Telemarketing Meaning – Advantages and disadvantages

Telemarketing Meaning

Telemarketing meaning explains the form of marketing used by companies for their product or services to connect with potential customers. 

Historically speaking telemarketing means determining the companies making telephone calls to potential or existing customers. Whereas, with upcoming technology, it expanded including video conferencing calls conducted with existing customers typically. 

Further speaking, telemarketing is an act of soliciting, promoting or selling the existing product or service of the company over the telephone, internet or fax that turns out as a flexible, cost-efficient and statistically accountable medium.

the concept of Telemarketing means can be initially valuable for small businesses, which saves money and time compared to personal selling and provides the same benefits in terms of direct contact with customers. 

Telemarketing Meaning
Telemarketing Meaning

Telemarketing is usually considered to sell a product or a service but can also be used to gather information or conduct surveys. For example, political campaigns heavily use telemarketing means before elections to find out the voting preferences. 

Note: To explain what a telemarketer is determines the sales representative, who calls the prospects or potential customers intending to make sales. They are either recruited by the third-party call centre firms, that specialize in these services or through the company, whose product they advertise on the telephone.

Note: Cold calling is termed as an activity when the companies contact new customers. This explains that the customer has neither purchased from the company priorly nor has requested a call. 

Companies also purchase a list of leads calls, who have similar interests or buying patterns that fit the company’s target market. There are examples of industries heavily relying on telemarketing definitions like,

  • Home security systems
  • Vacation and timeshare
  • Cable and Internet services 
  • Financial services like insurance
  • Charitable organisations etc.

Telemarketing Functions 

Telemarketing works as a tool for advertising the organisation’s offerings. It can be defined as a marketing strategy formulated for targeting existing and new customers for the following:

  • Audience acquisition 
  • Customer satisfaction when feedback are taken
  • Product launch invitations
  • Database cleansing and updating of customer records
  • Post-sales followups
  • Generating sales lead
  • Market research
  • Confirmation calls
  • Sales campaigns 
  • Informing of discount and sales offers
  • Increasing brand awareness or new trends

Advantages of Telemarketing

There are some common and simple advantages of using telemarketing meaning in the business by an organisation which are discussed in brief below:

Advantages of Telemarketing
Advantages of Telemarketing

Small Businesses 

For small businesses, the telemarketing definition is useful to locate customers in hard-to-reach places, or when the prospects are contacted to find the interested ones. Telemarketing is often used for an overall marketing programme to bind together personal selling efforts and advertising. 

Human interaction

Human interaction tells the manager to know the response of the customers and helps them to make follow up with prospects. 

Customer service 

Establishing a client base sets a key factor for long-term success and determining the value of the company. The telemarketing of customer services creates repeat orders with an increment in the volume of the customer base. As a result, it delivers excellent customer service. 

Flexibility 

Telemarketing is counted as the most flexible form of direct marketing. It makes the company understand are requirements of existing customers for which they are willing to pay. So, A survey can be conducted using telemarketing, and can frequently update the client database. 

Reduces cost

On the one hand, where the field sales cost escalates, businesses can use telemarketing as a way to reduce the cost of selling. So, It becomes easy to communicate with customers. The marketing efforts are directed towards the selection of target market test, to lessen the cost per person.

Response measurement 

Response measurement can be facilitated by finding the effectiveness of advertising. The results can then be compared with previous ones and plans can be developed based on such results.

Disadvantages of telemarketing

  • Visual contact with the customers is not possible. 
  • Government is a key factor in making it difficult to curb unscrupulous telemarketers. 
  • A bunch of people have become averse to the concept of telemarketing meaning. 
  • An increasing number of people are using technology to block out unwanted callers, especially telemarketers. 
  • Telephonic conversations retain a short memory. 
  • In a situation to hire an outside firm to pursue telemarketing, there remains lesser control in the process, where the people working are not your employees.
  • If telemarketing is outsourced from an outside firm, it can turn out to be expensive.
  • Pre-purchase inspection of products becomes impossible.

B2B Telemarketing Meaning

B2B telemarketing explains the interaction between business to business which becomes important for several reasons. So, It includes building e-commerce customer relationship management with the company to find suitable clients for their products. 

B2B Telemarket
B2B Telemarket

B2B telemarketing meaning refers to making calls to other businesses to sell or market their services and products to establish a rapport. However, there is a difference between b2b and b2c telemarketing.

The concept of b2b focuses on establishing a relationship due to a smaller audience size while b2c is a product-driven process. B2B telemarketing can be both outbound and inbound which is further discussed in brief.

Since the concept is cost-effective, business uses it as a method of interaction for several purposes as follows:

  • Prospect qualification: Prospect refers to the people or businesses who interacted with the company. Therefore, it helps to reach out to those businesses, defining the interested customers. 
  • Lead generation: The potential customers can be identified by contacting other businesses that can turn out to be a good fit for the existing product.
  • Market research: Through conversations or interactions, one can find other businesses’ needs and the ways the company’s product can fit in according to their requirements. 
  • Brand awareness: Counting on if a company is focussing on a new audience base or niche market, they can make the customers aware of the solutions provided. 
  • Partnerships: Interaction with similar-minded organisations, can lead to working together to achieve a common goal. (for example, co-hosting event results in new customers and a share of the cost incurred)

Note: The calls are directed towards the decision-makers representing the corporations to ensure that the lead qualification is fast and that a quick assessment of capability can be made. 

Types of B2B Telemarketing 

This must also be noted, that depending upon the business goal, the type of B2B telemarketing varies which can be explained as follows: 

Types of Telemarketing
Types of Telemarketing

Inbound telemarketing 

Inbound telemarketing refers to interaction with the business prospects that call the company to grab information about the product or service. The customer reaches out to the company whenever it is convenient. 

A determined inbound salesforce is formulated for inbound telemarketing meaning to manage these calls and solve the queries of the prospects. So, Qualification is facilitated on the calls, by scheduling follow-ups of the team with the most qualified leads. 

Avoiding the level of qualification, the callers are sent follow-up material through text or email reminding contacts of the company’s value. For example, if a customer looks at the ad in a newspaper about an electronic item, and wants a piece of information. Then he can contact the telemarketer who will be available to solve his questions. 

Outbound telemarketing 

Outbound telemarketing meaning happens when the company calls the business prospects based on a pre-defined lead or contact list. So, The telemarketers speak up to the decision-maker directly, to generate interest and how the company’s services could fit with the prospect’s goals.

Following the structure of pre-qualifying questions, the salesperson coordinates with the lead’s requirements. If they turn up as sales-qualified prospects, then the follow-ups are scheduled for further future business. 

Outbound support (*)

In this outbound telemarketing definition, the prospects are contacted to boost other campaigns. For example, if a webinar or event is being hosted by the company, then they can call the prospects priorly, to increase the number of people who attend it. An invitation might also be sent so that the prospects are aware of the details. 

B2B telemarketing meaning is therefore considered a long sales cycle due to the process of nurturing where leads go through before turning up into clients but the results are worth waiting for. 

Note: Robocalling is termed an intrusive version of telemarketing meaning that includes pre-recorded messages like sales pitches programmed to play through an automatic dial machine. 

However, in the modern era, they may sound irritating to customers and are considered spam or fraud.

Telemarketing Examples 

Multiple companies are providing different telemarketing meaning services in the market. Therefore, one must look at the best option that suits the nature of the business to initiate a proper start. As a result, the following are a few examples of telemarketing companies with benefits, features and other factors that can be considered.  

Examples of Telemarketing
Examples of Telemarketing

Flatworld Solutions 

Flatworld offers a range of outsourcing with a combination of examples of telemarketing services. Adding to the call centres, the company facilitates software development, photo editing, data entry, design, transportation services etc. Also, The company has a global reach with delivery centres and offices in India, U.S and the Philippines. The services offered are:

  • B2B calling
  • B2C calling
  • Outbound telemarketing
  • Consulting services
  • Cold calling
  • Real estate calling
  • Inbound telemarketing 
  • List marketing services 

The company leverages HubSpot, Live Agent, Zendesk, Five9, Salesforce and more. The affordable price rates for the call centre facility offered are:

  • Technical support: Starting at $10 per hour
  • Telemarketing and non-technical: Beginning at $8 per hour
  • Advanced technical support: Starting at $15 hour

Squeeze Media 

Squeeze media company quotes as a telemarketing example with BPO( Business Process Outsourcing) services based in Utah. The results are in a personal relationship with the telemarketing meaning the service provider.

B2C works as a speciality offered by the company. With a hybrid of outbound and inbound calling, the Squeeze media agents sell the client’s products and services. So, The facilities offered are:

  • Live transfers
  • Consultative services 
  • Marketing automation
  • Outbound customer retention
  • Lead generation
  • Lead development
  • B2B pipeline development
  • Inbound customer service

Callbox 

Callbox specializes in appointment setting for B2B organisations and lead generation. Therefore, it acts as a unique feature from the others on the list. If an organisation aims to target high-value prospects and grow sales, Callbox might turn into a solution. 

Callbox does not close the leads themselves instead sets appointments between the two. This explains that the sales team is still connected making it easier to coordinate. Companies like Forbes, Motorola, HP, DHL, and ADT trust Callbox with their telemarketing meaning needs. So, Services provided are customer profiling databases, event marketing, account-based marketing etc. 

Telemarketing Examples
Telemarketing Examples

Quality contact solutions 

This telemarketing example is a PCI level, 1 service provider. Businesses possessing $1 to $6 million available in their credit cards are required to use a level 1 PCI call centre. This explains that any card information noted over the call is completely secure.

The company includes B2B outbound telemarketing services and B2C outsourced telemarketing. So, The facilities provided for B2C for existing customers are:

  • Up-sell
  • Cross-sell 
  • Information blitz to existing and new customers 

Whereas B2B telemarketing services are a bit more extensive and include:

  • Appointment setting
  • Cross-sell and up-sell for existing customer
  • Lead generation and qualification
  • Technical support centre

Furthermore, The pricing range for the company falls into three groups based on hourly, hourly-plus performance and performance-based.

SAS 

SAS however, specializes in call centre answering services which complete its name as Speciality Answering Services. Counting the above as a primary service, SAS also provides exceptional telemarketing solutions.

The company is 100% U.S based. It puts strong efforts into quality control along with the QA department working on 2000+ calls pm. So, telemarketing here focuses on lead generation primarily. It has a few specialities within lead generation including insurance appointment setting, janitorial appointment setting etc.

The price is decided on usage per minute. The initial rate is $31 per month plus $1.19 per minute (ideal for low-volume telemarketing). Whereas, the rates can go high as $7749 per month for 10000 minutes. The trial services for free are available for 14 days. 

Strategic calls 

Strategic calls provide telemarketing services that target executive-level and C-suite decision-makers. So, If a company is a B2B organisation focussing on CEO, CTO, CMO or CFO, strategic calls turn out best as an option. Campaigns can also be run with a target of mid-level management or cold calling to customers directly taking place over five days. 

  • Prospect list
  • The first attempt at outbound calls
  • Second attempt
  • Third attempt 
  • Analysing results to plan the future steps

The price range is $1000 for three rounds of outbound calls(five days) for 50 C-level prospects. However, for mid-level management, the charge is $750. Also, Concluding the services are streamlined and optimized for those targeting senior-level company members. 

Conclusion 

Therefore, telemarketing meaning concludes a technique of two-way direct marketing where the employees of the company promote, inform or sell the existing product to prospects over the telephone, internet or fax skipping face-to-face contact.

There can be two targets B2C and B2B selling where inbound and outbound telemarketing meaning persuades. Also, companies are offering these services used by famous brands in the industry. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

what is telemarketing Meaning?

Telemarketing means determining the companies making telephone calls to potential or existing customers. Whereas, with upcoming technology, it expanded including video conferencing calls conducted with existing customers typically. 

What is an example of telemarketing?

One example of telemarketing is product marketing, where a company will call prospective clients to inform them about their company, brand, or new product in order to generate interest in the product.

What is the purpose of telemarketing?

The main benefit of using telemarketing to promote your business is that it allows you to immediately gauge your customer’s level of interest in your product or service. Additionally, it allows you to do the following: provide a more interactive and personal sale service. create an immediate rapport with your customers.

Is telemarketing part of BPO?

Some of the main outbound services that BPO call centres provide are: Handle telemarketing operations: Telemarketing is the process of directly marketing an organization’s products or services via telephone or the internet.

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