What are some reasons why outbound telemarketing programs fail?

Erik,

There are so many variables that are involved in a telemarketing campaign but, I would say that there are a couple that stand out.

#1 Goals - Most telemarkting programs that my clients have tried in the past did not have clear goals, and they did not really plan for what the program was trying to accomplish. You need to have VERY clear goals, and you have to have a plan for the effort. make your goals measurable, and be clear on your expected outcomes.

#2 Targeting - If you don't target your efforts on the right group, any sales effort will fail, telemarketing included. You have to be very clear in who you are targeting, and what are the goals of the campaign (see #1 above). I was visiting my Mother-in-Law, and a telemarketer called and tried to pitch a college savings program to her. She is way past that stage, and all I could think of was that that was a total waste of the company's resources.

#3 Preperation and training of the caller - Most companies employ a "just smile and dial" philosophy, and only give their callers a basic script. Give them responses to the most common objections, and you will see a much better response rate.

#4 Timing - Be aware of the time that your calls are made. For consumer calls, avoid dinner time calls at all costs, as it really does annoy 99% of households. For B2B calls, avoid lunch hour calls, as well as Monday morning calls (a recent survey showed that over 70% of senior executives have regularly scheduled meetings on Monday mornings!)

So, IMHO, those are the primary reasons most telemarketing efforts fail.

Hi Erik,

It’s all about the quality of the ‘Humanware’ you deploy in your Telemarketing Call Center to begin with.

Hiring the wrong TeleSales Agent is the Root Cause of most Telemarketing Call Center Performance Issues. It’s also a significant drain on your Budget & Bottom Line – on Customer Satisfaction - and on overall Sales Results. Every failed hire represents wasted dollars down the drain. Not to mention the Lowered Productivity, Poor Morale & Higher Absences associated with a Poor Job Fit.

While most everyone can use a telephone - not everyone is cut out to work in a Telemarketing Call Center environment. Someone may have “The Right Stuff” to be a great Customer Service & Support CSR – it doesn’t necessarily follow that the same individual is also a good fit for the more demanding & sales-oriented requirements of Up-Sell/Cross-Sell/Customer Win-Back – let alone Inside Sales or TeleSales.

Typically there are 3 grades of TeleSales Agents found in a Call Center: (Above Average), (Average), and (Below Average).

(Above Average) TeleSales Agents seem to have “The Right Stuff” that pushes them to succeed & a natural compatibility with the duties of the position. They work hard - exceed expectations - do more than asked - achieve high-quality consistent sales results - can always be counted upon - need little direction & work extremely well with everyone.

(Average) TeleSales Agents perform their duties adequately enough “to get by” - but no better. They are the partially competent. Generally they’re strong from a Skills standpoint but missing a key ingredient or two from a Job Fit and Sales Closing standpoint.

(Below Average) TeleSales Agents are the people who just don’t fit somehow. Sometimes they’re good people in the wrong jobs. They need extra coaching & supervision just to achieve average results. Often they cause unnecessary conflict. (Below Average) TeleSales Agents have the Highest Levels of Absenteeism, Lowest Levels of Productivity & Sales, Poorest Performance & Customer Satisfaction Ratings, and generally have a Negative Impact on Team Morale. They represent the real problems in a Telemarketing Call Center workforce. While (Average) & (Below Average) TeleSales Agents may seem fully qualified at the Interview Stage – they’re a Poor Job Fit – the cost of hiring them is enormous – with little value add to an organization.

Top performing Telemarketing Call Centers drive their Revenue & Performance through superior hiring tactics. We help employers gain better insight & more accurate predictions as to which applicants from a pool of Candidates would perform up to, or beyond their established standards. You can find out about a Free Trial of SPAS Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Screening Software at http://www.telesoftsystems.ca/64201.html