By its very nature, in order to be cost effective, an outbound telesales service needs to have, at its core; effective and efficient telesales reps. There are a number of traits that are common to all successful marketers.
If you choose to ignore these traits during the hiring process you will undoubtedly jeopardize the success of your campaigns. However, if you decide to incorporate what you will read about in this article, then you will be well on your way towards many successful and very profitable telesales campaigns.

Your Telesales reps should be Intelligent and Have Common Sense
It should go without saying that your telesales reps should be able to immediately react calmly and enthusiastically to any questions or challenges that are thrown their way. A vital characteristic of every successful telesales rep is presence of mind.

Your Telesales reps should be Extroverts
If your telesales reps cannot engage your prospects in animated conversations then their calls will not be successful. All great telesales reps have outgoing personalities.

Your Telesales reps must be Able to Focus on Specifics
It's a given that your telesales staff needs to know everything about the products or services they are promoting. However they have to be able to focus on using the first few minutes of any outbound conversation to grab their prospect's attention. Only then will they be able to lead them where you want your prospects to go.

Your Telesales Staff Should be Good Listeners
In order to qualify a potential buyer and then sell them on taking a specific action your telesales reps should have the ability to listen to and hear what their prospects are saying. Just running through a telesales script does not pay the rent. It is imperative that your telesales staff understands what the prospect needs to hear in order to be sold. And the only way that they can do this is to listen to what the prospects are saying.

Your Staff Should Be Able to Cope With Rejection
The people you hire should be extremely thick skinned because there is a very good chance that every so often someone will slam the phone on them, yell at them, or even curse at them. And when that happens your telesales reps should be able to take it all in stride and be able to just let it go. They must be professional enough to take a deep breath and pick up the phone to make the next call energetically and enthusiastically.

Every Telesales rep Should Be Able to Get to the Decision Maker
Unless your employees are talking to the decision makers then are wasting their time and your money. They must also be able to identify whether or not whom they are talking to is a potential customer before continuing with their presentation.

Your Outbound Telesales reps Must Be Able to Get Past the Gatekeepers
If your company is doing business to business marketing or if your staff is calling people on their telesales lists who are at work then on most calls they must be able to first get past the gatekeepers.

To do this your staff must be confident - and that has to come through in the sound of their voice. Confidence is of paramount importance when it comes to reaching decision makers. Secretaries must be sufficiently impressed to put your call through to his or her boss.

Source: Wendy Moyer link