Company Perspective

• 1). Comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) regulations, which are enforced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). These require telemarketing firms to maintain and enforce "do not call" lists, have curfew hours when calls are not to be made (9 p.m. to 8 a.m.) and comply with proper business activities.
  
  
• 2). Check if the state you are telemarketing in requires a permit or license to do so. Costs for these licenses will depend on the product, the demographic and type of business, but they can run as much as $6000. Bonds may be as high as $100,000.
  
  
• 3). Prepare a guideline of how telemarketers will speak and pitch the product. This includes a basic greeting, product highlights and information regarding questions or objections that may arise. Train telemarketers to be courteous and listen to prospects.
  
  
• 4). Obtain leads that are qualified, meaning that they are interested prospects with buying power. Getting good leads is a major part of what makes telemarketers successful. Leads can range from opening the telephone book to asking for referrals from existing customers to contacting a lead seller and buying a list.
  
  
• 5). Hire competent management to train telemarketers in calling protocol and product information, as well as to deal with problems and complaints.
  
  
• 6). Implement a call-recording system that allows managers to review calls and help telemarketers improve their call ratios and closing rates.
  
  

Telemarketer Perspective

• 1). Call and call and call. Telemarketing is a numbers game. The more calls you make, the more likely you will find people who will say yes. Depending on the product and length of call, most telemarketers should expect to make somewhere around 200 to 300 calls per day.
  
  
• 2). Smile and dial. It sounds goofy, but smiling while talking on the phone makes a person sound more personable and interesting. If the prospects think you are interesting, they are more likely to stay on the line.
  
  
• 3). Know your product inside and out and be enthusiastic about it. Prospects will buy from those whom they perceive as experts, plain and simple.
  
  
• 4). Realize that customers will object. It is human nature. The general rule in sales is a person will say "no" at least three times before they say "yes." Don't let the first objection shut you down.
  
  
• 5). Keep track of your sales calls and closing ratios. Ask for feedback from managers to make you more effective and don't hesitate to have fun. Do anything you can to keep your energy up and awareness. After 200 calls and getting only answering machines, you don't want to lose that first real contact because you didn't realize someone actually answered the phone.