The process of marketing or selling a product or service through the telephone is known as telemarketing. Telemarketing may be business to business (b2b telemarketing) or business to customer. A telemarketer in addition to sales can gather valuable information about the customer which can used for future calls made. It can also be used in classifying the type of customer his tastes, buying habits etc. Telemarketing can be broadly categorized into two namely
Outbound Telemarketing: Here the company makes the calls to prospective buyers or clients. Telemarketing is now used in almost all industries. Job opportunities are available in the following sectors Banking, Insurance, Airlines/Air ticketing, Mobile/Telephone service providers, ITES organizations.
Inbound Telemarketing: When calls are received from interested customers regarding the product or service it is called inbound telemarketing.
In terms of education a telemarketer should be fluent in the required language. If it is for an outsourcing organization he/she may be required to undergo extensive training in order to learn the accent of the client. However recently in India there are numerous organizations that cater to the local market and hence fluency in the local language and a certain amount of computer skills are adequate. But all individuals are required to undergo training in soft skills and call handling. Due to the demand for telemarketers companies are also tapping in on the retired, disabled, homemakers segment by providing them with opportunities to work part time or from home. Following this trend a lot of companies advertise on the internet.
A person who wishes to get into telemarketing or wants to telemarketing from home, can directly approach the company with their resume. Alternatively there are innumerable job postings in newspapers and the internet and one can apply through those also. The company will then conduct tests, group discussions, interviews as per the process. The person will then undergo rigorous training and is then put on the job. Even an fresher can work in this and start doing full-time job. Depending on the telemarketing company and the nature of job a candidate chooses working hours may vary from an hour a day to ten to twelve hours if working full time in an organization.
Telemarketing is one of the fastest growing employment providers in India. India has become the center for outsourcing and there is tremendous scope especially in telemarketing. It has an advantage over other countries as it provides telemarketing services at a lower cost, has a large educated English speaking base, cheap labor, conducive political environment, incentives from the government, good infrastructure and a booming IT industry.
Telemarketing can be a profitable and satisfying career. It helps develop self esteem and build leadership skills in individuals. One can also develop good communication skills. With the ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) boom there are great career opportunities for a telemarketer. If a person puts in hard work he can grow up to becoming the vice president of an organization or even get into quality or training provided they also have the educational qualification. The challenges for a telemarketer would be the long working hours. Also some of the customers might not be interested and would be rude and abusive. A telemarketer has to be polite and courteous throughout the call. There is a lot of stress involved in this job as there is a lot of pressure to meet targets.
