Telemarketing companies are plentiful, but not all will be suited to your business.
Phone calls for lead qualification is an effective solution for acquiring new leads and growing your business. For this reason, many companies outsource telemarketing to specialized providers.
However, some companies do not get the most out of their providers because they do not clearly define what they expect from them!
When selecting a telemarketing company, you need to ensure you have as much information as possible to make the best decision. You must ensure that the company will represent your business properly to your prospects and that it will not cost you opportunities due to a lack of experience.
You need to be very cautious because selecting a prospecting company means choosing the people who will represent you and often make the first contact with your future clients.
Finding the right partner for telemarketing can be a lengthy and challenging process.
We provide you with the 6 secrets for selecting your telemarketing partner:
1. Define Your Needs with the Telemarketing Company
Before starting the search for a telemarketing company, you need to have a clear sales strategy and well-defined marketing goals.
Defining your needs is an essential step so that your provider can fulfill them and successfully carry out your B2B appointment-setting campaign.
You can create a document outlining the details of your strategy. This document will help you identify telemarketing companies that can meet your needs and provide you with appropriate, detailed commercial offers.
2. Ensure the expertise of the telemarketing company (B2B vs. B2C)
Campaigns targeting businesses differ from those targeting consumers. When selecting a telemarketing company, it's crucial to carefully consider whether the company specializes in B2B or B2C.
Today, we can only capture prospects' attention if the information provided is relevant and useful. If an appointment-setting campaign is vague, the results will be unremarkable.
On the other hand, if you are a B2B company, a telemarketing company specialized in B2B will likely understand your needs better and will be better equipped in terms of expertise and experience to market your products and services.
Their telemarketers have the skills needed to address the technical aspects of your products and services to your prospects.
Once you have selected B2B companies, try to dig deeper to find out if they have sufficient experience in your field: IT, ICT, Fintech, crowdfunding, etc.
3. Choose a telemarketing company that has clients in the same industry as yours
Choose a company that already has clients in the same industry as yours (Fintech, IT, ICT, etc.).
Nowadays, telemarketing platforms specialize by industry.
The more experience they have in your industry, the quicker the setup and launch of the campaign will be, and you will see positive results in a shorter time frame.
You can also request details about the background of the telemarketers who will be assigned to your campaign.
Don’t hesitate to request a recent business case or testimonial, even if some data may be missing for confidentiality reasons.
4. Identify the type of compensation of the telemarketing company—fixed or variable
Generally, in telemarketing, the results will vary depending on the compensation model offered.
For example, with compensation based on appointments, you’ll receive a higher volume of leads compared to a fixed compensation model. However, with the latter, you’ll get more qualified and targeted appointments.
With a fixed compensation, you can know the cost of the campaign without surprises, which is difficult to control with a pay-per-lead model.
Regardless of the type of compensation, make sure you can assess the return on investment of your campaign.
5. Define the reporting model that the telemarketing company provides
After gathering information about experience and costs, the fifth secret is to discuss their reporting method.
>You need feedback at each stage of the campaign, with formalized reports and key metrics: number of calls, number of successful and well-argued calls, number of appointments set, etc.
The company must provide you with both qualitative and quantitative reports of the campaign so that you have a comprehensive view of your telemarketing operation.
These reports can be customized in their information systems and will be generated automatically according to your needs: daily, weekly, monthly, etc.
6. Determine the compatibility of the telemarketing company with your marketing team.
Choose the telemarketing company that acts as an extension of your sales team and collaborates with your marketing team. Such a company not only serves as a telemarketing platform but also provides advice to optimize your campaigns.
They will support you with additional services such as handling inbound calls and tracking your leads through each stage of the buying cycle.
Every company, whether a start-up or one that has been established for several years, needs fresh blood to continue its growth. The quest for new prospects is a challenge that telemarketing can solve.
However, choosing the right provider can be a challenging process. Selecting a provider lacking in competence and experience can damage your company’s reputation, rendering your lead generation efforts futile. You should speak with multiple providers before selecting the one that best meets your needs.
This selection process requires significant effort, but if you follow the 6 secrets outlined in this article, you will find the provider who can generate the leads you are looking for and increase your revenue.