moral of the story as I see it are that we all need a great biscuit but just as important we need to know who wants it!
Zoe got fired as Lord Sugar believed she should have made sure the product was great. Fair point. But, even if the product had been good with the approach they took considering target audiences I still think they would have lost.
I see a lot of “me too” businesses out there currently finding it hard to promote their services in a way that articulates value and benefits and hold on to their price.
A lot of our work is with Accountants and Professional Services and there is a huge risk in these industries (accountancy in particular) to be a Zoe biscuit. What are your thoughts?
Experience Telemarketing available to work on site in Huntingdon w/c 20th JunePosted by Maxine on June 16, 2011
It’s not often that I can offer this but I can for next week – week commencing 20th June 2011.
You can just book one day if you wish for an experienced telemarketer to come and work on site at your offices. They are employed by Maxxy so no HR or Recruitment hassle, no “on-costs” with employers NI, holiday, sickness, insurance etc.
All they need is a desk with a computer and access to the internet and a phone. We provide the cloud based CRM system for them to work from and can even source prospect data lists for them to call from that are checked against TPS/CTPS.
So if you fancy boosting your sales income and like the idea of booking someone to work on your site for a day give me a call on 01480 878 082 or email me at info@maxxy.co.uk
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