3. Telemarketing - How Telemarketing Works
Businesses use telemarketing services for different goals: to make sales, to generate leads, or to collect information. You’ll usually hire a telemarketing firm first, and craft the campaign (writing phone scripts, setting guidelines) together.
There are two basic types of telemarketing: Inbound and Outbound. The services you need determine the type of call center you hire.
Outbound Telemarketing
Outbound telemarketing is where calls are placed to customers. It can be used for a variety of purposes: taking surveys, generating sales lead information, or even making sales over the phone. It’s a good idea to evaluate your own goals and requirements of an outbound campaign first, so that you can discuss this information with potential firms. Companies can specialize in making calls for certain industries, so minimal training is involved. Outbound telemarketing usually requires that you write or purchase a phone script and a phone list. You can use your own customer database, or buy a list from a telemarketing company.
Inbound Telemarketing
Inbound telemarketing is used by any business that receives a large volume of calls. You can use an inbound call center to take and process orders, which is especially popular among catalog sellers or businesses that sell perishable goods (flowers, food, etc.). Inbound telemarketing allows you to take customer calls at all hours of the day, irrespective of time zone. Many businesses use inbound call centers to provide customer service or helpdesk functions.
