Telemarketing: Home-based Vs. Call Center

Telemarketing Services

Companies, especially small businesses, who wish to do a telemarketing lead generation campaign are often stumped by the choice of hiring a telemarketing company or just a home based telemarketing agent. Here are the 5 most important points to consider about outsourcing and how the two (call center and agent) match up to each other.

Portfolio

When you outsource your telemarketing to a call center or a home based agent, the first thing you have to do to ensure that you are dealing with an authentic business is by asking for their portfolio of clients. A good portfolio needs to have a sizeable list of genuine clients to prove that they don’t have any problems generating business sales leads of their own. You should also look for recurring clients, as this indicates that the service provided was satisfactory enough for the client to pay for another campaign.

Obviously, a trustworthy b2b telemarketing company will be able to give you a list of their clients. In fact, this should be readily available in their company website. For a home based agent, on the other hand, you would have to specifically ask for their portfolio because chances are they don’t have any website to put these in.

Work hours

Because b2b telemarketers working in a call center are managed by team leaders and quality analysts, you can be assured that your hired b2b telemarketers are working for you on the specific hours and days stated in your contract. Home based agents are often prone to distractions; even if they have an office in their homes, family demands will always be prioritized (which is why they decided to work at home in the first place). Aside from family distractions, access to the internet and the freedom to control their time can further affect the hours put in by your home based telemarketer.

Accountability

Outsourcing to b2b telemarketing call centers normally require signing a contract which clearly outlines the points of your campaign agreement. A registered cell center lets you easily request for a refund if your campaign does not reach up to your expectations. They would also readily provide a replacement should you telemarketer fail to report for work. On the other hand, when something goes wrong in your home based telemarketing campaign or your agent suddenly stops communicating, you have no one to hold accountable for the damages to your business operations.

Skills

Home based agents usually learn their craft by working in a call center first. Once they decide to go home based, their telemarketing skills are stunted; if you want to expand the skills of your telemarketer, you would have to provide (and sometimes pay for) the training yourself. Professional b2b telemarketers in call centers continually undergo seminars and trainings to further improve their telemarketing skills; whether it’s updating their knowledge of telemarketing best practices, improving their accent, or voice modulation trainings, the call center pays for everything to ensure the effectiveness of your telemarketing campaigns.

Price

While a telemarketing call center indeed costs higher than home based agents, you can be assured that your b2b telemarketing campaigns are done by professionals who are knowledgeable about your industry and your products/services. Your brand is well-represented at all times and the image presented to you business leads is that of a professional and reliable company. Home based telemarketing agents are obviously cheaper compared to a call center, but the quality of service you receive is often proportionate to the amount you pay. Remember: “Cheap pay is cheap work.”

The Power of Color In Business

Even if you are involved in the telemarketing business, where almost all your customer interactions are done through the phone, there are still some areas that you will need it improve on. One of these is through color. It is true, one of the most effective marketing strategies that you can employ is through color. Even a contact center would know how powerful a motivational tool color is.Especially with their websites and advertising brochures, color can either get them more customers or turn these prospects off. That is why it is very important to know what color to use in business.

The thing about color is that it serves as an attention grabber. Properly utilized, it can be one of the most powerful marketing tools in the business. Color can represent anything, and it can represent your company as well. If you are offering a live answering service or can supply a live operator for your clients, then you can use color to better represent your company. Red, green, blue, yellow, and a lot more other colors can be mixed and matched by your telemarketing company in order to maximize customer impact. It may be a simple thing, but color can be the ultimate marketing aid for your company.

Of course, this implies that you know how to use color. If not, then now is the time to hire the services of a professional graphics artist. These people can be of great help for you and your company. In today’s increasingly competitive telemarketing business, every little tool counts.

5 Indications to Watch Out for that You’ll Never Get the Sale

For sales professionals, it can be the typical frustration. You get ready and excited in meeting a new prospect or business sales lead that you’ve been waiting for a long time. You already memorized your products, prices, you even know about the products of the competitors. Of course, you also know that in the end, it’s all about closing the sale.

Unfortunately, that sale you’ve been waiting and longing for failed to materialize. What happened?

Here are some of the signals to watch out for and be forewarned before being too certain that you already have it in the can.

1. “Oh, that seems very expensive”. As opposed to common belief, the price can be a non-issue at all especially if the sales representative could show that his products are able to solve their prospects’ specific business problems. It can be a delaying tactic and could prove to be very effectual since it diverts from the spot of solving their business dilemmas. A comparable remark is, “I’ve heard that your competitor is 20% more affordable”.
2. “I’d get back on you after a few months.” Whilst you might have somewhat connected with the sales lead’s pain, still, at the back of their mind, they think that your direct competition could be their better choice. And if they say that they’ll get back again to you within 6 months time, it’s only fair to erase their contact details on your list. No need to qualify yourself in this situation.
3. “Okay, I’ll just think about it.” Honestly? They will not think about it. It is just their polite way of slowly backing out minus hurting you instead of directly saying no. This is a common scenario which usually takes place if the sales person is not connecting with the prospect’s pain—which is the real reason for that client meeting. Let’s say if you’re effective at your pitch, but then if you failed to communicate or even understand their pain, then you don’t add value or aid your business leads to recognize the solution to their problem. 
4. “Let’s discuss again after a few months.” If your prospect said this, there might be interest in talking again since you may have opened a few of their business pains. But you know what the drawback here is? That there’s no apparent understanding about who’s calling whom or for what specific reasons. Obviously, that statement is too vague and therefore, not a sign you certainly hope for. You, as a sales professional, may choose to demonstrate initiative and still take the plunge in that “few months”, nevertheless, tread carefully and try not to sound overly pitchy.
5. “There’s no need for our boss to come here because I could sign on the project anyway.” As soon as you hear that, it’s obvious that you’re not talking to the true decision maker. Though what he says may be true, but remember that a boss could still have the authority to cut back on budgets that fast as he could make one. You better be sure that you have connected with the proper budget owner in such a way that you’re certain that your project is a surefire thing.