Slowly bleeding to death..

[ebonybailey]

That is my opinion of the telemarketing industry.

For the last few years it feels like it has been mortally wounded and has slowly been bleeding to death. I must have seem a few dozen telemarketing companies go under in the last 3 months alone and what you find more and more often is that clients are becoming more unrealistic with regards to results and you are competing with cut throats a lot of the time, then the client wonders why they dont get the results they wanted when they were paying the company something near minimum wage!!

Anyway, interested to get others views.

Michael

[telemax]

Hi Michael

I can't say I'm finding the same thing. I've have really changed my approach to marketing though and it seems to be paying off.

[ebonybailey]

that is fair enough, as an individual things are going well, but you know as well as I do that the industry and the need for telemarketing has been on the decline for years.

[telemax]

True enough, but the need for good telemarketing is as strong as ever. I think a lot of company's that have gone under have been undercharging or have such huge overheads that they couldn't get enough business in. Or even more likely, employed rubbish telemarketers.

The other thing is to find customers who are in it for the long run. One's that understand you can't magic £100k's worth of leads in the first 3 day's.

[ebonybailey]

that is true, as i mentioned in my initial post, unrealistic expectations are a key part of the problem.
We have done rather well in the last year, the fact we are still here says a lot but its not been without its problems, that said i agree that telemarketing is a great way to generate new business, i think my point is more that others dont think so anymore.

[Mystro]

I think its like most business during a recession only the strong will survive, i get many cold calls and if im honest i hope that 90% of those that called me were the ones the did not survive, i will personaly listen to whatever any one has to say during the first 20 second sales approach but they have to listen too if i am not interested then take no as no.

I have actually bought of a cold call before because it was what i wanted at the time and i suppose thats what its all about, i persoanally believe there is a need a for this service but it has to move with the times and be innovative

[virtuallysorted]

I guess it's the same in any industry - there are companies who market themselves well, charge enough to keep some money in reserve for the lean times, reinvest profits, do a great job for their clients. And they'll usually survive.

The "bottom feeders" - the ones who sell on price, ones who fritter away profit, or don't serve their customers well - they will be the ones who really suffer in a downturn and it's no loss to the industry to see them go.

It makes the industry stronger as a whole.

What is annoying is when you see the bottom feeders giving the industry a bad reputation and ruining people who could have been great clients for the genuine businesses out there.

[directmarketingadvice]

Two observations:

(1) I have a lot of clients who have used telemarketers and it's one horror story after another. These clients aren't stupid and they're not incapable of being realistic. It's just bad performance.

So, given that, one would imagine that those who are capable of selling themselves both well and honestly (setting realistic expectations) should be able to write their own tickets.

(2) Based on calls I've received, the quality of sales scripting is a joke.

It's like the scene from "Boiler Room":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW-PHukzdgM

except they're even more useless than Ron.

I received a call last week. I told the caller "I'm busy, but if you give me the two minute version - and explain the offer is - I'll listen".

Two minutes later, she's still rambling on about me being a "valued customer" so I put the phone down.

Steve

[telemax]

Two observations:

(1) I have a lot of clients who have used telemarketers and it's one horror story after another. These clients aren't stupid and they're not incapable of being realistic. It's just bad performance.

So, given that, one would imagine that those who are capable of selling themselves both well and honestly (setting realistic expectations) should be able to write their own tickets.

(2) Based on calls I've received, the quality of sales scripting is a joke.

It's like the scene from "Boiler Room":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW-PHukzdgM

except they're even more useless than Ron.

I received a call last week. I told the caller "I'm busy, but if you give me the two minute version - and explain the offer is - I'll listen".

Two minutes later, she's still rambling on about me being a "valued customer" so I put the phone down.

Steve

Good film though

[Eagle]

Isn't people's perception of telemarketing changing? For the worse, as far as telemarketers are concerned?

[telemax]

Isn't people's perception of telemarketing changing? For the worse, as far as telemarketers are concerned?

I think it's always been like that but I've always worked with a simple rule. Be polite and respectful on the phone to people and they will always be the same back.