If you have a telemarketer at your station, what do you do to keep him/her motivated - other than money. Do you encourage them to treat it as their own business? Is your telemarketer offering a yearly plan as well...... meaning they email or fax events throughout the year, they check off the ones they would like to sponsor, receive a discount for six or more in our case, sign it and send it back. We are having no luck with that.
We can't even find qualified telemarketer to hire,
We are a new online-only Radio venture. We have 12 stations online now and are just beginning to be ready for sales. I like the idea of the yearly events and soliciting sponsors far in advance. By mailing it, you actual mail? If so, where do you think the break down is? It could be several places, right:
The idea is logical. I would not do it by snail mail for several reasons, but I'm sure you have several reasons for doing it that way that are just as valid. So if the idea is actually sound, there is a break-down somewhere. Finding that might turn things around.
As far as empowering people to feel they are in their own business, it is probably easier with a telemarketing rep than some other positions. To the extent we can do that, the better.
Is your telemarketer effective otherwise? How does that work with your organization exactly?
Most companies that bite on telemarketing are looking for something very inexpensive so the idea of semi-annual or annual commitments does not fit for them.
My biggest advice is to have telemarketers call only those who are not on someone's list. This way you are always mining for new gold. When the client eventually becomes interested in doing something extensive, give the telemarketer a bonus.
Great question, Kathie! We might have to make this a Friday Poll question and ask members to weigh in on their own practices.
If anyone ought to be good at selling over the telephone, it should be radio folks. After all, speech communication is our business!
For most of my years in radio sales, all salespeople participated in periodic phone blitzes; it was just part of the job description. We would call our own accounts and would divide up prospect lists (usually compiled from Yellow Pages and newspaper ads) for new calls as well. Some of these folks only bought the seasonal packages we offered over the phone. Others bought them as supplements to their regular advertising. There were often spiffs attached for achieving certain benchmarks, which made the concentrated effort more fun - providing both recognition and additional remuneration for the salespeople. Variants on additional cash might include gift certificates for a nice dinner-for-two, maybe an overnight getaway to a fun place, that sort of thing.
I know of several successful broadcasters that employ dedicated telemarketers on a full-time or part-time basis, and these people are well compensated for their production. Sometimes they're given titles such as "special events (projects) coordinator," and they develop relationships with the prospects they call on, that may lead to additional regular advertising down the line.
Several years ago I recorded an interview with Doug Grey, GM of a terrific station cluster in Fergus Falls, MN (owned by my old boss), in which he described in great detail how they conduct a successful phone blitz. I'll find it and post a link here in the next day or two.
Rod, did you ever find the link to Doug Grey's recorded interview? I'd love to hear it.
We have a part-time telemarketer who does well for us. She works 9a-1p 4 days a week and came to us from one of those tele-fundraising offices, i.e., she has experience. She participates in sales meetings and some sales events. She develops her own themes and scripts for calling (really enjoys that lattitude). She sells specific schedules along the lines of:
1. holidays (safety, well-wishes, church service times, drink-and-drive)
2. thank yous in the case of military/veteran/patriotic days
3. monthly/weekly recognitions such as October for National Car Care Month
4. illness/disease cure or prevention such as February for National Heart Health Month, Doctor's Week, National Hospital Week
5. calendar driven events such as graduation in May, water safety in the summer, pets and temperatures in winter and in summer, etc. - included in this is various weekend festivals, 'heritage days', et al in surrounding communities
She uses Chases' Calendar Book along with local, regional state calendars. There are no annuals for this kind of thing - we find people respond to specific ideas that either relate to their business, their family life or touch them personally in some way.
Over time she knows which people to approach first with veteran campaigns, with child-related campaigns, which doctor's offices respond best with cancer, fitness, immunizations and those kinds of things. So she has some people who buy 5-6 times a year, some who buy only one thing. A small percentage of her clients have eventually become regular advertisers now handled by an outside salesperson.
She writes the scripts and reads them on the phone, explaining that the last 8-10 seconds is where we put in a tag for their business. She offers 3 package levels with each call. Between the concepting, writing and calling, she seems pretty self-motivating... has goals for which she is recognized and/or rewarded with bonuses... is kept as in the loop as part of the sales staff team - which she likes.
I see Jack mentioned having the telemarketer call only clients not being called on by a salesperson. We do not limit the telemarketer on this. If these advertisers do not want to get these calls, they simply tell us that and we remove them from the telemarketing list. Other advertisers seem to look at the advertising as true business advertising and the telemarketing campaigns as community-based add-ons.
