Training your own internal team of telemarketers for a lead generation campaign is a challenging task not only physically but also financially and logistically. That is one of the main reasons why companies opt to outsource its telemarketing operations to B2B lead generation services companies.
But that is not to say that a business can never build a team from scratch and assemble a competent team. It is very possible, although it does require a lot of planning, careful execution, and clearly defined set of goals to boot.
Here are some considerations in planning for a B2B telemarketing training program:
- Professional language: Telemarketers need to be trained to speak clearly and understand what responses are appropriate for a business conversation. With younger trainees, it may be necessary to teach them how to talk to older, traditional business prospects.
- Law-abiding: Telemarketing regulations are being stiffened more and more, and a telemarketing campaign will not stay in business very long if it does not abide by those rules. The management is responsible to stay abreast of the policies and communicate them to the staff, with emphasis on the importance of following these rules.
- Product knowledge: As far as product knowledge goes, an in-house staff has a clear advantage over an outsourced telemarketing company. Management should plan on maximizing this edge through keeping telemarketers educated about the company’s products.
- The script as a guide: Substance and conversation flows are important, but too meticulous a script makes the caller sound stiff. Professionals know how to use the script as a general guideline, so they can stay on track while still sounding natural, and this is the skill that trainees need to learn.
- Following a systematic path: Progress with a prospect must be step-by-step, from initial willingness to real interest to agreeing to provide information for taking the next step. It is a grave mistake for a telemarketer to ignore the logical flow of a sales process.
- Capacity to accept rejection: The ability to take rejection is a key characteristic of successful telemarketers. While this is something that cannot be taught inside a training room, telling them what to expect will at least prepare them for the inevitable failures to come.
- Flexibility: Telemarketers should be able to adjust their approach to different types of prospects. The measure of a good telemarketer is his ability to go beyond being a generic talker and be able to customize the conversation based on the persona on the other line.
