Telemarketing Agency

[Paul FilmMaker]

We're talking to a couple of telemarketing agencies to boost meetings. They're using a basic, BANT qualification, seem credible, decent references etc... The price is right and while this pushes up our cost of acquisition, we can afford it and accelerating the number of customers is right, especially as the infrastructure is now there to support this. There are some elements around sales processes which need to be fixed but that's something we're sorting out. To make things work better, we're running marketing campaigns with collateral, will spend time in their offices when they start to call and there is one in particular talking about a turnkey solution.

However, everyone, and I literally mean everyone I talk with has bad experiences with telemarketing agencies. So does anyone have any good experiences? Or bad? What's your experience with telemarketing agencies designed to set up meetings for a sales team?

 

[AllUpHere]

In my experience telemarketing is what people do when they don't know how to market their business, so it's bound to get poor results. It's usually used to try to patch a fundamental flaw in a marketing strategy. I can't remember ever recommending telesales / telemarketing to a client.

 

[TheoNe]

I tend to avoid telemarketing agencies. Besides the high cost involved, the aggressive closing techniques they use on calls can actually end up damaging your brand in the long term.

I would consider alternatives like targeted direct mail campaigns which contain high-quality content and not a sales blurb first.

I hope this helps.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

I tend to avoid telemarketing agencies. Besides the high cost involved, the aggressive closing techniques they use on calls can actually end up damaging your brand in the long term.

I would consider alternatives like targeted direct mail campaigns which contain high-quality content and not a sales blurb first.

I hope this helps.

Is this based on hearsay or your actual experience of hiring a telemarketing agency?

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

In my experience telemarketing is what people do when they don't know how to market their business, so it's bound to get poor results. It's usually used to try to patch a fundamental flaw in a marketing strategy. I can't remember ever recommending telesales / telemarketing to a client.

Have you ever hired a telemarketing agency?

 

[Calvin Crane]

Telemarketing works when done properly. Like a lot of things it's a broad subject. You may as well say are cakes good.

 

[billybob99]

Are you up for a chat when someone calls you to talk about reducing your energy bills.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I suspect you will find on further questioning, that the people who have had bad experience have worked with a poor brief, and have bought largely on price

In the circumstances you describe, telemarketing can be extremely productive, as long as you take time and effort to find the right partner and work together with a clear understanding of what constitutes a desirable outcome

 

[AllUpHere]

Have you ever hired a telemarketing agency?

Nope, although I've assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of hundreds.

 

[Paul FilmMaker]

Nope, although I've assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of hundreds.

Your earlier comment about addressing an issue is interesting and there are a couple of things going on here.

My business started last year and now I have money (thanks to winning some business), I'd love to outsource some of the cold calling stuff. One of my customers is also looking for the same and asked me to collaborate with them in choosing the right telemarketing firm.

This also gives me a huge discount because my customer's a much bigger business and I essentially get their discount. And I'm guessing the reason they want to collaborate is because they trust me (my product worked well for them).

So for me, it's opportunistic lead gen and for them, it's to deal with some issues they have (and are addressing).

 

[antropy]

No one knows your business better than you or the people that work for you. So a real drawback of outsourcing your calls is that you have people talking to customers that are removed from your business which does not give the correspondence a personal touch. Alex

 

[richard10002]

If all you hear about telemarketing is bad, then you ask the question about telemarketing on a business forum, and all of the replies support what you have already heard, I think you have your answer?

If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, the chances are that it’s a duck, and all that.

Telemarketers have to call a decision making/influencing prospect, in need of their particular product, at a time when they need it, and in a way that piques their interest.

The chances of these three things coming together at the time of the call are slim to nil. When they dont all come together at the time of the call, it is an irritating/annoying interruption. If the name of the company is given, it is more likely to be avoided if ever there is a need, rather than included in the companies chosen for consideration.

 

[Aurelius]

If all you hear about telemarketing is bad, then you ask the question about telemarketing on a business forum, and all of the replies support what you have already heard, I think you have your answer?

If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, the chances are that it’s a duck, and all that.

Telemarketers have to call a decision making/influencing prospect, in need of their particular product, at a time when they need it, and in a way that piques their interest.

The chances of these three things coming together at the time of the call are slim to nil. When they dont all come together at the time of the call, it is an irritating/annoying interruption. If the name of the company is given, it is more likely to be avoided if ever there is a need, rather than included in the companies chosen for consideration.

Telesales is just a numbers game and you get what you pay for.

It works really well. The proof of that is the fact that people keep getting telesales calls. Do you think companies would continue to throw money away, for year on end, using telesales teams if it didn't work?

 

[JamesNeal]

I run a business development company, which is outsourced strategic sales, using our contacts to bring in New Business.

We don't trawl through data lists, doing 80 calls a day hoping for a break from a couple of low level leads. That's telesales. We already have our high level connections that we use to generate high quality leads, leads that have already been qualified and ready to buy from you.

Anyway, if you are interested PM me and will explain how we work and how we can help in a strategic way.