Continuous Improvement Training for Telemarketing

Telemarketing training is absolutely essential to get the best out of any telemarketing team. Many telemarketers have little training whatsoever which leaves them totally unprepared to present a professional image on behalf of a company. What’s more a lack of training can set up an inexperienced telemarketer for failure, a repetition of unsuccessful calls in a working day without structure or support can quickly reinforce a very negative attitude in a person. Ongoing training with gradual and continuous improvement is the thing to strive for with an in-house training programme and the use of outside specialists where needed.

One important factor that a new telemarketing agents needs to understand is that although the job by its very nature involves talking the most important thing a telemarketer needs to do is to listen. Only by developing really good listing skills will an agent be able to answer with very relevant and empathetic responses. Of course product knowledge or knowledge of the services being sold is important, but nowhere near as important as developing a relationship with the person on the other end of the telephone.

Another factor that is important to establish with new telemarketing staff is that they are there to call through a list of prospects in a logical order without too much analysis. It is very easy for the novice telemarketer to start looking through a list of potential calls and begin to cherry pick calls that they think will result in either an appointment or sale. This of course may be true, however, firstly they will miss many good prospects and resulting sales/appointments.

Secondly, this can result in paralysis by analysis – instead of making a good amount of telephone calls they may instead fall into the trap of looking through their list of prospects when they should be speaking on the telephone.

Good training can help to develop the correct mindset in these situations so that good telemarketing practices come as second nature. Small, achievable goals on a daily and even hourly basis are the order of the day.