Thursday, October 1, 2009

Outsource Your Appointment Setting

Most salespeople I speak to face similar struggles. They know that cold calling is a time-tested, proven way to generate new business. They’ve been told since their careers began that telephone sales is a “numbers game”. They want to spend more time calling, but complain that about 90% of their time is spent calling contacts and phone numbers that will never become leads. Phone numbers are out of date. Prospects screen their calls and are never available. Gatekeepers stand in the way of their potential clients.

These issues are common to almost everyone who has made a career in business to business sales. These obstacles are common, but can be avoided by outsourcing your telemarketing and appointment setting projects.

Specialization

Outsourcing appointment setting will allow you to concentrate on high-value, pre-screened potential clients, while your telemarketer focuses on reaching large volumes of prospects. Successful sales representatives have found that handling telemarketing themselves comes with a high opportunity cost. Their time is simply too valuable to spend calling cold lists when they could hire a dedicated agent generate qualified sales appointments.

Low Cost

Global economic expansion has given birth to companies across the globe that can provide you with superior telemarketers at a lower cost than their American counterparts, in many cases, for under $10 per hour. Companies like Hit Rate Solutions allow clients to customize sales campaigns and self-manage their virtual sales representatives.

Be sure to ask if the telemarketing company will provide a US phone number to give the appearance that your virtual agent is calling from within the United States. Many companies will offer a unique phone number for your sales rep along with unlimited calling.

Getting Started

Once you have selected your outsourcing company, you are only a few steps away from launching your very own virtual telemarketing campaign! First, write a simple script that you would like your appointment setter to use while prospecting. Second, compile a list of companies or contacts you would like to target. Finally, send the information to your virtual sales representative. You might want to introduce yourself to the rep and discuss your strategy if you think it will help. You should now be ready to focus your time and attention on what you do best – closing sales!

For more information, please visit www.hitratesolutions.com

Derek is a management consultant specializing in outsourcing placements. He has consulted prestigious firms such as outsourcing services and call centers

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