22/02/2012 by Stephen Law.

When you need to find the best telemarketing person or telemarketing agency, you need some Key Performance Indicators (KPI s) to guide you to success.   According to the once British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics“.  So in order to succeed at finding the best telemarketing person, you need to find the right approach to using statistics.

Telemarketing - Lies, damned lies and statistics

So that you are not fooled by the misleading statistics peddled by bad telemarketing people, the first place to start with telemarketing statistics is to look at whether you should use ‘Input’ or ‘Output’ statistics.  Let’s say that you are talking to 2 people about providing you with telemarketing lead generation.  Both are offering roughly the same price to provide the service.  Yet one is talking about ‘Input’ statistics and the other is talking about Output’ statistics.  ‘Input’ statistics cover things like, “How many calls made per day?”.   ’Output’ statistics cover things like, “How many appointments made?”.

Quite frankly, should you really care about ‘Input’ statistics?  I will try to explain - someone who is totally clueless at telemarketing makes 200 calls per day but makes no appointments.  The best telemarketing person makes 20 calls per day but makes one appointment that leads to a major sale for you.  It is not rocket science to work out that 20 calls leading to a major sale is far more valuable to you than 200 calls that go nowhere.

Be very wary about anyone who uses ‘Input’ statistics instead of ‘Output’ statistics as a Key Performance Indicator, when choosing the best telemarketing person for your campaign.  In fact, be very wary about anyone who tries to tell you that X number of ‘input’ telephone calls leads to Y number of appointments generated.  The common mistake made by many buyers of telemarketing services is that they are led to believe that there is an exact science that can be measured using statistics, which I will try to explain.

Telemarketing - Natural Science or Social Science?

There are five major branches of the Natural Sciences - Chemistry, Astronomy, Earth Science, Physics and Biology.  There are 2 Formal Sciences - Mathematics and Logic that are used as tools.  Then there are the Social Sciences that range from Economics to Psychology.   Anyone who can remember their Physics lessons at school will tell you that Newton’s First Law of Motion states that, “The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force“.  It is accepted that this is an immutable Law of Nature and that the Law applies to everything in the Universe.  Yet can we apply the Laws of Physics to Telemarketing and is Telemarketing a Natural Science or a Social Science?

Telemarketing is a business activity and is therefore part of the Science of Economics.  Economics is not a Natural Science, it is a Social Science.  A bad telemarketing person will therefore try to hoodwink you by making you believe that telemarketing calls to appointment ratios are based on science - when clearly this is utter twaddle.  So if telemarketing is part of the Science of Economics and Economics is a Social Science - what does this mean?

Social Science is the field of study concerned with society and human behaviour.  In fact, the best telemarketing covers a number of Social Sciences such as - Economics, Anthropology, Linguistics, Sociology and Psychology.  The key difference between a Natural Science and a Social Science is that there are no immutable Laws in Social Sciences.  To give an example - if one takes two twins, one provides them with an identical home life and school life, and one twin becomes a famous rocket scientist - it is not possible to state that the other twin will also become a famous rocket scientist.  In social sciences, one can make certain predictions but one cannot categorically state an outcome.

When it comes to finding the best telemarketing person, it is unlikely that you will be thinking about hiring 2 twins and trying to decide who is best.  As telemarketing is a social science, it is evident that no two people will be identical in terms of the service they can offer you.  In essence, when choosing the best telemarketing person, you need to look at the merits of the individual and never assume that everyone is capable of the same level of output.

Best Telemarketing Person - Education, Application & Experience

Bad telemarketing people or bad telemarketing agencies peddle another lie about their ability to provide an effective service.  Education can be a good thing and in my day I persevered to gain O-Levels, A-Levels and an Honours Degree.  Yet is a University education on its own,  a good reason to describe someone as the best telemarketing person?

One of my clients employs mainly University Graduates to fill their ranks in helping to sell complex engineering technologies.  I was tasked with training these people to improve their sales skill; but my hardest task, was when I realised that a number of these people lacked a basic understanding of the real world.  When I was training this team on how to sell products using a Loan Scheme, one young lady with an excellent BSc asked me, “But I thought a loan was a good thing and went on the positive side of the balance sheet because you get the money?”.  This young lady with an excellent academic education was oblivious to the fact that a loan was an outgoing expenditure and forgot that it had to be repaid!

Education can be a great thing but only if that knowledge can be applied to the real world.  Another client of mine employs University Graduates.  This chap made the assumption that - as his graduates had gained a degree in research, that they could miraculously apply this to lead generation without any sales training.  This chap’s graduates researched potential target clients, their titles and their telephone numbers.  These were genuinely bright people from an academic perspective, but their work failed to provide success.  The graduates failed to apply basic common sense - phone numbers were for shop outlets when we needed to talk to the Head Offices.  Contacts were too junior or too senior to engage in decision making.  In short, education is only useful if it can be applied to the work at hand.

If you combine a good education, the ability to apply that knowledge and overlay life experience - then you have the best telemarketing person.  Life experience is the final and essential key to the puzzle.  A young graduate, fresh from University, is unlikely to have ever run a business or held the role of Buyer within a company.  Theorising what it is like for someone to spend £1000s or £Millions is very different from doing it.  The best telemarketing person will have undertaken a good education, will understand how to research the right potential clients - moreover, they will be able to converse at the same level as the buyer because they’ve been there.

Best Telemarketing Person - Conclusions

Telemarketing is not an ‘exact’ or ‘Natural Science’.  How many calls someone makes per day is almost  irrelevant.  The Key Performance Indicators in judging successful telemarketing, should be based on how many lead-generation-opportunities are created by a person - and how many of these opportunities result in profitable sales.

As part of the Social Sciences, Telemarketing is about the person and their ability to interact with others.  A good education is a reasonable foundation for success.  Knowledge alone is useless - so the application of knowledge is of great significance.  Finally, without relative life experiences, one cannot effectively ‘empathise’ with the prospective customer.  So the best telemarketing person is well-educated, able to apply knowledge and has extensive and relative life experiences.

Finally, one needs to look at cost of the services provided.  A bad telemarketing person may be cheap to hire but provides little or no return on investment.  The best telemarketing person appears expensive in comparison to the bad one - but they provide you with a steady stream of sales opportunities that lead to profitable sales.   The bad telemarketing person is a false economy - sure, they’re cheap as an ‘input’, but there is little or no ‘output’ in terms of profit for you.  Conversely, the best telemarketing person is a more expensive ‘input’, but you reap the rewards on their ‘output’.   In short - you generally get what you pay for in life!

If you are searching for the best telemarketing person to generate sales opportunities - why not email me - stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk or call me on 0870 042 1263.

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | No Comments »

17/07/2011 by Stephen Law.

I’ve been rushed off my feet for the last 6 months.  I’ve been helping existing and new customers with my telemarketing skills.  I’ve hardly slept this week, but my hard work has given me a small window to write this blog.  If you’re interested to know who is winning new business via telemarketing, then read on …

As I predicted in previous blogs, the market for telemarketing suppliers has increased dramatically over the last few years.  With thousands of people losing their jobs and business becoming harder to win, many ‘would-be’ telemarketers and telemarketing agencies have sprung up.  Yet over time, discerning Managing Directors are learning the difference between the ‘amateur telemarketing people’ and the ‘professionals’.

The glory days of the boom times have gone - any sensible MD must now choose how to spend his business development budget very wisely.  Gone are the times when one could chuck £10k at a call centre to keep a sales team busy.  Many MDs are now seeing little Return on Investment from ‘scattergun telemarketing’.  Quality is becoming far more important than quantity.  Soaring fuel prices demand less sales meetings.  Sales meetings with real value are the order of the day – but one cannot expect a low-level telemarketing person to achieve high quality.  So what is the answer…

The best telemarketing to win new business in 2011 is undoubtedly about ‘focus’ and ‘relationship building’.  I’m not talking about telemarketing to sell stationery, I’m talking about selling a complex offering to a discerning buyer.  Stationery sales are purely ‘commoditized’ – so it’s all about selling in bulk at the lowest price.  Complex sales such as selling consultancy services – is all about added value.  So one must be very highly ‘tuned-in’ to what people want to buy.

In 2008, so-called ‘forward-thinking marketing gurus’ (who had become besotted with technology) were predicting the end of the cold-call.  Such ‘gurus’ were full of themselves predicting that email marketing would replace telemarketing.  In short, they were right for a very brief period of time, but they completely misunderstood the long-term trends.  As Sir Isaac Newton pointed out, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  The leap to jumping on the email marketing band wagon was so quick - that it imploded.  IT Directors countered the barrage of emails by installing anti-spam systems which are now built-in to readily available software.

These so-called ‘gurus’ are now at it again.  They’re peddling the dream that the telemarketing cold-call is dead and that ‘social media marketing’ is now king.  Funnily enough, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone over a century ago – yet more people win new business today by telephone than they have ever done in times past.  When one reaches a certain age, one can see that email marketing and social media marketing are simply tools and not the panacea for marketing success.  The real key to success is to use all of these tools in the right way.

Lead Generation is a very ‘much misunderstood’ art and science.  I’m beginning to notice that in terms of methodology, many Managing Directors are beginning to understand the lead generation process.  Smart MDs are setting out to define their offering carefully.  Then they are working carefully to understand their target markets.  Yet when all is said and done, most MDs are still struggling to find anyone who can “fulfil” the telemarketing process in the right way.

We can all watch the Science of Sports on a good Discovery Channel documentary.  Yet how is it that one man can play football but never score a goal and another man can become a world champion?  There is a science to selling, yet at the end of the day, real results boil down to the ‘art of delivery’.  Think about delivering any message and you will begin to understand what I mean.  The recent award-wining movie “The King’s Speech” is a classic example.  The poor chap knows that he needs to convey a message, but to “deliver” that speech correctly is far from easy.  Think of me as the little man who trains the king to succeed.  Yet in my case, I ‘deliver’ the speech for you.

The problem faced by most telemarketing people is not so much in understanding the process – the problem is in understanding the person.  Time and time again, I’ve been asked to take over where low-level telemarketing people have failed.  Yes, getting the process right is important – but one can make all the right moves, yet fail miserably when the message is delivered.  I’m not going to reveal all my secrets here in a blog – but understanding how to attune oneself with a potential buyer can be learned – and it is the final key to providing the best telemarketing – and it will win new business for you.

As a smart Managing Director, you probably know a fair bit about the Lead Generation process – when it comes to using telemarketing to win new business.  If you now need the ‘delivery’ then I can help you personally, or I can train your people to succeed.  My methods go beyond anything you may have read in a book.  I am not a professor of marketing.  My knowledge and experience was won at the coal-face – generating lead after lead and making sale after sale after sale. You may call me on 0870 042 1263 or email me - stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk 

Posted in Lead Generation, Business Development, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

03/02/2011 by Stephen Law.

When it is vital for your business to make more sales, lead generation via telemarketing is often the first thought for many business leaders.  In an age where we’re all looking to keep costs down, is it worth seeking a Professional Telemarketing person or is it better to work with amateurs?

The Thought-Pattern of Failure Begins – The Telemarketing Amateur
Looking back over the last 12 months, I’ve noticed a “thought-pattern” by companies who choose the amateur telemarketing route.  The MD is often a skilled if self-taught marketer, but when it comes to lead generation – the skills, experience and knowledge are lacking.  Enthusiastic staff will keep promoting the same pattern of failure, which I will try to explain.

The thought process goes as follows – Why hire a professional telemarketing person when we could do this internally and save money?   Without a clear understanding of what to do, the MD gathers his staff around him to ask for suggestions.  A conversation begins which revolves around the blind leading the blind.  A farcical game of “pin the tail on the donkey” begins, except everyone is wearing a blindfold.  So what happens next?

Anyone can succeed at telemarketing – can’t they?
The team begin making calls and appointments are made.  However, the appointments don’t appear to be turning in to sales.  So the team of blindfolded amateurs decide that they need to brainstorm the idea.  Assuming that they are the first people in history to come up with the idea, they all turn to Facebook and Linkedin and announce “Aha – that’s how we will succeed”.  Several weeks later, the team realise that these social media contacts are getting nowhere.  In frustration, the MD turns to his colleagues and asks for a new solution.  After further brainstorming, they come up with another idea which they believe is truly inspired – “We’ll hire lots of sales people who will all work for commission”.  So does this work?

All sales people work for commission only – don’t they?
After hours and hours and hours on the telephone, dozens of candidates are interviewed for a “commission only” position.  If anyone were adding up the cost of this time in PAYE they might give themselves a heart attack.  Yet, the team are adamant that there must be someone out there who is daft enough to do the job they couldn’t do in return for commission, shiny beads or jelly babies.  Finally, the MD comes to the conclusion that this is all going nowhere.  The MD Googles “Telemarketing Professional”, but just as he tries to seek a proper solution, his staff cry out “I’ve found the answer – we can hire cheap telemarketing people for only £5 per hour on People Per Hour!”.  At the pivotal moment, the MD is swayed from making the right decision and the hunt for cheap telemarketing people continues.  Was this a success?

It looks shiny – but have we struck Gold?
At this point, weeks if not months have passed.  Sales figures are falling and the MD is working out who to fire to save money.  The MD and his team had sifted through CV after CV on the internet of cheap telemarketing people.  After many hours, they chose 5 people who all claimed to be excellent at telemarketing.  Unfortunately, they had found a crock of Fools Gold.  There is an old saying that “You get what you pay for in life”.  Paying £5 per hour helped Mr Wu the Telemarketing man from the Philippines to live a life of luxury, but sadly no sales came from his work.

You get what you pay for in life – the Telemarketing Professional
The MD has finally had enough of this fool’s errand.  He worked hard to set up his business and he thinks long and hard about the situation.  When he began the business he hired the top accountant and the top solicitor to get his business moving.  The MD goes back to his roots, picks up the telephone and calls the top telemarketing people to help him.  Within weeks, the lead generation is working again and sales are looking good.  Once again the Telemarketing Professional hears those immortal words from the MD “Why didn’t I just call you in the first place?”

If you need to learn the hard way, then please feel free to do so.  If you’re a smart cookie and you don’t have time to learn the art of lead generation, simply give me a call – Stephen Law, Freelance Telemarketing Lead Generation Expert – 0870 042 1263 – stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk .

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

05/11/2010 by Stephen Law.

If you’re new to outsourced telemarketing for Lead Generation - then you may be puzzled about the difference between a Telemarketing Consultant and a Call Centre?  I will try to explain the differences and which one will work best for your Lead Generation.

Personally, I’m a Telemarketing Consultant with 25 years experience.  I’ve built and managed small teams of telemarketing people and I’ve hired Call Centres for projects.  So I’d like to think that I know a thing or two about the industry and how to utilise these different resources.

There is a huge difference between a Telemarketing Consultant and someone you find in a Call Centre, so let’s explain from the top, starting with the Call Centres.

What is a Call Centre?
Put simply, a Call Centre can generally be thought of as a building that houses anywhere between 20 and 300 people who are manning the telephones every day.  Many Call Centres specialise in what is known as “inbound” telemarketing – think about when you buy your insurance policy over the telephone and you’ll get the idea.  Remember that “inbound” telemarketing people do not hunt for business – they simply pick up the call that comes in and answer it. 

Why the “Inbound” Call Centre has turned telemarketers in to Zombies?
“Inbound” Telemarketing is generally the lowest-skilled form of Call Centre Telemarketing and this is generally reflected in the price you pay for their wages.  Over the last decade, the quality of “inbound” Telemarketing has got lower and lower due to outsourcing to offshore Call Centres.  Companies such as Lufthansa were the early drivers in moving their operations to India.  By 2010, there has been a backlash against offshore Call Centres who have built a reputation for not understanding the British Culture; but the image of “inbound” Telemarketing has been tarnished by these cheap and poor services.

Call Centre managers have spent the last decade using technology to streamline their operations, reduce costs and improve efficiency.  Like many people, I consider that this has “dehumanised” the entire process and turned many Call Centre people in to mindless automatons.

The “Outbound” Call Centre for Lead Generation
If we’re looking at true Lead Generation (as opposed to you calling the company in response to an advertisement), then we’re talking about “Outbound” Call Centres.  This is where the telemarketing staff makes cold calls to potential buyers.  The problem for “Outbound” Call Centres is that UK centres are competing in a price war with the offshore centres.

Pick up a copy of a Call Centre magazine and you’ll see that it is riddled with articles about technology and “how to stop losing your staff”.  Put simply, UK Call Centres cannot compete effectively with offshore Call Centres on price.  Quality and value are the only way that a UK Call Centre can compete with an offshore centre – but unless buyers have been forced to switch to UK telemarketing people by complaints from customers, this still pushes down the quality and the price.

So will you find a Telemarketing Consultant in a Call Centre – certainly not!  If anyone in a Call Centre has the cheek to use the title “Telemarketing Consultant” that would be akin to a hospital porter claiming that they are a “Consultant”.  Whilst many hospital porters may be budding doctors, I think you’d be very upset if you were advised on your health by someone pushing trolleys around the ward for a living.  The same is true in Telemarketing – where the distinction has been blurred between a novice and an expert by Call Centre staff being given grandiose titles – because it’s cheaper to inflate someone’s title than to pay them a higher wage.

What Makes a Telemarketing Consultant?
A Telemarketing Consultant is at the top level of Telemarketing.  Like me, many Telemarketing Consultants began their working life on the bottom rung.  The vast majority of people who try to choose Telemarketing for a living fail miserably.  Some plodders stay at the low-level “inbound” Telemarketing phase; the vast majority cannot hack the pace; but a tiny percentage move up the ladder.

The best telemarketing people soon move up to a management position.  From there, a good telemarketing person will often either move in selling advertising space or move in to Business Development.  At this point, the tiny percentage of people who remain in the industry is again whittled down to an even smaller number of potential Telemarketing Consultants.

To become a true Telemarketing Consultant, one needs something that cannot be bought – “experience”.  The top Telemarketing people will generally move in to senior roles such as Sales / Marketing or Business Development Director.  With umpteen years under their belt selling complex offerings to intelligent buyers, a true Telemarketing Consultant emerges from years of experience and success in their field.

What does a Telemarketing Consultant do that a Call Centre employee cannot do?
A Telemarketing Consultant is able to define who you should be meeting to win business.  Then with wit, charm, flair and acumen – they will put you in front of a willing buyer.  So why can’t a low-level Call Centre person do this?

 Firstly, a Call Centre comprises Directors, Managers, a technology team, and a raft of employees.  For efficiency purposes, it would be rare to find a Director or a Manager making calls.  Likewise, it would be rare to find Telemarketing people winning new business, managing the finances or providing account management.    Conversely, a Telemarketing Consultant will fulfil all these roles in one person.

So if a Call Centre person does not understand the roles of Admin / Finance / Legal / Marketing or Operations, how can they converse in a meaningful manner with a prospect that does this for a living?  This is why most Call Centres aim at the consumer market, because that’s the level at which they can communicate effectively.  Yet with offshore Call Centres, it is even debateable whether their callers can effectively communicate with Joe Public.

A Telemarketing Consultant understands business; they understand what it’s like to be a senior manager or director.  Why? – Because they’ve probably held that role in their career.

When to choose a Telemarketing Consultant or a Call Centre
If you are selling to the masses (Joe Public), then this requires a lot of telephone calls to be made.  So the Call Centre may be your ideal platform.

Also, if you are in business but you need to sell high-volumes at a low-ticket value to lots and lots of customers then the Call Centre may work for you.

Yet in many businesses, you will probably be selling low-volumes with a high-ticket value (for example a consultancy service at £10k per sale upwards).  Your offering may be complex, so this requires a highly skilled Telemarketing Consultant to find new business and engage effectively with senior buyers.

If you’re still confused – give me a call – Stephen Law, Telemarketing Consultant 0870 042 1263 or email me stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk .

Posted in Telemarketing Consultant, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

28/10/2010 by Stephen Law.

More and more people are coming to me for the best telemarketing during these hard economic times.  The best telemarketing is about gaining traction in sales and less about being a spin doctor.  Let me explain why the best telemarketing is more about truth than tricks, and how to make more sales in 2010 and 2011.

Fall of the Spin-Doctors
Prior to 2008, companies were growing at an unrealistic rate and most people just went along with the whole charade, as long as it meant they were making money.  Apart from the few mentally challenged people out there, most people knew that their little semi-detached house wasn’t really worth half a million pounds.  Whilst the going was good, enough people were prepared to believe that Iraq was a threat - and if Homer Simpson had run for President offering endless good times, I’m sure Homer Simpson would be in the Whitehouse.

The slump of 2008 affected most businesses in the UK, but it affected some more than others.  Many marketing companies weren’t really “selling” anymore; they were simply trying to keep up with the ever-increasing demand.  Yet the professionals out there – the small telemarketing agencies and the freelance telemarketing people have always needed to prove themselves.  During the good times, you could just say I’m from “XYZ” well-known brand, and that was good enough for many buyers.

Rise of the Best Telemarketing People
During the tough times, buyers have become more discerning and they want “more bang for their buck” when it comes to telemarketing, along with all forms of marketing.  Two years on from the onset of economic downturn, many companies have gone to the wall; but the best companies and the best telemarketing people are still going strong – but why…?

There are many really good companies out there with excellent products and a first class service.  Previously, they were losing business to competitors that may well have offered a poorer product and a dissatisfactory service.  When the bubble burst – buyers suddenly started scrutinizing every penny, which has led to many competitors going bust.  Every week now, I’m talking to companies who offer a first class service, who are now capitalizing on their competitors going bust.

Don’t believe the Hype
So how are the “bad” marketing agencies and “poor” marketing people trying to fight back?  Put bluntly, they’re trying to use “spin” – or to use an old fashioned term – “they’re telling lies”.  I’ll give an example – this morning I received an email from a company that I’d recently purchased from.  This company used to offer a great product but it was very over-priced.  They recently brought the price right down to a realistic level (and they’re still making plenty of profit), so I bought in their offering.  The problem is that whilst they took on board my request to be more realistic about prices (and I’m sure thousands of other people told them the same thing) – they still haven’t figured out the art of honest lead generation to gain results – let me explain…

The email they sent me said “click here for your FREE training”.  So I clicked on the hyperlink and was looking forward to my “FREE” training – but low and behold, I had to buy another product if I wanted the “FREE” training.  In other words, this wasn’t “free” at all – this was a blatant lie to try and get me to look at another product.  Needless to say, I immediately stuck the sender in to my Spam List and decided never to believe another word uttered by that company.  Like most people in the UK, I don’t believe the politicians anymore and I’m a highly sceptical buyer.  Anyone who comes out with these grossly misleading statements goes straight in to my list of “I’ll never believe another word they say”.

Traction not Spin
I appreciate that “liar” and “politician” have now become interchangeable words for most people in the UK.  Unfortunately, the same thing can often be said of “bad” marketing people.  The best telemarketing is not about fictional “free” offers or trying to deceive prospective clients – this is just a lame excuse for “bad” marketing people who cannot work out why people would want to buy a product or service.

If you are selling a complex offering to an intelligent buyer – you must build up a relationship with your prospective client.  One cannot build a relationship based upon lies.  The real strength of the best telemarketing person, is in their ability to seriously understand what motivates a buyer and to play on your strengths.  The best telemarketing person will endear the most hard-nosed buyer to look at your offering – using skill, wit, charm, flair and understanding.

There’s an old saying that, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and you can fool all of the people some of the time – but you can’t fool all the people all of the time”.  Please don’t let a “bad” marketing person persuade you to use lame tactics – you risk alienating your clients.  The best telemarketing should gain traction with your clients – so don’t just sit there spinning and going nowhere – gain real traction, real interest, real desire – and base it all on your strength of offering. 

If you need more traction and less spin – contact me for the best telemarketing – Stephen Law 0870 042 1263 stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk .

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | No Comments »

29/08/2010 by Stephen Law.

Will the best telemarketing in September 2010 have a crucial impact on your sales cycle? Let’s take a brief look at the factors here.

Timing – the Sales Cycle
For some products and services, starting your lead generation process in September could be crucial.  If your sales offering is complex, then it may require a ‘demo’, a ‘free trial’ or perhaps a ‘proof of concept’ approach.  If you examine the time-line from lead generation to closing business – how long will it take from start to finish?  One point that is often overlooked when launching a new product or service is Timing.  If buying decisions are to be made between November and January then it is imperative that your lead generation begins as soon as possible.  If Telemarketing is your favoured lead generation tool, then finding the best telemarketing people right now will make a key difference in hitting your sales targets.

Timing – Relationship Building
Selling a complex offering is very different from selling widgets by the bucket load.  Widget-selling often boils down to price, so you’re offering has been ‘commoditized’.  To prevent a buyer from commoditizing your offering, you need to differentiate the offering by demonstrating ‘Value’ not ‘Price’.  In nine times out of ten, selling on value requires a more personal interaction with a buyer – hence the need for ‘Relationship Building’.  The best telemarketing approach for relationship building is consultative telemarketing, but don’t forget that this takes time.  Remember to allow enough time in the sales cycle for the best telemarketing to gain traction.  Choose a highly skilled person on the telephone to help you from day1 and the process should work; but choose poor telemarketing people and you may miss the boat.

Timing – the Feedback Loop
The best telemarketing people will provide you with a constant feedback loop; moreover, they will be able to react and change to circumstances – improving the sales time-line.  Of course you cannot expect this from a call centre, but if you choose the best telemarketing people, the time saved here could prove to be the difference between success and failure. 

Conclusions on the best telemarketing for the complex sale
There’s an old saying – “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and you can’t teach a dumb dog anything”.  Timing is critical in your sales process, so be wary of commoditizing your telemarketing – think ‘Value’ not ‘Price’.  Of course the price is important, but the value is always paramount.  When choosing the best telemarketing people for a complex sale – go for quality over quantity.  There’s little point buying a a car for a sales-person if the car doesn’t start or won’t make it to the sales meeting.  Likewise, you won’t be sending anyone to a sales meeting if you don’t choose the best telemarketing.   If you want the best telemarketing at the right price – call me – Stephen Law, Consultative Telemarketing Expert – 0870 042 1263 stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk

Posted in Lead Generation, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

14/06/2010 by Stephen Law.

Constant Cash Flow demands continuous sales – so sales lead generation is paramount to continuity and expansion for any business.   Telemarketing is still the number 1 for lead generation for all companies who offer a complex product/service to an intelligent buyer.  So why does telemarketing work for some people and not others?  What is the difference between Telemarketing per se and Business Development?

Firstly, here are the main criteria for helping you to decide how to use Telemarketing to find new business:

1)      Low Price + High Volume = use a Telemarketing Call Centre or Internal Staff

2)      High Price + Low Volume = use Business Development Telemarketing

3)      Low Price bulk orders + Low Volume = use Business Development Telemarketing

As a Business Development person, if you call me, the first thing I would do, would be to show you the best route to market – and that is not always telemarketing.  I have a reputation in the business as a straight-talking guy who will only help you if there is a reasonable to excellent chance that I can make you money.  Many Telemarketing Agencies or Call Centres will take your money, regardless of whether you are likely to gain a Return on Investment – that’s the first difference between Telemarketing per se and Business Development Telemarketing.

So are all Business Development people like me?  Well, I’m afraid not.  If I had a pound for everyone who has called me with a sob story about how their Telemarketing went badly, I would be a very rich man.  So before you decide to pay for a telemarketing campaign, consider points 1-3 above and ask yourself which form of telemarketing could work for you?

HOW TO SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

I specialise in offering high-end Consultative Telemarketing using a Business Development methodology.  If you sell a complex product/service to an intelligent buyer it’s my forte to find your buyers and put you in front of them.   So when trying to find someone to help you consider the following in making your decision:

a)      Without the best data, any lead generation will falter.  The best Business Development Telemarketing people will have this data at their fingertips at no extra charge to you.  It’s a relative no-brainer to find a Company Director who you want to sell to, but you will often want to sell to a particular title with roles in Operations, Facilities, IT, Telephony, Event Management, and so on.

b)      A good Business Development Director will cost you £50k +++ whilst a Junior Telemarketing person will cost you £9k+.  The key difference is real life experiences.  As an analogy, would you choose a formula one driver for your racing team or a youngster who has only driven cars on his Xbox?    For Telemarketing purposes, you probably only need a good Business Development person for 1 x day per week and as they are only performing the Lead Generation role, you will be paying a fraction of what a Business Development Director would cost you. 

c)       Beware of Over-Promising and Under-Delivering.  If it sounds too good to be true – then it is probably too good to be true.  You’ll always spot a true Business Development Telemarketing person by the way they ask lots of questions and work out the Return on Investment with you before you discuss a contract. 

d)      A low-level Telemarketing person will talk about call metrics.  A Business Development Telemarketing person will talk about real objectives.  A million calls made but zero appointments provide a useless ROI.  Meeting or exceeding this year’s sales targets is the real objective.

e)      Always buy what you hear when it comes to Telemarketing.  If the person who sells you the contract is not on the phone selling for you – ask yourself why?  It takes skill, determination, persistency and the right balance of charm and humour to win business.  Never make the mistake of meeting your Telemarketing person before they have sold to you on the telephone.  A good face2face closer does not make a good telephone closer.

f)       A Telemarketing person will leave you feeling like you are in control.  A Business Development Telemarketing person will leave you feeling confident in their abilities.

If you have a business and you’re not sure whether Telemarketing is for you, give me a call.  I turn away circa 50% of people who call me – but I leave them with other ideas that will make them more money.  You can contact me on stephen@sl-freelance.co.uk or call me on 0870 042 1263. 

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Business Development, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

04/05/2010 by Stephen Law.

As an SME, how do you use telemarketing targeting to make lots more sales?  Let me explain….

There are basically two main types of people used in telemarketing targeting– what the experts call the “Storm” team or the “Conscript” team.  Think of troops who join an army – one is a volunteer and the other is a conscript.  They’re both soldiers, but one wants to be there and the other has been drafted.  The outcome of battle – in this case, your marketing campaign, will vary greatly depending on which type of people you choose.

Recently, I started helping a client who knew their industry inside out and I was very impressed with their knowledge of how quality telemarketing could help them.  They’d tried different telemarketing approaches for many years and I can say that they were the first client in many years where I could definitely say they knew what they were talking about.  Generally speaking though, such people are rare and that’s where I help.

Each part of the targeting process may seem easy on first appearance.  I still giggle when I’m told “well you make so many calls and out the other end pop sales – that’s how it works isn’t it?”  OK, so most of my clients are not that naive – but most do not truly understand the full mechanics of how to create opportunities by telephone – or rather they understand much of the theory, but perhaps do not understand how to put it in to practice.  For example, I know how to swim, but I’m really not a good swimmer and I’ll never be entering for the Olympics.

Believe it or not, most campaigns are rarely as simple as they seem on paper.  If they were, then everyone would simply figure it out, make the calls and sales would pop out the other end.   In truth, there are many hurdles along the way to working out how to create sales opportunities.  The whole methodology can be split in to a set of processes, but what differentiates the expert from the novice is in the skill of the individual who uses the processes.  Let me explain…

The first process is to find the right data, then you shortlist this using filters such as geography, size of company you want to do business with, and so on.  The difference between the professional and the novice is in what one does with the data thereafter.  The novice telemarketing person makes the calls and logs the outcome.  The professional telemarketing person works on a continuous feedback loop.  Believe it or not, it’s often more important to know why someone said “No” than why someone said “Yes”.

Sometimes, my clients ask me to work out the strategy from day1.  More often, a client has spent hours and hours trying to work it out themselves first then they ask me to fulfil their plan.  The clever clients are those that get me to work it out for them.  Going back to my poor swimming abilities, if you asked me to figure out how to help the British swimming team win the Olympics then I’m a smart guy with an Honours degree, so could I do it?  Of course we both know our team would come last as I may be clever but I just don’t know what it takes to make people swim better.  But ask me how to make people interested in a buying a product or service, then I’m your man - with a 25 year track record of success.

The objective is always clear in telemarketing – to find as many people as possible who want to meet up to discuss buying my clients products/services.  To get this right is the tricky bit.  For example, I had one client whose offering sounded too good to be true.  The problem was how to portray the offering in a way that people could understand, so that they didn’t think I was pulling their leg.  Another client had an offering in a market saturated by competitors so the hard part was to find a way to talk to prospects who would even give anyone 20 seconds of their time.

The feedback loop of market intelligence is always the key.  One has to go over and over the “filters” as to why a customer might buy.  Is it because they live in a certain locality?  Is it because they work in a certain industry?  The novice telemarketing person can burn a big hole in a marketing budget and you may be left with no opportunities, no sales and no idea why everyone kept saying “No!”  So why is it that the “Storm” person keeps winning in such situations?

Whilst the “Conscript” telemarketer is counting the hours until he can go home, the “Storm” telemarketer is constantly trying to figure out how to find the right people and why they will buy.  They look for trends in what people are saying.  They constantly adapt their pitch to suit the buyer.  They constantly adapt emails and feedback as to whether the marketing collateral is working from – is the pdf brochure right?  Is the website giving the right message?  As an SME your greatest strength is to adapt rapidly.  Working with the “Storm” telemarketer, they will find you new opportunities and new ways to make people interested in your offering.

So the next person who tries to sell you “Conscript” telemarketing – think carefully before you act.  Will a conscript be looking at his watch, or looking for a gap in the enemy lines for you to make that big breakthrough?  The Art of Storm Telemarketing is to adapt, adapt and adapt again.   It is said that  “knowledge is power” – so if you really want a powerful campaign – choose your telemarketing people correctly.  A fool can dance around in circles and bring you nothing.  A Rainmaker will bring you some wins – but a Storm-Maker could completely change the way you do business.

Call Storming Stephen Law now on 0870 042 1263 – winning doesn’t have to cost you the Earth.

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Business Development, Telemarketing | No Comments »

26/04/2010 by Stephen Law.

Let me explain the good the bad and the ugly out there in telemarketing in 2010 – so that you can engage the best telemarketing people to make your business money via lead generation.

Firstly, let’s check what to avoid at the extremely poor end of the telemarketing spectrum.  As per my prediction in January 2010, the number of Rookie telemarketing people and awful call centres seems to have spiralled out of control this year.  So my first point is to be wary of the so called “professionals” who suddenly decided to put their details on to Facebook last week and claim to have been doing this for 10, 20, 30 years.  If they started last week, then they started last week – so they’re evidently new to the business and boy does it show!

This week amongst many calls, I received a call from 2 of the worst telemarketing people in history – a Spanish woman who was totally incomprehensible and thought that shouting the same thing 3 times would make me interested?  The second was a young lad from up North who was completely incapable of answering any questions – and he just slammed the phone down when I wouldn’t give him personal data!  I’m getting an increasing number of people asking for help who have just had their fingers burnt with over-promises and under-delivery from seemingly cheap outfits and individuals.

Last month, a chap made a 600 mile trip to come and see me after experiencing the dross of so-called telemarketing companies out there.  This poor chap had been so badly let down by one person after the next that he wanted someone to do the job properly at last.  Generally speaking I don’t meet many of my clients as all business is conducted by internet/telephone, but people are so cautious now that they’re travelling to see me.  

You don’t need to spend hours in a car to meet me, you simply need to look at some basic principles to decide who can help you.  Firstly let’s split this in to 3 categories:

a)      You sell a cheap product and need to sell it in volumes, one-by-one to individuals.  Don’t hire a telemarketing person or a call centre – call me and I’ll help you with Search Engine Marketing that will boost your sales from as little as £250 per calendar month.

b)      You sell an expensive and sophisticated product to intelligent buyers – don’t waste your time with call centres, offshore people with peculiar accents or seemingly cheap people on some kind of pay-per-hour website – call me on 0870 042 1263

c)       If you’re the type of person who needs to be ripped off by someone who overpromises and under-delivers before you take my word for it – please burn a large hole in your bank balance first – then when you’re serious about making money, give me a call and you will be pleasantly surprised at gaining real results for your budget.

If you are serious about creating quality lead generation using telemarketing, take some time and read my other blogs below.  You’ll find ways to sort out the wheat from the chaff and the right questions to ask.

Performed correctly and for the right product or service, the best telemarketing will always provide you with a good return on investment.  As an expert, it’s easy for me to say this, but if you’ve never worked with a professional telemarketing person – give me a call and run through it with me until you have a good understanding, before parting with one penny.  Stephen Law +44 (0)870 042 1263 – website www.sl-freelance.co.uk

Many thanks for reading and wishing you all the best in lead generation via telemarketing.

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »

03/01/2010 by Stephen Law.

Hi, Stephen Law telemarketing expert saying Happy New Year to everyone.  As an award winning telemarketing and sales expert of 25 years, I’ve seen a lot of telemarketing people come and go.  The recession of 2009 appears to have increased the number of freelance telemarketing people out there along with the number of boutique telemarketing agencies.  But is it a good reason to become a professional telemarketer because you were fired from your job?

During 2009 I received numerous calls from would-be telemarketing people trying to find out how I do my job for a living or wanting to join me.  It was as if the recession had driven all the aggressive, nasty and stupid people to take this up for a living.  I even had one chap who started using very rude words when I told him politely that I did not want to tell him all my trade secrets or teach him for free!

The upshot is that you can expect a lot more choice out there in 2010 if you want to find telemarketing people, but more choice doesn’t necessarily mean better service.  This is an important concept to grasp – make sure that you are comparing like-for-like when you seek help with telemarketing.

As always, I’m still offering my inimitable brand of Consultative Telemarketing – highly focused to reach the right objectives.  I’m sorry to say the bar has lowered somewhat in your choice of my competitors for 2010, with a plethora of very basic “scatter-gun” approach individuals and agencies joining the market place.  I’m also offering a new service that I piloted in 2009, that goes beyond the realms of what any other telemarketing professional is offering in the UK.  For the very complex sale I’m employing a new concept that is working well for the guru’s helping the top 100 USA corporations.  Fortunately, I’m not yet charging the same rates for anyone using this enhanced telemarketing strategy - so grab my help here at a hugely discounted rate whilst you can.

My prediction for this year is that you’ll find a lot more choice out there when you’re seeking the best telemarketing in 2010.  I think the markets will pick up this year, but not as rapidly as some people are hoping.  I think we’ll see some of the top telemarketing people (such as me – www.sl-freelance.co.uk 0870 042 1263) losing a bit of ground to the newbie telemarketers at the start of the year.  By the end of 2010, I predict that many of the newbie telemarketers will be running back to 9-5 jobs faster than they can be sued for overpromising and under-delivering.

With the right telemarketing people helping you, a strong offering, and a good sales team, 2010 will bring out the best in telemarketing for you.  Be wary about setting your expectations too high and be ready to “do deals”.  The recession is not over yet – so if you insist on maintaining your prices at the same level and do not offer any incentives, don’t expect buyers to bite your hand off like they might have done in 2008.  If you’re wary of damaging your brand by offering any incentives – that’s a valid stance, but make sure you bear that in mind when setting your objectives. 

The same rules as ever apply out there when looking for the best telemarketing.  Makes sure you know who is making the phone calls for you – it’s all well and good speaking to a brilliant telemarketing manager – but will they be the one making the calls for you?  If you choose freelance telemarketing  (someone like me www.sl-freelance.co.uk )– you’re guaranteed that the person you work with is also making the calls for you.

Finding the best telemarketing people in 2010 still comes down to your judgement of them on the telephone when they talk to you.  If you call a telemarketing person or a telemarketing agency and you are bored or aggravated – the chances are that this is how they will behave towards your prospective clients.  So if you’ve been on the telephone for 15 minutes, the time has flown and you like what you are hearing – let them close you and you know they will close your clients.

Like many people, I want to compare like-for-like.  I get very frustrated in a supermarket if one packet of biscuits is priced per biscuit and another per gram.  So here’s a quick checklist for you to choose the best telemarketing for 2010:

1)      Are they assertive or aggressive?

2)      Did they interest you or bore you?

3)      Did they ask key questions by charming you or being too pushy?

4)      Did they close you on the next call to action or leave you wondering what the next step is?

5)      Did their explanation of how to generate opportunities leave you feeling excited or confused?

6)      Was the conversation all about metrics or objectives?

7)      Were databases, pitches, campaign emails, calls – all inclusive or an additional cost?

      Would you want that person representing your business?

This is not an exhaustive checklist for finding the best telemarketing in 2010, but if anyone you speak to scores 8/8 then shortlist them immediately. 

If possible – DO NOT MEET UP WITH ANYONE until you’ve covered the above checklist by telephone.  Remember that the best telemarketing people are going to help you on the telephone not in the field.  A face2face meeting before conducting this process could seriously provide you with a false impression of their telephone capabilities.

Finally, the best telemarketing people will do their best not to over-promise.  I’ve lost count of the number of people who’ve loved me initially on the telephone, gone with someone who over-promised, then returned to me to do a proper job.  Instead – try a pilot (a short trial) on telemarketing of about 4 days work – this will be your final decider on who’s the best telemarketing person for you in 2010.

If you want to short-circuit your learning curve – call me on 0870 042 1263, I’ll give you an honest account of the best people out there and you can compare them yourself.  Bear in mind that I work for the top UK agencies, so I’ll happily recommend them for you.  Better still, come to me direct and you’ll be even happier with my direct rates – www.sl-freelance.co.uk.

Happy New Year and happy hunting.

Posted in Freelance Telemarketing, Lead Generation, Telemarketing | 1 Comment »