Even if we are successful with this approach the quality of the rest of the call is critical in influencing any results.

Telemarketing scripts should be developed to allow us to move in and around any calls we make to provide answers or solutions to any responses given.

We need to make sure that even if we can convince the person called that they should provide us with all or any information we are asking for that we summarise what we may have done and leave them feeling as “warm/2 as possible about the whole experience – and that is difficult!

Telemarketing – cost effective or just plain costly?

Marketing by its very nature is a volatile beast at the best of times and with the maze of marketing activities on offer, it can be difficult to determine the most effective route to pursue.

A successful marketing campaign takes planning enterprise, and smart use of a company’s resources, whether they are in-house or outsourced. Michael Jackson of EB Marketing suggests that Telemarketing is one of the most successful forms of marketing available and in fact gives one of the best returns on investment.

Whilst on the outside the telemarketing approach may look like a simple and easy way to generate new business it is not as straightforward as it first may seem.

Successful telemarketing requires good communications between the telemarketing company and the client through both the good times and the bad. It also requires a new vibrant way of approaching telemarketing to be a success and with cost effectiveness at the forefront of any campaign; it must ultimately demonstrate measurable results.

It is common practice for many telemarketing agencies to offer either appointment setting or lead generation, so why do they not offer both? And why not at no extra cost?

Enter pipeline management

Pipeline management is simply the process of arranging appointments where the potential client is ready to discuss requirements of whom has a budget, and who plans to make the changes now.

Generating leads for those who show similar interest but suffer from budget issues or for those who are awaiting budget, requires more work and effort, but results in a bigger pipeline for the client.

Naturally budget is an important factor in any marketing activity, and clearly the Pipeline Management approach is a double winner: the client gets more for their money, and the telemarketing company is able to build a long-term relationship as a result of the size of the pipeline they have built over time.But offering Pipeline Management alone will not guarantee a long and happy client relationship – they must be offered more.