Does the telemarketing agency you’ve hired have your best interests at heart… or theirs?
Telemarketing has a reputation as an ugly, ruthless industry. Its suppliers and agencies are not well known for having an altruistic or honest approach to their work.
Many unsuspecting companies, eager for new business, become burnt by bad experiences and think that “they’re all the same”. We’ve made it our mission to prove this isn’t true – so let us show you how to spot the signs of a good agency.
How to spot the signs of a good telemarketing agency
Good telemarketing agencies should:
- offer clear guarantees
- quantify EXACTLY what you’re getting for your money
- have a process that quality assures the leads they send you
- have a fully employed office-based team and do not outsource
- have a calling code of conduct
- send you daily activity reports
- make sure that you are following up with the leads they generate
- never charge training costs or set up fees
- do the work before they charge
When establishing a relationship with you, they should:
- work as an extension of your business, as a partner
- be transparent and professional
- take the time to get a feel for your business and understand your values and essence, not just the functionality of what you do
- be clear about your lead criteria
- invite you to meet the team, come to the office or listen to calls being made in real-time
- offer testimonials in video form so you can see they are genuine
- be selecting you as much as you are selecting them
Things to consider when hiring an agency
Before hiring a telemarketing agency, ask yourself these questions to decide whether their service will add value to your business.
- How do they behave whilst trying to secure your business? The way they communicate and behave with you is how they will treat your prospects. For example, did they send emails and make callbacks when they said they would?
- Did the agency contact you through an email marketing campaign? If they are selling a cold calling service, why didn’t they showcase their calling skills to you?
- Do their business values match yours?
- What knowledge do they have of your industry sector and supply chain?
- Are they using the right terminology and demonstrating their understanding? Their terminology and depth of familiarity they use with you is how they will behave towards your prospects.
- What exactly are you getting for your money? What does their day rate include? The number of conversations they have is the only real gauge – dials (number of calls) and time spent on calls are meaningless.
- Do they ask for set-up fees, training fees, or prepayment? Some agencies that ask for this may not be confident that you will pay for the outcomes of their work.
- Are their written testimonials very similar in ‘tone’ and lack specific details?
- Are they receptive to feedback to help them improve their calls for you? They should be working in partnership with you and adjusting their approach to get better outcomes.
- What do they have in place to establish the outcome of the leads?
- Are they promoting money-saving deals or offers to reduce their standard fees? If they are providing a high-quality service, they should not need to cut their prices to attract new clients.
Compare agencies before committing
There are some fantastic examples out there of great telemarketing companies and, sadly, some sharks. Being aware can make sure you get the right partner to help your business grow.
We’d be delighted to speak to you while you explore your telemarketing options. Get in touch for a call back to find out more about how we would work with you.