Plan telemarketing, firms advised

Companies using telemarketing as part of their lead generation plan have a number of factors they must take into consideration.

This is according to Tamara Monosoff, who told Alibaba that while this strategy is an effective way of generating sales and arranging sales appointments, there are numerous issues that need to be addressed if the technique is to prove successful.

Firstly, she advised businesses to ensure they have a list of prospective clients drawn up before they begin the process, as well as a plan of how they are going to handle each call.

Firms should avoid trying to introduce themselves, describe their product and conclude a sale all in one call, Ms Monosoff noted, stating that instead they should look to complete just one of these, reserving the rest for a later date.

"If your objective is to set up a sales appointment, craft your script to this goal and stick to it," she told the news source, adding that doing this will both boost credibility and increase sales rates.

"Even in our internet-based world, few tools are more effective and necessary for generating sales ... than the good old telephone," she concluded.

Earlier this month, industry expert Brian Swanson told the CPA Technology Advisor that telemarketing has the advantage of greater interaction with customers when compared to other forms of lead generation.