With telesales, your next sale is just a phone call away. But if you thought that direct marketing couldn't get easier than this, think again! Telesales is a powerful tool to directly reach your existing and potential customers. But to turn it into an effective direct marketing strategy, you will need to plan and manage your campaign system process just as effectively.

Telesales has an advantage because unlike direct mailers that might go straight into the shredder, it gives you a chance to make a direct contact with your target audience, and be heard. For instance, when we hear the phone ringing, the normal reaction is to answer it. We don't ignore the phone even when we may not recognize the number that's flashing. And once you have the attention of the target audience, it is up to your telesales representative to engage them and achieve your objective, whether it is to close a sale, generate leads, or follow up on your direct mailing campaign.

But how do you manage to keep the person on the other side on the phone and make them listen to you?

With good telesales skills and a script! As any seasoned direct marketer will tell you, the biggest dilemma that they face is whether or not to provide a script to their team of telesales representatives. If they do, the next question is if they should just ask the team to stick verbatim to the written word or follow their instincts? The middle path, probably would be give the callers an informal script, which is essentially an outline of what they should say; and then give them the leeway to improvise based on the customer reaction.

Here are some quick tips to set up your telesales campaign:

1. Have a clear objective before you set out. Are you prospecting, arranging appointments, or direct selling?

2. Prepare a detailed script with optional responses to some of the likely questions that your prospective customer could ask.

3. Pay attention to the language. The right words help create a good first impression and the right impression can help you clinch a deal.

4. Brevity is appreciated. Long-winded scripts will only irritate the customer. You are intruding into their time. Keep your call short.

5. Get to the point quickly and let them know your USP as quickly as possible. Whether it is the price or the free delivery, try to invoke a positive response from the customer.

6. Get your team to practice their lines. But make sure they don't sound rehearsed.

7. Instruct them to adapt your script to match the customer's first reaction. They should be willing to answer any questions and doubts that they might have.

Remember, when the customer answered your call, you got your foot inside the door. Try to build on this advantage and achieve your objective as quickly as possible.

Source: Guy Artuso link