Recruiting for Today and Tomorrow?

Turnover of telesales staff can be high and therefore expensive. To make sure you get it right the first time, recruiting someone who will suit the job and stay as long as you need them, there are three key areas you should look at.

Knowledge. What does the candidate know that would contribute to your business? How was that knowledge acquired? Is the candidate a 'self-starter', acquiring this knowledge through their own efforts? This is an indication of someone who is keen to self-develop.

Skill. Has the candidate any skills which could be used to grow your company? Can they demonstrate where they have used that skill to their own or an employer's advantage? Can the skill be developed further for the benefit of your business?

Attitude. This is the most important of all. Without a positive attitude, skills, knowledge and training are wasted. Ask candidates about their interests, education and the jobs they've had. Do they talk about them with passion and enthusiasm? Someone who can't get fired up about their interests will find it difficult to enthuse about the work they have to do every day.

At Communiqué, when we help our clients with recruiting, we look for the sort of people we would employ. We are not an employment agency, but recruiting the right telesales people is important, to make sure you have the most skilled, motivated and successful telebusiness people around. I hope you found our recruitment tips helpful.

Selling in Stages

Stage 2 - Prospecting & Lead Generation

In stage two of the sales process, we're looking at effective ways to generate new leads. Here are some ideas for you:

• Before searching for new customers, take the time to look after your existing ones. It’s costly to find new customers, so look after ones you already work with and they may recommend you, without you having to lift the telephone!
• Ask your customers for referrals. Everyone knows someone and that someone may be the new lead you’re looking for
• Search your local papers and trade press for interesting leads. If a new business moves into your area, call to wish them luck – you never know what it might lead to!
• Networking groups are a great source of leads. Each person you meet has their own network of contacts and can pass your information on
• Never underestimate the power of casual networking. Whether working out at the gym or sitting on a park bench, be prepared to talk about your business. This sort of relaxed networking can lead to conversations that tell you far more than you’d find out at a formal meeting.

Winning Telesales Techniques

To help you get more from telesales, we're running a course on Winning Telesales Techniques.

This one-day course will be ideal for you if you need to use the phone regularly, want to develop your existing skills and need to learn some new techniques. You should also attend if you work in telesales and would like to improve your performance.

By the end of the day, you'll be able to make your calls ten times more effective, by using our recommended sales strategies and you'll know how to identify customer needs through perceptive questioning techniques. You'll also learn how to close a sale through basic negotiating techniques.

This will be a very interactive course, allowing you to practice making outbound calls, through different exercises, to help you identify your own personal strengths and weaknesses and develop your sales technique. The experienced trainer will then analyse your calls and give you individual feedback.

We will also cover communication skills, to help you improve rapport by adapting your behaviour and analyse non-verbal communication including voice, projection and pace. We will look at using questions to secure visible results and creating impact with opening statements.

Elements of the sales process will be covered, including the importance of planning and research, maintaining focus and control when making outbound calls, recognising buying signals and overcoming objections. It's going to be a busy day! 

The cost of this one-day course is £195 + VAT per delegate. It will be held on 7 September, in Marlow in Buckinghamshire.