Resource: Outbound Telesales

Outbound telesales, also known as telemarketing, is a type of direct-to-consumer sales. Outbound telesales agents contact prospective customers via the phone to sell products or services. Often, this phone call constitutes the consumer's first exposure to the product.

Telesales agents may work in-house at a large company, from a call centre, or possibly from their home.

Both telesales and telemarketing jobs require excellent sales skills, a good speaking voice, and a persistent attitude. Outbound telesales agents must be particularly impervious to rejection and be able to “bounce back” after a disappointment.


Outbound Telesales: Past & Future

Outbound telesales was first commonly used in the eighties, when it was developed by Nadji Tehrani as a method for selling advertising space in his trade magazines.

Like other forms of direct marketing, telesales continues to have a sufficiently high enough rate of return that it continues to be employed by many companies in diverse industries. Despite some of the challenges, it is a successful form of sales for many products.

Large companies employ telesales agents to introduce products and services to new prospective customers, or new products and services to existing customers. Smaller companies may outsource their telesales to a large call centre or telemarketing firm.


Outbound Telesales: Do you have what it takes?

Telesales is one of the most challenging sales careers, and is not recommended for the faint hearted or easily discouraged. To succeed as a telemarketer, you will need to have the following traits and abilities:

• You must be persistent and confident, even in the face of frequent rejection. You must be able to respond politely and graciously, even when dealing with unpleasant people.
• You must have good phone skills and a clear speaking voice.
• You should be able to multi-task, and perform well in a high-pressure environment. You may have people working and talking around you, and you will probably have to keep up a brisk pace on the phones.
• You should be able to set and meet personal performance goals. You may be required to make a minimum number of sales calls per day.
• A degree is generally not required.


A Career in Outbound Telesales: The Payoff

If you love selling, telesales offers one of the purest forms of salesmanship. Unlike other sales careers, which require additional tasks like travelling, attending tradeshows, or cultivating networks, telesales offers an opportunity to continually hone and develop your best selling techniques.

Because of the intense selling involved, telesales is often considered to be a testing ground for more lucrative, prestigious positions in sales. Spending a couple of years in telesales will greatly increase your marketability, making you a more competitive candidate for future sales positions.

Pay is generally good, but not outstanding, although there are some exceptions in which the pay can be quite high. It is typical to receive a basic salary plus commission, so you will have the opportunity potential to increase earnings through hard work and exceptional performance. The job provides ongoing motivation to increase your sales figures for higher financial compensation.