Overview of Telesales
You need excellent communication skills to speak clearly and confidently, as well as listen carefully to customer needs. Telesales requires patience, persuasion, persistence, exceptional communication and phone skills, typing experience and the ability to thrive in an office environment. The aim is to build repeat business through customer relations.
On a resume, highlight any customer service or sales experience, as well as skills like the ability to upsell or cross-sell. These skills can be developed through experience and training.
Job Requirements and Career Paths
To be hired as a telemarketer, you usually need a high school diploma and customer service experience. Duties include tracking customer lists, explaining product benefits, and taking payments. Required skills are computer and phone skills, and a professional phone presence. The national average cost per caller hour for a telemarketing service is $39.
Where to work: A telemarketer can operate from a home office or a call center. To advance, you may need more experience, additional education like a Master’s Degree, or specialized certifications.
Telemarketing jobs require resilience. Skills learned working in a call center can be used in other positions while climbing the corporate ladder.
Key Telemarketing Skills
Essential skills:
- Listening fully to each caller to build trust
- Exercising patience to thoroughly help each client
- Conveying messages clearly
- Operating calling software
- Speaking intriguingly to grab attention
- Judging moods without visual cues
Success requires finding a reputable company, persistence through many rejections, and stamina to make many calls. Key factors for effective telemarketers include communication abilities, resilience, motivation, and customer service skills.
How to Excel in Telemarketing
Steps to be a good telemarketer:
- Prepare for telephone sales by reading up on what you sell so you have a thorough understanding of the product or service.
- Read up on the company you work for so you can represent it properly.
- Practice selling as often as possible to develop your skills.
Skills for successful telemarketing:
- A positive attitude and ability to handle rejection
- Good product knowledge
- Strong communication and listening skills
- Persistence and resilience