Telemarketing is a Method of Direct Marketing in Which a Salesperson Solicits Prospective Customers to Buy Products or Services Over the Phone

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    Telemarketing

    Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective

    customers to buy products or services over the phone. Telemarketing is a method of sellingproducts and services over the telephone.

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

    Telemarketing has come under fire in recent years, being viewed as an annoyance by many.

    It makes selling more efficient because you can get more selling done in less time. It is easy to

    generate leads using this method and lists of people's phone numbers and other contact

    information can be purchased. The results of telemarketing are highly measurable, so you can

    keep track of its cost effectiveness.

    Advantages/Merits of Telemarketing

    Cost Effective than personal selling

    It makes selling more efficient because you can get more selling done in less time. It is easy togenerate leads using this method and lists of people's phone numbers and other contact

    information can be purchased. The results of telemarketing are highly measurable, so you can

    keep track of its cost effectiveness.

    Easy to Get to Customers

    it provides a way for you to easily connect with prospective customers.

    Telemarketing allows you to sell from a distance and expand your sales territory.

    You could potentially reach people on a national and global scale instead of just locally.

    Explain technical issues more clearly

    Generates leads & appointments

    Sell from a distance to increase your sales territory

    Reach more customers than with inperson sales calls

    Sell to both existing & new customers

    Achieve results that are measurable

    Disadvantages/Demerits of Telemarketing

    It has a Bad Reputation

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    Customer Lists and Training Personnel can be Costly

    Task of script preparation

    An outside service provider can result in your losing control over your sales processes

    because the people doing the work are not your employees

    E-Marketing

    Very simply put, E-Marketing or electronic marketing refers to the application of marketing

    principles and techniques via electronic media and more specifically the Internet.

    EMarketing is the process ofmarketing a brand using the Internet.

    By such a definition, eMarketing encompasses all the activities a business conducts via theworldwide web with the aim of attracting new business, retaining current business and

    developing its brand identity.

    The benefits of eMarketing over traditional marketing

    ReachThe nature of the internet means businesses now have a truly global reach. While traditional

    media costs limit this kind of reach to huge multinationals, eMarketing opens up new avenues for

    smaller businesses, on a much smaller budget, to access potential consumers from all over the

    world.

    ScopeInternet marketing allows the marketer to reach consumers in a wide range of ways and enables

    them to offer a wide range of products and services. eMarketing includes, among other things,information management, public relations, customer service and sales. With the range of new

    technologies becoming available all the time, this scope can only grow.

    InteractivityWhereas traditional marketing is largely about getting a brand's message out there, eMarketing

    facilitates conversations between companies and consumers. With a two-way communication

    channel, companies can feed off of the responses of their consumers, making them more

    dynamic and adaptive.

    ImmediacyInternet marketing is able to provide an immediate impact.

    Imagine you're reading your favourite magazine. You see a double-page advert for some newproduct or service, maybe BMW's latest luxury sedan or Apple's latest iPod offering. With this

    kind of traditional media, it's not that easy for you, the consumer, to take the step from hearing

    about a product to actual acquisition.

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    With eMarketing, its easy to make that step as simple as possible, meaning that within a few

    short clicks you could have ordered the iPod. And all of this can happen regardless of normaloffice hours. Effectively, Internet marketing makes business hours 24 hours per day, 7 days per

    week for every week of the year.

    Global access Flexibility Home delivery Easy payment gateway ( e.g. Internet banking) Comparison shopping becomes easy in online shopping

    Services Marketing

    Services Marketing refers to the marketing of services as against tangible products.

    service is any activity of benefit that one party can offer to another that is essentially intangibleand does not result in the ownership of anything. Its production may or may not be tied to a

    physical product.

    Service is an act or performance offered by one party to another. The performance is essentially

    intangible.

    E.g. Telecommunications services, financial services, all types of hospitality services, car rental

    services, air travel, health care services and professional services

    Importance of services

    Given the intangibility of services, marketing them becomes a particularly challenging and yet

    extremely important task.

    A key differentiatorDue to the increasing homogeneity in product offerings, the attendant services provided are

    emerging as a key differentiator in the mind of the consumers. E.g.: In case of two fast foodchains serving a similar product (Pizza Hut and Dominos), more than the product it is theservice quality that distinguishes the two brands from each other. Hence, marketers can leverage

    on the service offering to differentiate them from the competition and attract consumers.

    Importance of relationshipsRelationships are a key factor when it comes to the marketing of services. Since the product is

    intangible, a large part of the customers buying decision will depend on the degree to which hetrusts the seller. Hence, the need to listen to the needs of the customer and fulfill them throughthe appropriate service offering and build a long lasting relationship which would lead to repeat

    sales and positive word of mouth.

    Customer Retention

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    Given todays highly competitive scenario where multiple providers are competing for a limited

    pool of customers, retaining customers is even more important than attracting new ones. Sinceservices are usually generated and consumed at the same time, they actually involve the

    customer in service delivery process by taking into consideration his requirements and feedback.

    Thus they offer greater scope for customization according to customer requirements thus offering

    increased satisfaction leading to higher customer retention.

    Characteristics of a service

    Intangibility:

    Services are intangible and do not have a physical existence. Hence services cannot be touched,

    held, tasted or smelt.

    Heterogeneity/Variability

    Given the very nature of services, each service offering is unique and cannot be exactly repeated

    even by the same service provider.

    While products can be mass produced and be homogenous the same is not true of services. e.g.:

    All burgers of a particular flavor at McDonalds are almost identical. However, the same is not

    true of the service rendered by the same counter staff consecutively to two customers.

    Perishability

    Services cannot be stored, saved, returned or resold once they have been used. Once rendered toa customer the service is completely consumed and cannot be delivered to another customer.

    e.g.: A customer dissatisfied with the services of a barber cannot return the service of the haircut

    that was rendered to him.

    Inseparability

    The service provider and the service consumer are inseparable.

    The hairdresser needs to be physically present for this service to be consumed.

    Non-ownership

    The consumer can not secure ownership of the service.

    Rural Marketing

    The process of developing, pricing, promoting distributing the rural specific products & servicesleading to consumer demand satisfaction & also achieves organizational objectives.

    Rural marketing consists of marketing of inputs (products or services) to the rural as well as

    marketing of outputs from the rural markets to other geographical areas.

    Rural areas of the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized.

    They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture.

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    There are around 638000 villages in India.

    Problems in Rural Marketing

    1. Underdeveloped people& Underdeveloped Market.

    Higher percentage of people in rural market is below poverty line & hence the market is alsounderdeveloped. Marketing strategies have to be different from those used in urban marketing

    2. Low Literacy level

    Results in problem of communication. Print media has less utility compared to other media of

    communication.

    3. Seasonal Demand:

    Demand may be seasonal due to dependency on agricultural income.

    Harvest season might see an increase in disposable income & hence more purchasing power.

    4. Dispersed Market:

    Rural population is highly dispersed

    Hence requires a lot of marketing efforts in terms of distribution & communication

    Although all the above problems offer Challenges to the marketer , Marketers cannot afford to

    miss the huge opportunity existing in rural So marketers always tries to find out innovative &

    creative solutions to cope up with these problems

    5. Storage & transportation:

    It is one of the biggest challenges in rural market

    No proper road linkage. This makes physical distribution a tough task.

    Many villages are located in hilly terrains & that make it difficult to connect them through

    roads.

    Many marketers use tractors or bullock carts in rural areas to distribute their products.

    Storage is another major problem in rural market.

    6. Ineffective distribution channels:

    Not very well organized

    Requires a large no. of intermediataries due to large no. of villages.

    Dealers are not easily available in rural areas.

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    Place- Rural Distribution Challenges

    Large number of small markets

    Dispersed population and trade

    Poor connectivity

    Low availability of suitable dealers

    Inadequate banking/ credit facilities

    Poor product display and visibility

    Poor communication of offers and schemes

    7. Many languages & dialects:

    The number of languages and dialects vary from state to state region to region make difficult

    to handle rural customers.

    8.Lack of communication systems:

    Internet Coverage, Computers, Fax etc

    9.Spurious brands:

    Cost is an important factor that determines the purchasing decision in rural areas.

    A lot of spurious brands or lookalike is available at lower cost.

    Many times the rural consumer may not be aware of the difference due to illiteracy.

    10. Seasonal Demand:

    Demand may be seasonal due to dependency on agricultural income.

    Harvest season might see an increase in disposable income & hence more purchasing power.

    11. Dispersed Market:

    Rural population is highly dispersed

    Hence requires a lot of marketing efforts in terms of distribution & communication

    Although all the above problems offer Challenges to the marketer , Marketers cannot afford to

    miss the huge opportunity existing in rural So marketers always tries to find out innovative &

    creative solutions to cope up with these problems