July 2018 - Air Marketing

GDPR – opportunity for telemarketing

Posted on 19 July 201830 June 2023 by Doug Roots

This May the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect across the European Union. The new legal requirements have been designed to improve transparency between businesses and their clients, strengthening the control individuals have over their personal data.

It’s safe to say that the new regulations have implemented a major change in the way marketers and sales teams approach their work and how organisations obtain, store, manage and process the personal data of their EU clients.

A couple of decades ago, data in digital marketing referred to simple things like demographics and response rates.

Today, living in an interconnected world, data enables marketers to predict customer behaviour, create targeted campaigns, build brands, and drive development and sales.

However, as GDPR came into place marketers immediately became concerned that they were going to become restricted in their ability to target individual customers based on personal data collection, slowing database growth therefore shaking up the digital landscape.

At Air we see GDPR differently

From our experience here at Air we are looking at GDPR differently, not as an issue but as an opportunity. Instead asking the question, how can we better engage with those who share a legitimate business interest and make more of those who are looking for our services?

GDPR is pushing us to reassess how we perform market research and understand how we can help those who need our products and services.

As telemarketers we know person to person communication is the most effective method when understanding prospect needs, situation and pain points.

How Air telemarketing and GDPR can help build your database:

Building your pipeline by creating bespoke campaigns that really talk to your prospects.
Generating sales by using a tailored approach.
Increasing revenue by engaging the decision makers.

There are no restrictions in place that limit us contacting prospects who you share a legitimate business interest with. In fact, by avoiding contacting huge irrelevant mailing lists and focusing solely on contacting prospects that have a shared interest means we will be having more conversations of worth on your behalf and you will see better results from your telemarketing because of this.

GDPR is pushing all of us to be more transparent and personable, this can only build stronger relationships that grow your database and increase your revenue.

Apprehensive about telemarketing? It’s ok you’re not the only one

At Air we understand that you may feel apprehensive when investing in a telemarketing strategy, however with the new regulations in place we believe it’s one of the best ways to make the most of your relevant data and really engage with your prospects. As a company that already prides itself on transparency, we provide the following to keep you in the loop:

Live time reporting accessible at any time by clients
Involvement in strategy building and training by the clients directly
Regular feedback from your campaign manager
Direct contact with the team making calls
Digital call recordings requested as often and many as you would like

If you’d like to find out more information on how Air Marketing Group can help you post GDPR get in touch. GDPR isn’t an issue, it’s an opportunity!

England Captain Keryn Seal announces his retirement from International Blind Football

Posted on 17 July 201830 June 2023 by Doug Roots

2 Paralympic Games, 3 World Cups, and 7 European Championships later – Keryn Seal has decided to hang up his boots after a memorable 14-year career representing his country.

After losing his sight in 2002, Keryn discovered Blind Football as a Paralympic Sport in 2005. Within 3 months of attending training camps, Keryn was playing at the European Championships.

Fully integrated in the blind football culture, alongside being England’s Captain for 4 years between 2012 and 2016, Keryn helped Avoy MU Brno, in a player-coach role, to the Central European Blind League title this season. Added to that, he was also part of The West Bromwich Albion blind team that brought home the national league and cup titles this season. Keryn has played in the national blind competitions which are supported by the Football Association for the past 11 seasons. Amassing 7 league titles and 6 national cup winners medals.

Having amassed 4 Silver and 3 Bronze World and European Medals throughout his career, Keryn made history when he became the first Captain to take over the England squad in the professional era. Competing in both the Beijing and London Paralympic Games, Keryn’s finishing his career on 127 international appearances in which he’s represented England and Great Britain.

“Keryn’s influence on English blind football cannot be underestimated, and will last long into the future. Not only was he a passionate and highly-skilled player on the pitch, he also worked hard to find new players and to assist with their development. Keryn played a large role in introducing at least half of the players who have represented England in the last decade, including myself and Dan James.

Keryn has always trained with the same passion he demonstrates on the pitch, and has without doubt driven up the training standards of the England squad as a collective. It is a mark of his professionalism that he feels the time is now right to stop, as he can no longer commit to training with the same volume and intensity as he has in the past. When starting out, Keryn was instrumental in demonstrating the level of commitment required to develop in to a top international player, and led by example both on and off the pitch. Keryn’s 127 caps and excellent injury record are testimony to the work he has put in. While a major international championship has ultimately proven elusive, Keryn should be proud of a collection of silver and bronze medals, as well as the admiration of rival international players” – Robin Williams, Current England Captainn.

Now retiring from International Football, Keryn’s focus is on his family and continuing with his career within Air Marketing Group in Exeter. Having joined Air Marketing in March 2017, Keryn has received continued support from Air allowing him to manage his time supporting both his sports and sales career. An extremely valued member of #TeamAir; much like within his football career Keryn progressed up the ladder quickly. As an Account Manager he continues to prove his track record when growing business for large client accounts – showing strong management skills that nurture and motivate people.

‘’Keryn never fails to impress me, having worked with him since his early days with Air; his commitment, enthusiasm and desire to succeed is admirable. Keryn’s motivation, passion and competitiveness is unique and his ability to motivate and lead a team is exceptional. Not only is he highly skilled at what he does on a daily basis, he has a calm, collective and thorough mentor when it comes to training junior members of the team. With a wicked sense of humour, a hunger to be the best and a naturally gifted skillet, Keryn is an asset to our organisation and it excites me to think where he could be in the next few years’’ – Marco Alfano-Rogers, Account Director, Air Marketing Group.

“Keryn has been a great addition to the Air Team. He is competitive by nature, which makes him a great fit for our sales environment. We’re proud to have a double Paralympian and an England Captain in our ranks” – Owen Richards, Managing Director, Air Marketing Group.

Heading into extra time

With more time on his hands, having previously given talks around sport and business’s relationship with team sport, Keryn hopes to continue being a familiar voice within the community that shaped him. So, if you are looking for someone to inspire, motivate and talk around a wide subject with plenty of experience, give Keryn a shout.

To find out more about Air Marketing Group and the opportunities that are available through working with them, get in touch on 0345 241 3038.

What qualities make the ‘perfect’ telemarketer

Posted on 16 July 2018 by Doug Roots

Selecting the right telemarketer for your campaign is vital, get this wrong and you’ll see potential leads deteriorate, your business reputation plummet and you’ll miss the full potential of ROI.

At Air Marketing Group, we know that quality telemarketers are worth their weight in gold. They can draw from their experience and personal qualities to ensure your campaign gets results.

However, what qualities make these people so vital to your campaign?

It’s obvious, a telemarketer can’t sell if they’re unable to absorb the fundamentals of your product or service

The ‘perfect’ telemarketer will be adaptable, working across a variety of client accounts and multiple sectors, drawing experience and implementing it to different campaigns. A great telemarketer will be self-managed and fast progressing when becoming familiar with your campaign. They will have the ability to research and retain important campaign information, building a strong rapport between your business and your prospects. Taking the time to fully plan the strategy behind your telemarketing campaign will ensure that your campaign team are working towards the same goal, communicating the same message and focusing on meeting your KPI’s.

It’s time to kill the urban myth ‘a great telemarketer sells due to their ability to talk a lot’

A successful telemarketer listens and, more importantly hears and understands. It’s easy to get lost in that ‘parrot fashion script’ telling a prospect what you think they want to hear. However, the key is to engage in a two-way conversation. The ‘perfect’ telemarketer will listen, hear the prospects needs, situation and pain points, then focus on this information to lead the conversation. They will have the ability to think on their feet and change their delivery of a script to recommend the right solution for the prospect.

Telemarketers are tactful

In the telemarketing game you must be able to make smart decisions, getting tactful in order to get past the gatekeepers. Asking the right questions is something that can be learnt but being respectful and asking permission to ask those personal questions when engaging with prospects is a quality that a great telemarketer will already possess. Being progressive, ambitious and a good communicator across any level of person are key qualities of the ‘perfect’ telemarketer.

Mind over matter

Telemarketers hear a lot of no’s. If they’re right for the position they will have a high level of resilience, understanding rejection isn’t personal, and continuing to possess a courteous nature even when their proposition is turned down. The ‘perfect’ telemarketer has a positive mental attitude that every business strives to harbour.

Benefit from telemarketing

If your business is looking to work with positive, resilient and experienced telemarketing professionals get in touch and find out how we can turn your prospects into clients. Contact us on 0345 241 3038 or send us an email with your project details to contact@air-marketing.co.uk.

Do you think you could be the ‘perfect’ telemarketer? Why not become part of #TeamAir and show us what you are made of? We are always looking for talented telemarketers to deliver for our clients. Share your CV with us at contact@air-marketing.co.uk

‘National Give Something Away Day’ – A great opportunity to start implementing a sales incentive scheme

Posted on 13 July 201830 June 2023 by Doug Roots

If you have a sales team, of any kind, it’s important to implement some sort of incentive or bonus scheme to keep them motivated and hungry, as this will keep them delivering for you. These incentives could be cash based (commissions, bonuses, etc.), or non-cash based (trips, prizes, points, and other awards).

The type of sales incentives that will work best for your business largely relies on your capabilities, goals and demographics of your sales team.

At the Air Marketing Group, we reward our staff with both cash and non-cash incentives. We have learnt that a varied sales incentive scheme has many benefits: improved performance, higher sales rates and the ability to create a work culture many desire which will help your employability.

Find out more about sales incentive benefits

Focus

Retaining your sales teams focus day in and day out can be a challenging task. If you’ve got a specific target you need to hit by a certain deadline, a short-term sales incentive scheme with an enticing reward on the table, can work beautifully when focusing your team. At Air, if our sales team hit their weekly sales target we treat them to a 4:30pm drink or encourage everyone to put the phones down an hour early to attend an organised after work social. Creating a short-term scheme is often just enough to light a fire under people, driving the performance you desire.

Lead Excitement

Most businesses believe that the prospect of earning commission on a sale will be enough to motivate their team, unfortunately most will discover this isn’t the case. At Air, we have a variety of different tactics to keep things exciting and our team motivated. We recommend trying a washing line or a tactical wheel incentive scheme that gives your staff the opportunity to win a prize, do a forfeit or take a gamble. These prizes and forfeits could be anything from doing a dare, making someone a hot drink, or winning £50. Encourage your team to take risks that result in doubling their prize or losing it all together. The two examples above are great incentive schemes that get your team excited about what they’re working for and highlights that taking risks can be rewarding.

Loyalty

If you want to build loyalty amongst your sales team, we encourage you to think about implementing an incentive scheme that includes trophy value or emotional significance. At Air, we like nothing more than celebrating the success of our team, this could be anything from being with our company for a year, or having progressed to a new level within the team. Handing out rewards such as personalised vouchers are small incentives that really show your sales team their appreciated and that your company is focused on building a two-way relationship. We exhibit loyal behaviours when we trust that the person or thing we’re involved in will be good to us. By enriching your sales teams lives, you’ll evoke their desired to show loyalty.

Healthy Competition

Most sales people are competitive. Give them a goal, and they’ll want to out-do their counterparts. To encourage healthy competition, consider setting up a points system with a visible leader board. As a telemarketing company, we have created a visible leader board that showcases who’s winning the most leads. Allowing individuals to see where they stand amongst other colleagues inspired additional effort.

Collaborative Efforts

A well-designed incentive scheme can not only drive friendly competition, but also encourage collaboration. Get your team to work together, set team objectives such as an overall number of leads to be achieved by the end of the month. You can then add a significant team reward for reaching this goal. Think about organising a staff lunch or activity hour, not only does this reward but can be considered a team building activity. It’s important to create a culture of friendly competition, not just cut-throat rivalry.

Reduced Turnover

The main reason people seek new employment is due to a feeling of underappreciation. We have spoken about a short-term sales incentive scheme however long-term schemes are a way of giving away bigger prizes that show your staff their efforts are acknowledged. Air are running a 5 star incentive that is run over a yearly period. Stars are given out over the year to people who have gone above and beyond, pulled through when the chips were down, or hit outstanding targets. If a staff member accumulates 5 stars over the year they are rewarded with a personal weekend getaway for them and a partner or friend. Long-term incentive programs are both great for reducing staff turnover and maintaining loyalty.

Culture

If you know anything about the Air Marketing Group, you’ll be aware of how important a positive work culture is to our business. We would not have achieved our positive, hardworking atmosphere if we didn’t regularly give our sales team incentives and show them just how much we appreciate them.

ROI

We know it’s the National #GiveSomethingAwayDay, created to give people the opportunity to give something away without expecting anything back. However, implementing an incentive scheme does allow your business to profit too. The more motivated your sales team, the more drive they have to sell and the better your clients and your own ROI. Having an incentive scheme in place will give you an all-round great company reputation amongst people both internally and externally.

We hope this insight encourages you to give something away to those who matter most in your business.

If you would like to work with a team that has an outstanding drive to sell, get in touch!

Our ever-growing expertise

Posted on 12 July 2018 by Doug Roots

Having come into telemarketing from the construction industry I had a lot to learn! I knew it was going to be a steep learning curve in order to make the most out of my opportunity and I was willing to take it on.

After thorough training, guidance, opportunities and of course learnings taken from mistakes – I worked closer to becoming an expert in telemarketing. But during this journey I came to understand that I can never truly be an expert because of the variance of campaigns, clients, industries, and requirements that I will work on in my telemarketing career.

But in truth, this continual learning, adapting and challenging myself is what motivates me to push even further in my career.

My knowledge on the science behind telemarketing is now strong and I am proud of this. But outside of this my knowledge now stretches from finance and HR services, to vehicle leasing, data analysis, energy consumption and much more!

The reason for this expansive knowledge? Is that all agents within Air Marketing Group are trained on 5 different campaigns (or more). The result of this? Is that agents are kept engaged and challenged with the opportunity to call on different campaigns – they could be working on telesales, appointment setting, events, market research for any B2B client offering any product or service.

But the benefits are also seen for our clients. Having a wide range of experience means that agents have a deeper understanding of responding to varied objections, they understand key pain points for different industries, and they can begin to build an understanding of approaches that work within different sectors to help clients with their campaigns.

We see ourselves as an extension of our client’s team, a partner. Because of this, we want to learn from our clients (who are the experts in their field) to ensure the best chance of success for their campaigns. With this in mind, we work closely with our clients when developing the strategy, our clients train our in-house agents and we encourage communication between all campaign members and all key client team members. Absorbing this knowledge from our client gives us the ability to truly represent their business in the best possible way.

It’s an ongoing journey, with ever-growing expertise that will never end – but that’s all part of the fun. Our aim to continue delivering outstanding services to our clients and the more equipped we are to do this the more we’ll succeed.

Opinion Piece by Ashley Heyworth, Senior Account Manager, Air Marketing Group

How well do you know your customers?

Posted on 4 July 201819 September 2024 by Doug Roots

‘Know your customer’ has become quite a cliché in marketing. There has never been a business that didn’t start out fulfilling unmet needs for a very specific group of people.

We suspect you probably know your customer fairly well, but let’s turn this question on its head and instead ask:

How well do you know your prospects?

Air Marketing Group know that a lack of qualified prospects moving through your sales process today, can mean trouble for your business tomorrow. We understand that a strong sales pipeline is critical to attain revenue goals 6 – 12 months from now.

So what steps should you take to build and sustain a healthy sales pipeline?

Start with enough leads

Sales is a numbers game and to develop a strong sales pipeline you must accumulate enough leads to drive through your marketing and sales engine. If you have a good understanding of the pipeline process you’ll know only a proportion of your targeted leads will become qualified, and a fraction will convert and be ready to buy at any given time.

Qualify every lead

Generating a list of qualifying questions to ask every interested lead will allow you to determine if there’s a real business opportunity or not.

Ask: Has your prospect got a realistic need you can fill?

What are their major challenges in this area?
Have they tried to solve these issues? If so, how?
How soon do they want to find a solution?

Ask: Is the prospect an appropriate lead for the value and price point of your offering?

What solutions would they consider?
What is the budget to address this solution?

Be careful of time wasters. If it appears there’s little budget for your solution, put this lead into your low-quality category and concentrate on higher priority prospects.

Use lead quality for targeted marketing

It’s important to use resulting lead quality data to develop more tailored campaigns. At Air Marketing all our campaigns use bespoke lead generation strategies and are tailored to meet individual business requirements. This strategy allows us to provide clients with quality sales leads that meet specified criteria.

Nurture qualified prospects

Not every qualified prospect will be ready to buy today. Once qualified leads have been identified you can leverage the use of content based email marketing, and follow up calls, to continue to nurture leads and identify interested prospects.

Create a next step for every interested lead. Base this on need, interest and timing:

Schedule a demo or follow up call to share additional insights.
Send a follow up email that needs a response within a requested time.
Send an industry-related article every month to stay in touch and keep educating them.

Remaining in front of interested, qualified prospects will mean you are at the front of their mind to assist when the time of their need arises.

CRM systems

A customer relationship management system (CRM) will improve your sales efficiencies, and allow you to track and report on sales opportunities, leads and prospects.

Remember a healthy sales pipeline will have the following attributes:

Many opportunities at every stage of the funnel.
New opportunities coming into the top of the funnel regularly.
New sales being converted at the bottom of the sales funnel regularly .

Here at Air Marketing Group, we pride ourselves on our ability to get under the skin of your business, speaking with your prospects and where possible and relevant warm the lead into a position where they can be converted into an opportunity. In addition to this, we provide a transparent reporting service, and the delivery of each call recording to ensure our clients that any leads we’ve secured will convert.

If knowing your prospect is still an area you would like help with get in touch today to find out how we can help on 03452413038 or get in touch.

Month: July 2018

England Captain Keryn Seal announces his retirement from International Blind Football

What qualities make the ‘perfect’ telemarketer

‘National Give Something Away Day’ – A great opportunity to start implementing a sales incentive scheme

Our ever-growing expertise

How well do you know your customers?

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