What do you think when you hear the term telemarketing or telesales?
The first thought that may come into your head; those PPI calls that the industry has been renowned for? ‘We understand you were recently involved in an accident?’. The process is simple for these organisations. They call large amounts of data, with the aim of getting the highest amount of ‘leads’ possible. This means you receive calls that are not relevant, you are called more than once – and you’re left feeling harassed.
But why?
Often the people making the calls will be incentivised with commission or bonus payments linked to the number of ‘leads’ they generate. Which is exactly why they are making so many calls to produce the highest amount of ‘leads’ possible.
But what does this actually achieve?
As we’ve seen from the example of PPI calls, this method of incentive may make your workforce produce a higher quantity of ‘leads’ but often at the expense of individuals you are calling and the brand you are representing. Focusing merely on quantity, may give the perception that you are extremely efficient at creating ‘leads’ and ‘opportunities’ for your brand or client – but bad quality, un-qualified individuals are unlikely to become customers in the short or long term.
The answer? Focus the incentive on quality.
Producing well qualified, high quality ‘leads’ and ‘opportunities’ for your brand will give you a much higher chance of converting that opportunity into a customer. And whilst this may mean a lower quantity, all you’re eliminating are those who would never have bought from you anyway, saving you time and energy on chasing shadows. Quality will also be what sets you apart from your competition – understanding your customer, being relevant and meeting their requirements or desires will make these conversations easier and make your brand the choice for them. This style of incentive still works for keeping your workforce motivated, we know because its exactly what we have always done.
Opinion piece by Owen Richards, Managing Director of Air Marketing Group.
