Job description:
About Telemarketing
- Do you love talking to people on the phone?
- Do you have a good, clear telephone voice?
- Are you persuasive?
- Could you sell honey to bees?
If you said YES, YES, YES and YES – You might consider becoming a Telemarketer!
A telemarketer is a kind of ‘sales’ person. They advertise the company by phoning other companies and/or private individuals to try and get them to buy the product or services of the company they work for.
They could be selling products, services or even asking for donations for a charity organisation.
Telemarketers can work in a call centre or by themselves for a small company or organisation.
Most Telemarketers earn a basic salary and commission. The harder you sell, the more you earn.
What does a Telemarketer do?
- sells orders for products or services over the telephone
- makes ‘cold’ calls (phones people they don’t know) to sell products or services
- answers incoming calls from prospective customers
- presents prepared sales talks by reading from scripts that describe products or services to clients
- contact businesses or private individuals by telephone sell products or services or ask for donations
- describes products or services and prices
- answers questions from customers
- collects customer information eg name, address and payment method etc
- records the order details
- deals with complaints or doubts to safeguard the company’s reputation
- researches to find telephone numbers of potential customers (eg telephone directory or other databases)
- follows up on orders
- maintains records of contacts, orders etc
Are you . . . ?
- enthusiastic?
- a good ‘sales’ person?
- persuasive?
- a people’s person?
- positive?
- target driven?
- a person with a good, clear speaking voice?
- able to communicate well on the telephone?
- hard working?
- able to sit for long periods at a time on the phone?
- able to handle rejection – and not take it personally?
How do I become a Telemarketer?
You don’t need a specific qualification to become a Telemarketer but you will need a good ‘head-for-sales’. You will need to be target driven. A strong sense of marketing, sales and confidence will help a lot.
If you have a qualification in sales and marketing – you should jump ahead of the rest. Telemarketing may be your stepping stone to a career in marketing or sales. If you work hard, you could be promoted in the company to more senior positions.
Suggestion:
Start your ‘sales’ career in a call centre. You may even get some training. Once you have the confidence and know how to sell, look for a telemarketing job. Look for a product or service you believe in, as it’s so much easier to sell something you really love.
If you really love sports, then try and look for a telemarketing job in sports or a sporting company.
If you like make-up, then try and look for a job in cosmetics.
PATH 1
- In-service training
PATH 2
Learnership – Contact Centre Support Level 2
Learnership – Contact Centre and BPO Support Level 3
Learnership – Contact Centre Operations NQF Level 4
