The second most common form of direct marketing is telemarketing, in which marketers contact consumers by phone.
The unpopularity of cold call telemarketing (in which the consumer does not expect or invite the sales call) has led some US states and the US federal government to create "no-call lists" and legislation including heavy fines. This process may be outsourced to specialist call centers.
In the US, a national do-not-call list went into effect on October 1, 2003. Under the law, it is illegal for telemarketers to call anyone who has registered themselves on the list. After the list had operated for one year, over 62 million people had signed up.
The telemarketing industry opposed the creation of the list, but most telemarketers have complied with the law and refrained from calling people who are on the list.
Canada has passed legislation to create a similar Do Not Call List. In other countries it is voluntary, such as the New Zealand Name Removal Service.
Contacting consumers by telephone can offer a number of advantages over other forms of marketing. It allows you to:
gauge the customer's interest immediately
ask questions to assess the customer's needs
explain technical or complex messages more effectively
But there are significant disadvantages. Many people find marketing calls an unwelcome interruption - particularly in the evenings when you're most likely to get them at home. Consider carefully whether consumer telemarketing fits your business' image and whether you're willing to risk alienating customers. Above all, don't be pushy.
In business-to-business (B2B) marketing, telemarketing has a wider role. People are more receptive to marketing calls as part of their work than they are at home.
You probably already use telemarketing in some form - few B2B sales are made without some telephone contact with a prospective customer. In addition, a dedicated telemarketing campaign could help you to:
build your database
generate leads and appointments
follow up responses to direct-mail campaigns
keep in touch with customers and renew relationships with lapsed customers
find out about industry developments and the activities of competitors
This kind of telemarketing can usually be carried out in-house - but training staff to do it is essential if it's to be a success. For bigger campaigns, however, you may want to enlist the services of a telemarketing bureau.
You should make sure that anyone you call is not registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). You can do this by getting your call list cleaned by a list cleaning company, checking numbers online on the TPS website or by buying a licence for the area or time period you require.
You should also be aware that there may be other legal issues when selling or marketing by phone.
The unpopularity of cold call telemarketing (in which the consumer does not expect or invite the sales call) has led some US states and the US federal government to create "no-call lists" and legislation including heavy fines. This process may be outsourced to specialist call centers.
In the US, a national do-not-call list went into effect on October 1, 2003. Under the law, it is illegal for telemarketers to call anyone who has registered themselves on the list. After the list had operated for one year, over 62 million people had signed up.
The telemarketing industry opposed the creation of the list, but most telemarketers have complied with the law and refrained from calling people who are on the list.
Canada has passed legislation to create a similar Do Not Call List. In other countries it is voluntary, such as the New Zealand Name Removal Service.
Contacting consumers by telephone can offer a number of advantages over other forms of marketing. It allows you to:
gauge the customer's interest immediately
ask questions to assess the customer's needs
explain technical or complex messages more effectively
But there are significant disadvantages. Many people find marketing calls an unwelcome interruption - particularly in the evenings when you're most likely to get them at home. Consider carefully whether consumer telemarketing fits your business' image and whether you're willing to risk alienating customers. Above all, don't be pushy.
In business-to-business (B2B) marketing, telemarketing has a wider role. People are more receptive to marketing calls as part of their work than they are at home.
You probably already use telemarketing in some form - few B2B sales are made without some telephone contact with a prospective customer. In addition, a dedicated telemarketing campaign could help you to:
build your database
generate leads and appointments
follow up responses to direct-mail campaigns
keep in touch with customers and renew relationships with lapsed customers
find out about industry developments and the activities of competitors
This kind of telemarketing can usually be carried out in-house - but training staff to do it is essential if it's to be a success. For bigger campaigns, however, you may want to enlist the services of a telemarketing bureau.
You should make sure that anyone you call is not registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS). You can do this by getting your call list cleaned by a list cleaning company, checking numbers online on the TPS website or by buying a licence for the area or time period you require.
You should also be aware that there may be other legal issues when selling or marketing by phone.