Telesales
Problem: Need Revenue, How To Utilize Telesales
Many times, management knows or believes that a Telesales Department is an efficient channel of distribution by itself, or can be cost-effectively teamed with a Field Sales Force or a VAR/Reseller channel. Also, a Telesales Department can manage the installed base, selling upgrades, add-ons, and services to these Customers. But management sometimes is not sure how to set this department up or how to integrate it into its existing channels of distribution. Also, there are times a company is just getting into the market and management is not sure what the best sales model is, that is, what mix of field, telesales, and alternate channels to use.
Solution: Build A Telesales Department
This project is similar to building the Inside Sales Department, except the focus is on generating sales, not just qualified sales opportunities. In this project, we build, manage, and then transition a 2-8 person Telesales Department. We conduct an assessment, develop the strategy, create the processes, hire the people, and manage the group until the goals are being achieved. Then we hire our replacement and transition the group under that person. The project team consists of an Engagement Director, working approximately 1/2 time on-site, and a Project Manager, working full-time on-site, each day over a 3-5 month period, depending on the scope of the project.
The fundamental goal is to build an operational department and to develop the "Telesales Model," including figuring out the time it takes to get a Telesales Rep to full productivity, determining the best selling strategies, and determining the best way to use demos and evaluations to get a desirable response. The project tasks include:
- Hold kickoff meeting.
- Learn the company, product, and industry.
- Complete an assessment.
- Present findings and go-forward plan.
- Create or improve Telesales processes, including recording rules of engagement, updating compensation plans, establishing metrics for measuring performance.
- Optimize the CRM system for the Telesales team.
- Evaluate and implement sales tools to increase efficiency and productivity.
- Recruit and hire the Telesales Reps and a Telesales Manager.
- Train the Telesales Reps.
- Train the Telesales Manager.
- Manage the dept to reach the quota of revenues per month.
- Transition the group to the Telesales Manager.
- Conduct final presentation and contract review.
Specific Results
Upon implementing this program for a hardware company, the average annual revenue per Telesales Rep reached $3.2 million per year. This translated to an extremely low cost of sales of 2% for the products sold by this Telesales Force.
General Benefits
- Increased revenue at a reduced cost of sales.
- Determination of the best mix of channels, including Field, Telesales, VARS/Resellers.
- In very fast growing companies, Telesales can provide increased "prospect satisfaction," because they can cover more interested prospects than the Field Reps can. This leads to more account coverage and penetration, which is crucial in a fast growing market where market share is key.
