The Telephone's Power in Direct Marketing

Published on Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
By Pronto Post Editorial Board for Pronto

You are sitting at home, enjoying dinner, when it goes off. There?s a telemarketer at the other end, trying to sell you something. You are watching your favorite film in a dark cinema and then your custom ringtone of Joan Jett?s ?I Love Rock and Roll? goes off and interrupts everything. You are landing in an airplane when there is an argument between a cabin crew member and a young man who was warned not to use it, and security has to be brought aboard, causing a delay for everyone.

Yes, there are many reasons to hate the telephone?the ?it? of the above paragraph. We?ve seen telephones go from big boxes with car cranks on the side sharing a party line to compact little gizmos that let you do almost any task you can imagine, plus make a call, of course. It?s wild, and with most wild things comes excess. You could argue that there are too many telephones today and that they?ve cluttered up our existence with nonsensical communication. This is a valid point and one worth debating.

However, we have telephones and they are here to stay. So, obviously, one should regard the telephone as a tool and not as an enemy to modern life. In direct marketing, the telephone is just another integral part of your business and should be used like any other business tool.

In fact, the use of phones in direct marketing goes a step beyond the way the average citizen uses them today. They are functional and not recreational, with all of their functions to be used appropriately. Every direct marketer should have a contact plan and communication strategy in place with an idea of how to use telephones to full their advantage.

To start with, the telephone or telecommunications system of any direct marketing business should be based on the relationship between the clients and the business. An effective contact plan in a direct marketing business must have telecommunications in place to respond to client needs at all times. You can implement this by having multiline telephones in your office to receive numerous calls at once or, if you can muster it, an in-house call center where staff can take care of clients at any given moment without delay. Using telecommunications in direct marketing starts with thinking in terms of clients? needs. Be it a call center or otherwise, you are using telephones to help the people you value most.

On the other hand, telephones and telecommunications in direct marketing should also work in the opposite direction. If you are trying to get serious with reaching clients and letting them know about what new products you have, you have to use telephones to access them directly. This way allows you to increase sales productivity for you business and land sales opportunities that you might not know exist. You are probably thinking, ?Telesales? I hate that stuff. I can never do that.? While it is true that telemarketing can be a nuisance to you and others, sometimes it is the only way to generate new business for your company. Whether the public wants to admit it or not, there is opportunity to be gained by reaching out to clients across telephone lines to get them interested in something that they might like. It?s that simple. Now, you don?t have to do it yourself. Many direct marketers use telesales teams or contract them out from other agencies. However you go about it is your business, but don?t forget the two-way street of telephones in direct marketing; to help clients and to push product.

Telephones may be a pain, but they have a place when it comes to business. In direct marketing, you can find that place for telephones and telecommunications to really create lines of communication that please you and clients equally.

Need solutions to your direct-mail problems? With over 30 years of experience, Pronto Post has the solutions you need to make your direct mail more successful. Contact Pronto Post by e-mail at fulfillment@prontopost.com, visit our web site at www.prontopost.com or phone (866) 834-2153 toll-free.

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Tags: contact center, contact plan and communication strategy, increasing sales productivity, relationship-based, sale opportunities

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