Let’s face it, the terms ‘telemarketing’ and ‘telesales’ are often tossed about interchangeably, but most people don’t know the difference between the two, let alone which one they need, or which one will generate results.
The confusion may stem from the word itself. Traditionally Telesales (a much older term) existed as an entity in itself. Telemarketing is a much more modern term and refers to all activities which use a telephone in order to connect with potential customers. Examples of telemarketing may include: lead generation, appointment setting, canvassing existing customers, market research or brand awareness.
This may clear things up a little:
Telemarketing: A service which generates interest, creates opportunities, increases brand awareness, and produces leads via the telephone. The role of telemarketing is often to support the sale of goods or services.
Telesales: A service which sells your product/solution directly to the customer via the telephone. For example, double glazing, PPI insurance claims, utility comparison (Yes all of those things that annoy you on a Sunday evening…but hey, we’re bias!).
Now that you are aware of the difference, you can choose the service you require depending on the results you want to achieve.
What can Telemarketing do for you?
- Takes the time and effort out of segmenting your market, targeting them effectively and positioning your brand
- Identifies potential leads for your sales team to close
- Creates a reliable source of information as it is being verified by an outsourced team
- A host of expertise in one manageable campaign
- Reduces the cost of keeping it in-house. Check out our blog ‘It costs HOW much?’ for more info!
- Reduces the amount of time your sales team spend cold calling
- Professionally presents your brand and acts as an extension to your team
- Reveals ‘low hanging fruit’. These are customers who are already prepared to buy a product or service and do not require much (if any) persuasion.
What can Telesales do for you?
- Takes the time out of converting your leads into sales
- A professionally trained telesales team increases your conversion rates whilst decreasing your costs per sale.
- Helps you to convert those difficult leads into sales
- Resourceful telesales campaigns respond to the accurate customer data supplied by well-organized telemarketing campaigns.
- Cold Calling needs a particular temperament; reduce potential customer annoyance by employing experienced cold callers who are sensitive but highly persuasive.
As a General Rule
If you are good at selling your product, but need a little help gaining momentum and attracting prospects, you need Telemarketing
If you have a healthy pot of prospects but struggle to close the leads, you need Telesales
