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Thread: Telemarketers on commission

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    Platinum Member Chatmaster's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RKS Computer Solutions View Post
    CM -- How is your team going to go about getting data in order to start cold calling?
    Well, the target market is strictly businesses so we will be doing it the old fashioned way, the yellow pages
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

  2. #12
    Email problem RKS Computer Solutions's Avatar
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    How would the NCA affect your cold calling? Nothing against you, but suddenly extremely glad I haven't even got a hellkom line...

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    Hopefully it will not affect me. Business interested in my services will pay the full amount via EFT or cash into my business account. I do not work with credit in any way. My consultation fees are also calculated upfront and payment needs to be upfront else no service. I have bumped my head several times in the past with non-payments and I am a bit reluctant offering any kind of service without payments upfront.

    RKS I must say I actually never thought that the NCA would effect a telemarketing business. I actually discussed the possibility of providing the service to other businesses with my marketing manager yesterday, after the responses I received here. She is of the opinion that the only way a proper telemarketer will work is on commission basis only so we are actually thinking of broadening the scope there. This might result in us having to investigate the effect the NCA will have on us.
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

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    just me duncan drennan's Avatar
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    I think what Riaan was eluding to is more the impact of the NCA on cold calling, as we discussed in another thread. In my personal reading of that section of the NCA, I can't see how it impacts on cold calling. The issue is raises is really more with how a credit provider uses your information, and what permissions you give them - something which has been standard practice by banks for a long time.
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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Pulling telephone numbers out of the Yellow Pages - you can't get much more than "from the public domain" than that. So there shouldn't be a problem.

    Perhaps the only thing to guard against is calling the same person/company too regularly. I certainly get a little steamed when I get two canvassing calls from the same company within weeks - normally because they've hired someone else who has started working from A again.

  6. #16
    Email problem RKS Computer Solutions's Avatar
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    CM -- A few things :

    1. boomerangmarketing found in adsense below the reply box, they are in Cape Town

    2. I have the same issue as Dave, if you're going to want to do this right, get someone to write a software solution for you that keeps track of who you have called, at which dates and what the crux of the conversation was when it happened. The best option would be use a database and have it available to all telemarketers at all times in order for any one of them wanting to follow up with a client, to have that clients history. This would also allow you to build up your own contact base.

    3. Get a decent ADSL connection, I know it's difficult in SA with Hellkom raping our country still, but follow me to the next point.

    4. Use VOIP, something like Skype, you'd be amazed how much money can be saved.

    5. Please add my phone nr: 0800-"""""""" - "Welcome to the Psychic Hotline, don't say anything and hang up immediately, we already know who you are and what you want. We will call you right back"

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    Quote Originally Posted by RKS Computer Solutions View Post
    How would the NCA affect your cold calling? Nothing against you, but suddenly extremely glad I haven't even got a hellkom line...
    The NCA is only applicable to Credit Providers, hence the name National Credit Act

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    Just some feedback on this matter. I am waiting for Telkom to provide us with more phonelines, but so far we are working the numbers. My team has been instructed to end calls the moment someone try to avoid a possible sale, so NO pushyness. So far all is going well and the project seems to be working. We are using "Act" to manage the database.
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

  9. #19
    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    I'm a bit curious about a couple of things - hopefully nothing too sensitive - like:

    What % of calls do you manage to get past the "realisation you're selling something" stage to actually describe what you're selling?

    Are there any techniques you've found in improving that percentage?

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    Well, Dave. I am not a professional telesales guy, nor did I receive any kind of training on it. My Marketing manager I appointed didn't last past the 1st week and I manage the team on my own atm. So there is very little professional about my conduct, so with that out of the way lets chat about my current strategy.

    My opinion about telesales is that it is the most annoying thing to be targeted with, therefore my company shouldn't be associated with annoyance. We ensure that we talk to the right person. No slap bang I am so and so and I want to tell you about our product thing. That is all fine, that is off course what the telesales person want, they want to tell the prospect about their product. But because it is business to business, the scenario should be different. The product is me and the medium is my workshops. The last thing I want is a company representative being forced to be on one of my workshops by a pushy sales person. That causes issues I do not wish to deal with atm. So the steps we take at the moment is the following.

    • Ensure we know who we talk to and what their current status is with regards to their website. I do the prospect lists myself and therefore a company getting a call from one of my telesales team members has serious issues with their websites and do need to attend my course
    • We ensure that we talk to the right people. I cannot afford wasting money on non-targeted phone calls o once again I make sure that we talk to the right person. That in my case is either the Marketing Manager, Human Resources manager or the MD (Many companies doe not have a marketing manager)
    • The next step is to introduce yourself as a representative inviting their company to attend the workshop. This normally bring the next question which is what the course entails
    • We normally have a short introduction about the workshop
    • Then the person would be in position to respond whether or not they are interested. Either way (interested or not) we ask for an email address. I would then personally respond via an email that introduce the prospect to me and my workshops. I might even include a evaluation and motivation why I think they should attend.
    • My emails are tagged and a day after the mail was read a followup call will take place. This normally end up with a booking or a possible interest for a later booking.


    My current closing % is in the region of 7%. Although this is not nearly as high as I would like it to be, my ROI makes it truly worth while.

    I hate interrupt marketing and the idea is to make it as pleasant for the receiver of the call as possible.

    Well with regards to improving the percentage, removing the pushiness made an improvement as well as the format of the emails we sent. I cannot take payments over the phone because the business market doesn't allow for it. This makes the closing of sales a bit more expensive.
    Roelof Vermeulen (Entrepreneurship in large organizations)
    Roelof Vermeulen| Rock flaps south africa

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