Telemarketing

Source: Wikipedia

Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson uses the telephone to solicit prospective customers to buy products or services.

Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialing.

Different types of activities:
* Lead Generation, the gathering of information
* Sales, using persuasion to sell a product or service
* Outbound, proactive marketing to prospective and pre-existing customers
* Inbound, react to incoming orders and requests for information.

Telemarketing may be done from a company office, from a call centre, or from home. It may involve either a live operator or a recorded message.

An effective telemarketing process often involve two or more calls. The first call determines the customer’s needs. The final call motivates the customer to make a purchase.

Prospective customers are identified by various means, including past purchase history, previous requests for information, credit limit, competition entry forms, and application forms.

Telemarketing techniques are also applied to other forms of electronic marketing using e-mail or fax messages, in which case they are frequently considered spam.