Telemarketing Etiquette

Telemarketers should follow etiquette rules on every call.

Telemarketers have a bad reputation. People often find their calls intrusive, especially when they arrive at an inconvenient time. They are resistant as soon as they answer the phone because they know a sales pitch is coming. If you are a telemarketer, you may be able to offset some of the negative perceptions by following proper etiquette. Using good telemarketing etiquette can calm down angry call recipients and help you do your job more effectively.

Greeting

Greet the person who answers the phone with hello, then ask for the appropriate person. Be careful with name pronunciation because saying a name wrong will quickly alienate a call recipient. This is especially true if they have a fairly common name. If your company uses an autodialer and there was a pause before you came on the line, apologize for it immediately. Many people dislike the deadtime between the time they say hello and get a return greeting. Acknowledging the pause and apologizing for it can offset this.

Voice

Your tone of voice gives the call recipient his first impression of you. He will notice it even before he realizes what you are saying. Use an upbeat tone for every call, even if you're just been rejected by the last 10 potential customers. Take a few deep breaths to release any tension, then smile widely before you start to speak. This will carry over into your tone. Pay attention to your volume, too. Your voice may be fading if it has been a long day. If you notice this happening, make an effort to speak up so the call recipient will not have to struggle to hear you. Never eat, drink or chew gum when you are making calls. This projects a very unprofessional image.

Delivery

Maintain a comfortable pace for the recipient to follow. She may not be able to understand you if you speak too quickly, and fast talking may give the impression that you are trying to pull something over on her. However, you may frustrate her and lose her interest if you speak too slowly or robotically. Use a normal conversational pace.

Enunciate each word clearly as you speak. Your words can start to run together when you've been making calls each day, and call recipients won't be able to understand you. Pay attention and articulate your words carefully.

Respect

Treat people with respect even if they are disrespectful to you. Many call recipients get rude or even abusive as soon as they realize you are trying to sell them something. Answer politely and in a normal tone of voice, even if the person on the other end of the line begins to yell. If he is abusive, let him know that you are going to end the call before you hang up. It may be tempting to simply hang up on him without a word, but the mark of a true professional is being able to react with good manners when someone else is acting with bad manners.

References

• Leadership Tools site
• Telemarketing etiquette from Freestyle Enterpreneur