One of the great
disappointments conventional
managers and business owner's
face when they first use
telesales representatives is the
amazing amount of employee
turnover.
By comparison, if you want to
hire someone to do customer
service, especially if they're
experienced, you can expect them
to be stable. They'll probably
last six months or a year or
two, at minimum.
Hire somebody on Monday for
telesales, and if they're still
aboard by Friday, throw a party!
You just may have someone who
will last a month, or wow, even
two!
Am I exaggerating?
Sadly, I'm not.
Why is there such turnover?
(1) The economy is strong,
unemployment is low, and
telesales jobs are plentiful.
This is a "perfect storm" for
recruiters. There aren't many
people available who aren't
already in the labor force. The
ones who are available may be
returning after a long absence,
or are marginal workers, at
best, without drive and
discipline and with few skills.
(2) Telesales is a grind. To be
productive, you have to keep
your nose to the grindstone, and
for this reason, I suggest
shifts be shorter than eight
hours. Four to five hours can
even be a burnout.
(3) Telesales is harder than
most people think. Think about
the people you know. How many of
them would rise to the top in
sales, on the phones or off?
Frighteningly few, I can tell
you.
(4) Telesales requires a bigger
investment than management ever
expected. Like a war gone badly,
where men and materiel are
consumed at an unimaginable
pace, telesales units chew up
resources quickly, as well.
Especially daunting, are the
ongoing costs for recruiting and
training. Ads in newspapers and
online cost a lot, and you have
to constantly rewrite them, so
your jobs will sound fresh and
attractive.
(5) Telesales, unless it's being
done for a radio or TV station
or for a glamorous company or
industry, isn't a high status
job. People aren't going to
confess to doing it, unless it
can be packaged attractively;
i.e. "I do market research for
CSB News Radio, in Los Angeles."
Consider these factors before
you leap into doing telesales or
invest in this area.
And get some professional help,
from a telesales consultant or
telesales coach who knows the
ropes, from the very start!
Source: Dr. Gary
S. Goodman