Can Telemarketing Work For #Manufacturers?

Guest post by Social Media Manager Robbi Hess

Do you cringe when the phone rings and it's a telemarketer? Many of is do, but when you consider it -- your business thrives on sales, right? If you don't make sales, you don't stay in business. What can you do to overcome "telemarketing fear"? There are many ways to do this -- especially when you consider the fact that telemarketing, like your on-the-street salesforce is an investment in your #manufacturing business.

Here are some tips to make certain your telemarketing campaign has a chance of succeeding:

• Who is in charge of contacting potential customers? You need to have someone with a vested interest
  
  in the sale and in making a connection with a potential client. If, however, you're the business owner is making these calls the best use of your time? Only you can determine the ROI. 
• Does the person making the call have the knowledge necessary to speak with authority about your firm and what you could offer? Does he or she have the knowledge to uncover the potential clients' pain points and offer a solution? 
• Does someone on your sales team make follow up calls or schedule on-site visits? Again, does this person have the expertise to not only talk about your firms' features and benefits, but to truly uncover what this person needs. 
• Are you making money or losing money on hiring an outside telemarketing firm? Would your money be better spent having your on-site sales people making these calls? 
• When you consider that all sales are about relationship building you need to determine whether an outside telemarketing team will make a potential client feel as though he or she is working with a trusted partner or if they are simply one in a line of hundreds of "automated" calls. 

What do you find works best for making sales for your #manufacturing company?