So you've heard how lucrative telemarketing from home can be, and after hearing about how so many people have been able to make it work for them, you've decided to give it a go. You've got your script, you've got that chipper attitude down pat, and you've rehearsed every verbal pleasantry you've ever thought up. You think you're ready to take on the big bad world of telemarketing. You're wrong. If you're ever considering telemarketing from home as a main source of income or even as an additional one, the one most important thing that you need is a list of leads. This article will tell you all the importance of using a direct marketing list as the one make or break tool you will need in your foray into telemarketing from home.
You may have heard the success stories of telemarketing from friends, or a friend's friend, and it's understandable that after hearing such stories you may be tempted to believe that telemarketing from home is really a viable alternative to a 9-to-5 job down at the office. But here's the ugly truth: in order to succeed in the game of telemarketing, half the time your success depends upon the list that you have on hand. A perfectly written script, well-rehearsed vocal pleasantries, and a great amount of hands-on knowledge about the product you're selling will mean nothing if you don't have a good list to begin with.
So where do you start? Some may advise you to build your own lists based on your current market know-how, perhaps even start with your own personal contacts and hope to get referrals. While that may not be entirely impossible to do, it would most certainly take up a large amount of your time, and the resources involved in attaining all these leads would no doubt cut into your profit margin - that is, if you have any to start with. Shouldn't your expenses be less if you were to work from home instead of going to a traditional 9-to-5? What would be the point of working from home if you're going to spend the same amount or money, or worse, more than you would if you had an office job? Having to call your contacts for referrals to build up a large enough list would most likely cost you a pretty penny, and you might end up spending more than you bargained for just clearing your phone bills.
And that's even before you can make your first sale.
What you should do is to acquire a highly qualified, direct marketing list. Such lists are targeted at the right consumers who are looking for the kind of products that you're looking to sell to them. The people listed on such high quality lists are more prepared to buy what you're selling than those you may have found flipping through the phonebook or even your personal contacts, so the chances of a sale using a direct marketing list would be considerably higher. What's more, these lists are available online through professional organizations that specialize in compiling such tailored lists based on various marketing factors that determine the eventual consumer purchasing decisions.
But remember, before you invest in such lists, be sure that the company you're obtaining them from is reputable, and has a good track record for providing such lists. A reputable company should already have a collection of highly targeted lists for telemarketing or even direct sales from home. If you want to succeed in telemarketing from home, remember that investing in a good direct marketing list will be a boon to your future telemarketing endeavors.
Direct Marketing Mail List
For any direct marketing campaign to be successful, you need to have a combination of marketing tools in order to make your offer repeatedly. One of the most potent tools you can use in your direct marketing is the direct mail letter. The letter, for more details visit to www.killer-sales-letters.com whether you're using it through the mail or the internet, is the actual sales pitch. It relays what your product or service is, and how much it can benefit the prospect. In short, the letter should do everything that a traditional person-to-person sales pitch does.
Here are ten things that will make your letters more effective:
1. It must have a headline. The headline is the ad for the letter. It flags down the reader to read more.
2. Present the facts. Begin with a statement of basic truth, known and accepted by the reader. By introducing known facts, your create believability for later statements in the letter.
3. Do as much personalizing as possible. Personalize name, address, special interests, and anything else you can.
4. State your offer in the beginning, again in the middle, and again at the end.
5. Create a sense of urgency by giving prospects a cut-off date by which time your readers must respond to your offer.
6. Always include a P.S. The P.S. is the second thing readers read, following the headline.
7. Stress your main points with underlines, bold type, all caps, or a yellow highlighter effect. But don't stress too much.
8. Use short paragraphs, sentences, and words. In latt's of two or more pages use subheads.
9. Use black ink, plus blue to underline more important points. Print your signature and make notes in the margins or hand-write a P.S.
10. Tell the reader exactly what to do upon completing the letter, along with how to do it, and when to do it.
A successful direct marketing campaign might consist of four pieces sent at two-week intervals: a two page letter, then a one page letter, then a postcard, then a telephone follow-up. It is important to remember that even the best letters don't get read if the envelope doesn't get opened. So make the envelope enticing to get your recipients to open it. You can do this by putting a "teaser" line on the outside, for more details visit to www.private-labels-empire.com motivating the person to open it. You could use a window envelope with a photo of free gift, resemblance of a check, or some other unique design. This increases curiosity and gives the recipient a reason to open the envelope.
The same is true for your e-mails. Make sure you put something recognizable in the subject line so that the recipient will recognize that is from you and will peak their curiosity, otherwise, they'll likely delete it without opening it.
You should have an entire file of letters for different occasions: promotions, offers, thank-you, follow-up, referral seekers, and more. Always test you letters until you have a file of proven winners.
Both Chris Burns & Davinder2 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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