Question:  What’s the best way to determine if a candidate can handle a telesales position?

Answer:  Conduct a telephone interview.

A short, targeted initial telephone screening will provide you with insights into the tele talents of the candidate. 

Teletip:  Break the interview into two segments:  a short, introductory segment and a second, more involved series of interview questions.  This enables you and your managers to end an interview gracefully if the candidate is not a fit and/or does not project a professional teleselling image.

Stay on top of your Customer’s experience:  Conduct a quick Customer Service Tele Checkup

(1) Do you know what your customers and prospects hear when they call your company?
(2) Are your Customer Service representatives and/or the person answering your main number courteous, knowledgeable, and professional?
(3) Are you sure your customers and prospects are getting the best service and the right information each and every time they call your company?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘No’ or ‘I don’t know’, consider implementing a regular tele checkup program. Every week, make a few calls to your company’s main number and to your Customer Service line. Make the calls on different days, at different times of the day. And come to the calls prepared with specific questions. This exercise will provide with the answers to questions (1), (2). & (3) and more.

Teletip: If you have a distinctive voice, it would be worth the investment to hire a ‘secret shopper’ to do these calls on your behalf.

Be Specific About the Contribution Telesales Can Make in Your Sales Plan

Doing business by phone requires thought and planning. Begin by developing a separate and specific Telesales Plan.

Too often companies develop their Field Sales plan then add the Telesales component at the end or as a supplement. To create a successful Telesales function, the first step is to develop a specific plan, independent of Field and Partner/Affiliate Sales. What contribution do you want the Telephone Sales team to make? Lead Generation? Direct Selling? Database Management?  Account Management/Support? Examine your markets, your products, your prospects, your customers, and your partners & affiliates.

Telesales can play a variety of roles, large to small, in the successful execution of a sales plan. Begin by developing a plan that specifically identifies how your company will leverage teleselling. Once the plan is developed, merge it into your company’s sales plan in order to develop a strategy that matches the right resources to the sales objective.

Telemarketing vs. Telesales:  What’s the difference?

Years ago, the word ‘Telemarketing’ described all outbound calling activities, ranging from prospecting to closing sales to account support & management. 

In the late 80s, the word ‘Telesales’ became the buzzword for selling via phone and ‘Telemarketing’ was relegated to describing prospecting and lead qualification. 
‘Telemarketing’ was marketing and promotion.  ‘Telesales’ was the process of closing the sale over the phone.

These days, the words ‘Telemarketing’ and ‘Telesales’ are often used interchangeably.  If you look these words up in two different dictionaries, you will likely find the same definition used for both words (see ‘telemarketing’ in the American Heritage Dictionary and ‘telesales’ in the Cambridge Advanced Learner Dictionary).

Either term is acceptable, how you and your company use the words is the important part.

What’s in your (tele) background?

In this week’s column, Boston Globe columnist Brian McGrory (‘Public safety hang-ups’, April 18, 2007) tells a great story about the Scottsdale, Arizona Police Department and its unique recruiting efforts.  It is posting ‘help wanted’ signs in the men’s rooms of major baseball stadiums. 

What struck me was the last paragraph.  Greg Carlin, the chief recruiting officer for Scottsdale PD, said he had received one call from someone who was in Fenway Park and it was obvious the call was being made from the bathroom.

This got me to thinking ‘What’s in my background?’ How many times have I tried to carry on a conversation with a customer service rep or sales person and the background was distracting or, worse, getting in the way? 

When your company makes or receives calls from customers and prospects, be sure the background reflects the professionalism of the call.  If you find it doesn’t, buy a sound machine or a fan.  Anything that masks the chatter and the noise. 

What’s in your tele background?

Read Brian McGrory’s complete column:  Brian McGrory’s 4/18/2007 column