Choosing the right telemarketing company for your business
There are numerous telemarketing companies all vying for your business. The websites will look quite similar – all promising sales leads and appointments to boost your sales.
So how do you choose the right telemarketing company for your business?
Ask for recommendations through your business networks and Linkedin. Ideally 2 or 3 names will be put forward.
Try to make the first contact with the telemarketing companies by telephone. Think of it as a telephone interview. This is important. How they represent themselves will give you some idea of how they could represent your company. Consider how their staff (reception, sales team and management) handle your call. I always think it is a good idea to meet face to face, if you can, to make a further assessment. Do you feel you can work with and trust this Firm?
Questions you should ask
What experience does the telemarketing company have of working in your industry?
Ask about results – the good and the bad. Find out if and when they worked for your competitors. This shows that they do have experience but it has been known for some telemarketing companies to work for competitive Firms at the same time. How would they handle this? (This can happen if a telemarketing company specialises in a particular industry e.g. Accountancy, IFA, etc.)
Will there be dedicated telemarketers working on your campaign?
This really has to be a yes – it can take time for telemarketers to build knowledge and be fluent. The best telemarketers work to a very basic outline of a script – they aim to have a conversation not a sales pitch with your prospects.
Who owns the information gained from calling?
The telemarketing company has bought a database on your behalf – write into the contract that the database and all subsequent information gathered belongs to you. When the contract is finished, the telemarketing company must send you the final completed database and remove it and any calling information from their systems.
The telemarketing company offers you their own database – can be a bit of a grey area. Depends if you are paying by results only or by the hour. Paying by results only entitles you to the information relating to any appointments created and paid by you. If paying by the hour you may be sharing the results with the telemarketing company.
How does the payment structure work?
Are you paying by results only, a fixed amount per hour or hourly fee plus bonus for appointments? Our blog Pay per Appointment v Pay per Hour – explains the pros and cons of each payment type.
Some telemarketing companies also charge a set up fee to cover administration and training costs.
How would they approach your telemarketing campaign?
A reporting structure is required – a way of being able to measure success. There should be a plan of working with you to discuss the campaign, products / services to be promoted and the necessary training to learn about your company. It should show when the calling campaign starts and expected to finish. How often the results are reviewed and if necessary refined to bring the desired results.
Discuss what you want from the campaign – be realistic about the results. Be wary of a company that guarantees appointments, particularly if paying by results. You want quality not quantity.
These questions cover the basics of what you should be asking a telemarketing company.