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This is especially important because telemarketers have a limited time to make their pitch, and the script has to build in every possible question a customer might have. "When we sit down to develop a script, we try to learn about the product and how best to present it so that in a short call we can convert that person into a new subscriber or renewer," says Thomas Olson, president of Entertel, Inc., a Lenexa, Kansas, outbound telemarketing firm. "It takes a lot of understanding of why people are reading it now, why they may have stopped reading it or why they read it in the first place."
Respect the audit bureaus
That means getting your script approved by BPA International or the Audit Bureau of Circulations before you start any campaign. Your scripts have to follow the rules established in the audit statement, including leaving room for a yes/no option and a place for the telephone representative to sign the form. Most important, the audit bureau must approve the personal identifier question. Rita Stanley, president of Circulation Concepts, a Los Angeles-based circulation consulting firm. says you have to be very careful that the question is personal enough, but not offensive.
That personal identifier question has to change annually. This means that one year you can ask for a maiden name, for example. and then the next year ask when that customer started at his or her current job. "That question needs to be clear cut but not too personal," says Susan Lambert, senior associate director of circulation at Cleveland-based Penton Publishing. "BPA will randomly call some of the sources, asking the personal question and every script question. This is comparable to a signature on the form."
Keep the tone professional
"The worst thing to do is get too chatty with a customer or refer to them by their first name instead of being professional," says Rich. "A lot of people may want to carry on a conversation. but your phone representatives have to try to control the direction."
In addition, your phone reps should avoid pressure tactics, and should not ad lib. "Even on requalifications, we don't want people to feel forced to answer questions on the phone," says Sierra. "We make sure the telemarketing bureau doesn't insist on them taking the time then to answer requalification questions. Usually, if they're the right audience, they love the magazine and we're better off doing a follow-up mailing than pressuring them to spend the time on the phone."
Keep the telephone pitch quick
In most cases, people aren't going to stay on the phone too long. "With a renewal, you're selling convenience and price," says Rich. "With new business, you have to find a way in three sentences to create a mental image for the customer. For example, with TV Guide, most people know that it has listings, but people also know they can get a free television listing in their Sunday paper. The phone representative has to create a value for the customer, explaining why TV Guide is better than a Sunday listing. That explanation will then crystallize in the reader's mind."
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