What Outbound Telemarketing Can Do for You
The right outbound telemarketing service brings with it a host of benefits. Some of these benefits include:
- Information collection: Next to landing an appointment or sale, the most important interaction between a call center and a potential client is the garnering of consumer information and feedback. This increases your understanding of the market, which in turn lets you engage with clients more effectively.
- Audience reach: It is not uncommon for sales representatives to spend large amounts of time talking to potential leads, not all of which pan out. But hiring an outbound service allows you to identify different trends that help you reach your target audience and land real leads.
- Creativity: The quickest way to lose prospective customers is to sound like any other salesperson (or worse, a robot) during the conversation. Hiring an outbound telemarketing service gives you access to an experienced workforce that knows how to differentiate themselves from the rest and when to get creative with the call.
- No turnover: If your own employees are taking care of the calls, you have to worry about things such as time off, turnover, and unemployment costs. Outsourcing to an outbound service places this stress on the shoulders of the telemarketing company and reduces associated costs.
The Difference Between Inbound and Outbound Telemarketing
Most people tend to associate telemarketing with outbound calling, but inbound telemarketing exists, as well.
Inbound telemarketing is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a telemarketing strategy wherein customers contact the company first. This typically results in a larger amount of landed clients, as they were interested enough to reach out first. Inbound telemarketing also usually requires more intensive customer relationship management (CRM) strategies and tools.
Outbound telemarketing is what people tend to picture when thinking about the profession: representatives reaching out directly to customers. This includes everything from appointment setting, to follow-ups, to lead generation. There is generally a higher rate of contact with outbound telemarketing.
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How Much Does an Outbound Telemarketing Service Cost?
It is difficult to provide an exact price for outbound telemarketing services, as different companies have different charging methods. The following is a general pricing guide to give you an idea of what you can expect to pay for your outbound telemarketing services:
- Companies that charge by the hour may cost as little as $10 or as much as $70 per hour, but average rates fall between $25 and $50 per hour.
- Companies that charge by the lead cost, on average, between $35 and $60 per lead.
Other fees include:
- Setup fees, which generally cover script development and other costs, average between $300 and $500.
- If you need to use the service’s prospect list, that comes at an average cost of $300 per 1,000 names.
These costs may seem high, but outsourcing to a telemarketing service is almost always cheaper in the long run. With no onboarding, training, or potential unemployment costs, these services offer thousand of dollars worth of saving per year.
What to Look for in an Outbound Telemarketing Service
Price is important, but it should never be your only consideration when looking for an outbound telemarketing service. Make sure that the service you choose has a contract and packages that suit the needs of your business, both currently and as it grows. Also look for a company that offers a variety of services. You never know what other services you might need and building a lasting relationship with a company that has a lot to offer is never a bad business strategy.
But most importantly, you need a service that has the knowledge and the experience to get the job done. A company may offer every service in the world at the lowest price you’ve ever seen, but if they can’t back that up with knowledge and service then you’re wasting your money. Read up on all reviews for a company and don’t be afraid to ask others how the service has worked for them.