13 Tips to Win Customers Over the Phone

What is outbound telemarketing?

Outbound telemarketing is the practice of cold-calling potential customers or clients to educate them on a product or service and convince them to purchase it. Outbound telemarketers often follow a script devised as part of a more extensive telemarketing campaign. This script often includes instructions on responding to questions or objections a potential customer or client might raise.

Outbound telemarketing services include but are not limited to:

• Lead generation and prospecting
• Appointment scheduling
• Database updates
• Telemarketing surveys

Outbound vs. inbound telemarketing

Outbound telemarketing involves sales teams proactively reaching out to prospects who may have varying levels of interest in your product or service. In contrast, inbound telemarketing refers to sales teams handling incoming calls from prospects who are already interested and have reached out directly to your business.

Outbound telemarketers typically deal with the following: 

• Generating new prospects and leads
• Cold-calling potential customers 

Inbound telemarketers often handle the following: 

• Qualifying leads fully who express interest
• Vetting calls and directing them to customer support or other departments as needed

Businesses with limited budgets may focus on inbound telemarketing. With robust digital marketing strategies to generate leads, companies can rely on their inbound team to efficiently qualify and close sales with interested prospects. 

How do you win customers over the phone?

Convincing potential customers to buy your products or services over the phone poses unique challenges. Telemarketers must effectively convey how and why their offering stands out from the competition, whether that’s superior product quality or another unique selling proposition. Without the benefit of face-to-face rapport, strong and nuanced communication skills are essential. 

Whether you’re a small business owner selling products or services or an outsourced telemarketer for another company, the following 13 outbound sales tips will help you increase your effectiveness and confidence. Many of these tips can also help inbound sales representatives boost their success.

1. Focus on a confident communication style.

Appearing confident during a sales pitch is crucial for both outbound and inbound telemarketers. Customers often equate an agent’s tone to a brand’s authenticity, so practice a self-assured, authoritative and composed demeanor. A hesitant or uncertain tone can reflect poorly on the brand and prevent you from creating the desired impact. 

Confidence comes in part from a thorough understanding of a product’s features or a service’s elements, so research your offering thoroughly and let your genuine pride in your brand’s offerings shine through. Practice is also essential; scripts can be useful but avoid sounding artificial or unsure.

2. Maintain a personal and natural tone.

Telemarketers often risk sounding robotic but, in today’s artificial intelligence-driven world, customers increasingly seek genuine human connections. If you sound like a bot, you’re unlikely to establish a meaningful connection with customers.

Joel Wolff, president and founder of business process outsourcing company HiredSupport, stresses the importance of personalizing customer interactions over the phone. “In the world of Tesla robots and chatbots, a human touch becomes essential,” Wolff explained. “It adds value to the entire experience and makes the customer feel like they aren’t just a sales number but someone who has value.”

While learning a product’s features and familiarizing yourself with a sales pitch script may take time, speaking in a natural tone and connecting personally with the customer will help overcome any shortfalls and make customers feel valued.

3. Listen to your customers actively.

Telemarketers sometimes jump to share their own opinions before customers have the chance to ask relevant questions. This approach often signals a lack of interest in understanding the customer’s needs, creating the impression of a hard-sell tactic that doesn’t leave a favorable impression.

The ideal approach is to first listen to the customer’s opinions and concerns before highlighting the benefits of your product. Introduce your product, listen to the customer’s feedback and then support your points with relevant product features.

“Stop and ask customers how their experience was and if there’s anything that they want to improve,” Wolff advised. “Make sure that the customer is assured that you aren’t just saying, OK! OK!’ but listening intently.”

4. Don’t make assumptions about what the customer wants or thinks.

Telemarketers sometimes complete customers’ sentences in ways that lead to misunderstandings, hurting any chance of a positive rapport between the customer and agent. Remember, every customer is unique and their experience with a product may differ significantly from other users’ experiences. 

Listen carefully to what your customer or prospect is saying and avoid interrupting. Interruptions harm your image as the company’s representative and may even prompt the customer to disconnect the call.

5. Maintain an engaging conversation.

Quality calls help sell products and services. To improve your call quality and keep customers interested, focus on the principles of effective conversation. Eliminate filler words like “oh” and “uh,” which can detract from call quality. Instead, use meaningful language that supports your points and demonstrates confidence. After the customer finishes speaking, consider how you can respond thoughtfully to create a favorable impression.

6. Maintain the correct body position while on calls.

You might wonder what body position has to do with selling products over the phone. However, sitting up straight or standing during the conversation helps make your voice sound clearer and more confident. When you slouch or speak with your head down, your vocal cords are restricted, which can make your voice sound less clear and impactful. Many ergonomically designed workstations can help you position yourself more optimally and comfortably. 

7. Be prepared for objections.

You’re bound to face objections when selling products or services over the phone. Customers may counter your ideas but responding calmly and professionally is crucial. Telemarketers sometimes hesitate to make their case, fearing customers’ criticism. However, effective selling requires robust convincing skills and a thorough understanding of outbound calling techniques. Take the time to explain clearly how your brand stands apart from others and stay politely confident in the face of objections.

8. Declutter your space.

You may not think your physical workspace matters in telemarketing. However, your environment can significantly impact your concentration and focus, directly affecting your sales success.

Decluttering and cleaning your office can boost productivity and help you adopt a more methodical and structured approach, allowing you to make more compelling arguments.

9. Develop a rapport with customers over the phone.

Even if your interaction is brief, building rapport with your potential customer is essential. Part of creating rapport is acknowledging and empathizing with the problems your prospect has faced, so you can present your product or service as the solution.

Smiling during conversations is also advisable. Even though customers can’t see you, a smile adds warmth and a human touch to the communication process.

10. Watch your speech rate on telemarketing calls.

When selling, it’s crucial that the other person clearly understands your opinions, input and insights. Speak slowly so they can hear you properly — especially when explaining a product’s attributes. You may know your products’ features and technical specifications inside and out but your customers don’t.

If you habitually speak quickly, try reducing your speech rate by about 20 percent. Customers on the other end of the line will appreciate this adjustment.

11. Use your customer’s name during telemarketing calls.

Addressing your customer by name is an effective way to make a telemarketing interaction more personalized and impactful, which can help generate more interest. Aim to use their name at least three times during the conversation to strengthen your connection and make them feel valued.

12. Repeat your customer’s words during telemarketing calls.

When a customer mentions a specific concern or need, repeating their words back to them can be a powerful way to build trust and show that you’re actively listening. For example, if they say, “I’m looking for a reliable service,” you might respond with, “I understand that reliability is important to you.” This approach acknowledges and validates their concern and helps establish a connection. Just don’t overdo it.

Asking questions about customers’ expectations and needs can further demonstrate your attentiveness. Use what they share to highlight how your product or service meets those specific requirements. Customers appreciate engaging with an agent who shows genuine interest in their priorities.

13. Use a trusted telemarketing software platform.

The best call center software can help businesses manage more inbound and outbound telemarketing calls while improving efficiency. Features like auto-dialers, dynamic scripting and AI-driven prompts can assist new agents in handling objections and refining their sales pitches.

When evaluating call center or telemarketing software, look for customer relationship management integration, marketing automation tools, drag-and-drop scripting, live chat, appointment scheduling, advanced reporting and contact automation. These features help personalize calls, boost efficiency and inform sales strategies in real time.

Each platform offers unique tools, so choose a solution that best supports your telemarketing team’s success.