For any business that relies on sales, telesales is essential to building a good client base. For those on the receiving end of a telesales call it can be a pain to be interrupted just when you are sitting down to dinner. But telesales does have a good side. Many charities rely on telesales for their donations. It is a rather simple process that has become high tech with the development of software that automatically dials a set of phone numbers from a list.

Some software even takes into account fax machines, busy lines and numbers that are no longer working. It is a way of life that both sides of the phone must contend with. So what is the middle ground for businesses trying to make new accounts and people wanting to be left alone while at home. In this article we will cover some of the basics of telesales and how it applies to your situation.

How does telesales work?
Telesales works by you or a salesperson placing a call to a number on a list. You, or a machine, dials the call and then presents the information you want to pass on to the prospective customer. The person may already be a customer of your company and you are calling to offer them a special deal. There are two types of calls that are placed. One is cold calling and the other is when the person requests a call from the company or has filled out an information call requesting a call from a representative.

How do I get a list of prospective clients?
Most businesses will use their existing client base if they are offering a new promotion or upgrade. But for those telesales representatives that need to cold call people then they will buy their lists from different companies who specialize in gaining access to people's phone numbers. There are quite a few companies on the market that sell leads. One company is Sales Genie.
They offer a list of a certain amount of numbers for a set price. The telesales company buys these lists and then begins to call them.

What are auto-dialers?
Auto-dialers are machines and software that will scan a call list and automatically dial the number for you. When the call goes through and it is time for you to speak you will be notified. New, sophisticated versions of auto-dialers will take into account fax machine numbers, non-working numbers and busy numbers so that your line will be automatically disconnected and you will go on to the next number on the list. Many of the new software lines have an automatic greeting and a recording of what is being offered. They give the caller the opportunity to either hang up or press a button to speak to a live representative.

What is the "Do Not Call List?"
There are two types of "Do Not Call Lists." One is a national registry where you add your name and phone number so that businesses will know not to call you. The other is a state registry where you put your name and number on a list so that local businesses will not call you. The Do Not Call registry is a recent development on behalf of consumers that are tired of being plagued with telesales representatives calling their homes at all hours of the day and night. But there is a catch to this list. If you already do business with the company, they can still call you.

Source: Mike Selvon