Telemarketing

Telemarketing or Telesales is a relatively new career option in the country. The nature of the job is clear from the name itself i.e. marketing through telephone. Telemarketing is a common form of outbound dialing where employee's job basically involves making phone calls to market the products and services of the assigned company. Telemarketing jobs play an important role in the profit and sales success of many business. It is a proven way of efficient and effective marketing and is widely used by various industries to make contact with their clients. A wide variety of products and services from office supplies to savings accounts to resort memberships are sold through telemarketing. Telemarketers are sales and marketing representatives who do business strictly through telephone. At times, it also involves web conferencing appointments during the call. Telemarketers are also known as outgoing call center representatives. A telemarketer’s job is generally to persuade people to do or buy something. In simple terms, the main goal of a telemarketer is to convert a call into a sale. The job may also involve collecting information and contacts of prospective clients, attending incoming request for information etc. It is not as easy as in direct marketing to convince clients in telemarketing. In direct marketing, we are approaching the customers directly so it is much easy to convince them and get a deal. Whereas in telemarketing one has to be convinced through calls or just your voice to market a service or product. You need good telemarketing skills to succeed in this field. Telemarketing revolves around promotion and marketing. It has been widely categorized into business to business and business to consumer. It has got roots into product marketing, fundraising, opinion surveys, customer service and lot others. Telemarketers are typically paid by the hour, and they may earn incentives and commission based on performance. Even with minimum qualifications, people can engage in telemarketing activities and enjoy its wide range of benefits. Eligibility Educational This job is completely based on skills and language. Those with any academic qualification and good communication skills can enter the field. However, some knowledge of sales, marketing and customer service can be helpful for the aspirants. There are institutes that provide training in this field. These training modules are aimed at imparting skills set with regards to proper accent, listening skills, telephone etiquette, cyber grammar, customer relationship skills, management skills and knowledge of various telemarketing terminologies. Computer and typing skills are also enhanced in these courses. Personal skills Main requisite is excellent communication and negotiation skills. Apart from this other requirements include • Strong sales skills • Pleasant voice & Telephone manners • Patience and politeness • Listening skill • Confidence in the product • To be able to work under pressure • Complete understanding of the sales process More over one should have thorough knowledge about the product you are trying to sell as well as about the company. Along with the product one must be able to explain how the companies product is better than that of the competitors. Ideally there should be no stalling during calls, you must sound convincing and confident and knowledgeable about anything related to the product, company, contacts and the sales process. Job prospects and career options Since telemarketing jobs are available on a full-time or part-time basis, this option is ideal for students, housewives and even retired hands who are trying to earn some money. Telemarketing also gives the option to work from home. Although the task of the telemarketer vary from industry to industry, their work is more or less the same. Though Telemarketers are mainly engaged in promoting sales and taking part in marketing activities through telephone calls, their job is not entirely inclined towards just pushing sales – they also call people and conduct surveys, act as customer service executives, consultants or request for monetary donations for charitable or political organizations. A qualified telemarketer can specialize in different segments such as Tele Lead Management, Decision Maker Contacts, Appointment Scheduling, Debt Collection Services, Database Selling, Market Intelligence Services, Product Promotion, Research Surveys and Polling, Telephone and Web-based Business Development, Up Sell or Cross Sell Campaigns, Direct Mail Follow-up and Seminar Population. There are mainly two types of telemarketing services : Outbound telemarketing and Inbound telemarketing. Outbound telemarketing services involve making telephonic calls for generating leads, scheduling appointments, verifying information and cleaning lists. Outbound telemarketing services are geared primarily towards selling products or services to customers, potential or existing. Inbound Telemarketing services involve answering calls from prospects, answering queries about product or service and fixing appointments with sales representatives. Inbound telemarketing is resorted to by hotels, banks, airlines and merchants. Home Shopping Network is one of the largest inbound telemarketing services. Remuneration How much you earn in telemarketing depends on whether you work on commission or on a straight hourly rate. If the calls are for a sales company, telemarketing jobs can be highly profitable, with a large portion of their salary being commission-based as well as salary-based. You can start as a telemarketing trainee and work your way up to become a team leader, where you oversee the work of several juniors. A fresh graduate can start a telemarketing career as a Customer Care Executive and be paid with attractive compensation packages ranging from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 10,000. Depending on performance, qualifications and capabilities salary can be in the range of Rs.25,000-Rs. 35,000. Furthermore, telemarketing employees are given bonus incentives based on the number of sales they generate.