Telemarketing – Because Real Conversations are Growing Passe

People are so quick to dismiss telemarketing as a relic of a regrettable era of marketing. Privacy was disrespected. Pressure was applied when customers really wanted to say no. Who wouldn’t want an end to that era?

However, is telemarketing the only medium that generates disrespect and other questionable lack of ethics? Apparently, there are now those who think that digital and electronic marketing and culturing their own breed.

You’ve heard about the many times telemarketers are seen as intrusive, pushy, and even creepy at times. How many times have you heard about people being distracted by the many emails, social media notifications, and anything else that pops beep from their smartphones?

Chances are, blogs like this would be the umpteenth time. What’s really telling though is that this type of behavior is the kind that digital marketing techniques thrive on. On the bright side, it shows how engaging your content (from your emails to your blogs) must be if your prospects are hanging on to every word.

Yet, how often does it come at the cost of disconnecting your prospects from everything else that’s around them? Remember, as convenient and far-reaching digital marketing is, it’s still a pretty distant connection. And while a telemarketing call can be another distraction in of itself, the things that make it effective also strive for a closer connection:

• A real voice is a step to real conversation – Hearing someone’s voice, as opposed to plain text, is at least an indicator that you’re talking to a real person. Nobody needs to be reminded on how sketchy it gets when you try to automate that aspect of the process. Furthermore, talking with another person on the other end is another indicator that you’re well capable of talking in a live meeting.

• Attempts are (and should be) a little far in between – While it’s a lot more tolerable to receive an email frequently, it also leads to addictive habits. On the other hand, you think the telemarketing industry doesn’t take no for an answer? If it didn’t, why is it still standing? The truth is there are plenty experts in the industry that aren’t idiots. They know the fine line between persistence and pestering.

• The length of the conversation correlates with connection – Logically, the longer the conversation, the more engaged the prospect. They’re asking more questions. They’re thinking of meeting a sales rep. The exchange also happens a lot faster than when you’re exchanging emails because you’re speaking the words as they come out of your month, not when you’re still drafting the message. Finally, it’s also quicker to end the conversation instead of glancing at your phone for the next email.

Now there is still plenty of room (and necessity) for digital marketing. However, it should never come at the cost of disconnection and another form of disrespect. It makes it pointless to complain about the ills of telemarketing in the first place.

Telemarketing – Because Real Conversations are Growing Passe