Telemarketing is one of the most difficult ways to secure sales for your company, but if done correctly, can lead to massive opportunities.

Telemarketing is the direct marketing of goods or services to potential customers over the telephone or the internet.

Speaking on MoneyMovesJa with Kalilah Reynolds, Executive Chairman of TGL Group, Duane Lue-Fung, said that direct marketing is not the best way to get sales for a company.

“But in some industries, it’s the only way to sell. It can be a powerful tool to line up and close a sale,” he said.

Lue-Fung explained that telemarketing strips some of the key things needed to close a sale with a potential customer.

“The close happens when you engage people, when you develop a rapport and build a relationship. That is hard to do over the phone. People are rushing you off the phone,” he explained.

According to Lue-Fung, the best way to combat this and master telemarketing is to know the best time to call.

“Typically in the industry globally, they have said that the best time to call is anywhere between 4-5 pm,” he said.

He explained that this is where most businesses go wrong, assuming that the best time to call is in the morning.

“Think about it, at 9/10 o’clock you are just getting your bearings and getting ready to start on your to-do list. The last thing you want is for someone to call and try to sell you something,” he explained.

He added that calling close to the end of the work day increases the chances that the potential client has time to give the call their full attention.

Secondly, the veteran sales officer said that before calling it is important to set a goal for the call.

“Make sure you figure out exactly what you want to achieve from this call before you take the phone up. Don’t just try to wing it, remember that the prospect really doesn’t have a lot of time. Your job is to go in quickly and come out,” he said.

He also urged being prepared with the relevant information such as the person’s name and job title. He said that this shows the potential client that you have done the research and are a professional.

Next is the introduction, which he said is crucial in nailing the deal.

“You only get a short amount of time to make a good first impression,” he said.
“If you don’t impress them in the first 30 seconds then chances are they won’t want to give you another 30,” he added.

To that extent, Lue-Fung said that having and following a call script is equally as important. He said that not only does the script help you stay on topic, ensuring that your point comes across, but it also helps to manage time.

He emphasized that the prospective client likely only has a few minutes to speak therefore having a concise but engaging script ensures that you are not fumbling around trying to find the right words.

Finally, Lue-Fung said callers should be prepared to go to a voicemail.

“Sometimes you call multiple times and don’t get an answer, so be prepared to leave a voicemail,” he said.

He said callers should have a separate message script for voicemail to entice the listener to call back.