| Testing Is Not An Option - It's Mandatory! | |||||||
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The biggest mistake is to ignore testing in favor of following one's own
good judgment. It's all very well to have a gut feeling that you're going to do it right
the first time, without testing. But there are very few cases where this has in fact
worked. Testing is a painstaking process. It requires you to take one step at a time. A refinement here - a half turn there. Success consists of the sum total of making a series of small improvements. It means continually changing and improving your telephone presentation and honing it until the test comes out of the loss zone...into breakeven...and finally into profit. Three main obstacles stand in the way of the inexperienced telemarketer:First, it is necessary to understand that acquiring a knowledge base, as important as it undoubtedly is - is not the same as acquiring experience. The problem is that a test program is an inherently short term procedure. It has been said that the shorter the test period, the greater the experience required to make it succeed. This is undoubtedly true.That, incidentally, is another reason you'll be better off hiring an experienced telemarketing manager - one with as wide a range of other managerial skills as you can find. Secondly, in addition to hiring an experienced telemarketing manager, telesales reps must be hired, trained and stimulated.The problem to overcome here is that staff willing to take on short term work is generally harder to find. The danger to be avoided is that you may land up with people of low caliber. Because people who are willing to take on short term work are usually less reliable. They don't report to work regularly and are liable to leave at the drop of a better job. (Often one only notices they're not there after payday.) Burn-out is an ever present problem. And makes the selection of TSRs an art in itself. Hiring, teaching, training and stimulating is a never ending task. Experienced telemarketing managers understand and expect this. However, the sudden confrontation with an unstable work force is what probably sours most do-it-yourself businessmen...and causes many inhouse tests to be aborted or to peter out. Thirdly, commitment is essential. Thus while some facilities undoubtedly exist inhouse, others will have to be purchased. The risk is that you might be stuck with the cost of your purchases if the test is unsuccessful. This risk - and others - can be minimized if you get the right telemarketing manager to take charge of the test.Telemarketing is such a powerful sales medium - it would be sad indeed if your test were not successful. With so much riding on telemarketing as the world's most responsive medium, the tragedy is never the price of success, but always the cost of failure. |
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Phone:
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(800)
466-4384