There are a few good indicators that you can consider to decide whether it is worthwhile to your business to conduct a telemarketing pilot.
- What is the average transaction value of the product or service involved?
Telemarketing works best for high value products with a mid to long term sales cycle or a mid-value product with a short sales cycle. Think about it; if your product is £50, and the average telemarketing company is charging between £300-400 per day, you have to sell a lot of products to recoup your investment, and more importantly make any profit. If your product has an average sales value of £500,000 and your telemarketing company is turning you in one meeting a day, then the £350 becomes a very small investment. - What is the length of my sales cycle?
How many phone calls does it take you to make a sale, look at your 10 top customers and review call notes to see how many calls it took to convert them and come up with an average number. Now armed with the information above and the fact that the average reputable tele-business person can make 50 – 60 dials a day; you can have a rough idea as to whether you’re on to a winner.
If the above doesn’t stack up, it still may be worth you talking to the company you were considering. They may be able to offer onsite training so that you can cold call for yourself (which by the way you should be doing anyway!)