A call guide is a crucial tool for any telemarketing campaign, and I would like to highlight three key objectives to keep in mind when preparing a script.
- Directs Flow of Conversation. One important feature is that it directs the flow of the conversation and highlights, among other things, the key questions needed to understand the contact environment as well as their level of qualification for the product or service being offered. This would include questions regarding the current environment, especially pains or challenges present that the solution would address, as well as qualifying questions to determine the validity of the lead. Often, in order to capture and report data easily, this is done through primarily close ended questions, however importance should be placed on using open ended questions during the conversation as that will allow us to have a more thorough understanding of the contacts current environment and areas of opportunity, which Britney Bailey addresses in depth in Teleprospecting- Using Open Ended Questions to Drive the Conversation:" (Feb 20, 2012).
- Delivers Meaningful Information. The second objective is to provide enough information about your product or service to ensure that we are able to address any general questions that arise during the conversation, as well as have the flexibility to tailor the conversation to the particular needs and interests of individual contacts. It is important that this information be sufficient to allow a holistic understanding of the product or service being marketed, however simplistic enough to facilitate comprehension and use. It is advisable to build on this base knowledge with additional training and collateral as tools to add to and reinforce what is in the call guide. The agents should always be listening for the lead questions that Laura Johnson discusses in her blog What Types of Questions Should A Teleprospector Anticipate? (Jul 23, 2012), as it is important to understand the appropriate timing to stop sharing information and begin the hand-off process to the sales team once a qualified contact shows a definite interest.
- Allows Collection of Valuable Data. I mentioned earlier the importance of close ended questions to assist with data collection and reporting, the final objective of a call guide would be to capture valuable data about the market for strategic positioning of future teleprospecting efforts. A lot of valuable data can be gained through conversations with potential customers, regardless of whether the conversation resulted in a lead opportunity. In order to maximize your investment, planning during the call guide development phase as to what data will be important to analyze is a strategic decision. Some examples include understanding the impact of the sales or promotions you offer to the contacts, having a view to the driving factors for purchasing decisions, determining if there are certain geographical trends in terms of level of interest, among many others. Additional examples can be found in the blog Think Ahead- Gather the Best Market Intelligence from a Teleprospecting Campaign by Abby Lynes (June 6th, 2012).
By considering each of these three objectives prior to commencing your telemarketing campaign, you are positioning yourself to build a better market awareness of your product or service as well as the reverse, a better awareness of how to market your product successfully.