How to Hire a Sales Telemarketer

Hiring for a Telemarketing position can be a frustrating task. 

Over the phone sales is not an easy job and requires a person to have patience, tenacity and a thick skin. Finding the right person for the job is often the bane of existence for managers as we wade through piles of applications and resumes trying to discern which candidate would be best suited for the position; calling them for the interview and ultimately hoping the selection was properly made and the employee will not just work out, but stick around for more than a few weeks. 

Revolving door syndrome is very common in the Telemarketing industry due to a number of factors; inadequate compensation, odd hours, vast competition for staff and the nature and reputation that telephone people have to endure. For these and other reasons it is imperative that we be able to glean the cream of the crop of applicants.

In order to know which persons will become viable sales people and which will be the drop outs, the screening process becomes a valuable tool. Properly vetted individuals will, in the long run, save you time, money and headaches. After all, continually searching for employees takes you away from the primary objective of sales; making money.

After over 25 years in the Sales and Call Center arena I have discovered some basic truths and developed simple techniques for separating the winners from the pack of underachievers.

The first thing to recognize about the process is to understand and come to grips with what it is that you are offering your employee.

Ask yourself the question:

“If I were looking for a telephone sales job, would this be what I want?”

We’re not looking to over sell the opportunity to your applicant but understanding what you have will help you determine the type of individuals that will apply for the job. As a manager it is important to realize the nature of the position and what, if any, growth potential is available.

A company that utilizes the telemarketing position as a stepping stone for further advancement will look for candidates that can make the grade beyond the call center.

This requires the person to have a more expansive skill set. For the TM job that is just that and has no potential to go further than the boiler room, we need to address the positives of the position.

Flexible schedules, good commission structures, daily or weekly bonuses, a fun environment and more can be very attractive to many people looking for something other than the typical 8-5 office job.

Some hiring managers maintain a philosophy; just fill the seats and allow the baptism of fire to weed out the ones that can “hack it” and discard the rest. Although this approach does fill the room, the potential for disaster not to mention its utter lack of productivity will soon become evident.  

I have always favored quality over quantity and have found the results to be much more lucrative and long lasting.  This doesn’t mean that you have to go through a long screening process and in fact what I propose takes less time and has yielded greater results.

Given that the job is all about being on the phone it’s best to make all your first conversations with the applicant over the telephone.

The reason is very simple:

1. How do they sound? 

• Are they articulate or do they mumble and can’t be understood?
• Do they speak the language well? (Which ever language you talk to your customers in)
• Can they follow the conversation or do they become distracted?
• Is the tone of their voice pleasant or irritating?
• Do they sound too young or too old?

This last one is something to keep to yourself and is only used as part of your evaluation to determine if their voice will match your target market. Depending upon what that is, you may want someone that sounds younger or older.  

The other aspect to my approach that differs from the standard is to be completely up front with your candidate during your first conversation. As managers we don’t have time to beat around the bush and make something to be more than what it is; and you shouldn’t have to.

Why waste everyone’s time, especially yours. 

Cut to the chase:  Tell the applicant what the job entails, what you pay, what the hours will be and more importantly, how great a place it is to work. If any part of what you have told the person doesn’t meet what they want, then you both know it right away and it’s time to move on to the next person.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard or experienced a manager trying to cover up what the job will be about or what the pay is just so they can get the applicant to “come down to the office and discuss it.” This is an utter waste of time for both parties and unless there is something truly fantastic and mysterious about the position that warrants such secrets, than get to heart of the matter.  Honesty will bring about better employees who will appreciate this refreshing approach.

Now that you have someone that is truly interested in the job, the real interview begins.

The following questions and follow ups are designed to not just discard the losers but to determine those that have potential to be sales people and have the mind set to be loyal.

Question 1.

“Have you ever worked as a telephone sales person?”

            > “What did you sell?”

It’s fairly obvious to know if the person has any previous experience but just as important is to get a feeling of how they did their job. When they explain what they sold, listen to how they describe it. Do they sound knowledgeable about the product? Do you they just explain it or do they try to sell you on it?  If they sell you on it, is their technique well versed or do they fumble through it?

A lot can be assessed from this introductory inquiry so it’s good to take some notes which you can refer to when it time to bring them in for the face to face.

Question 2.

“Have you ever worked off of a script before?”

            > “Did you like it? “

I have never been partial to telemarketing scripts for the very reason that the TM comes off as robotic, ill mannered and has no real interest in the person they are contacting. I have had greater success with using a more outline approach, one that elicits a conversation with the customer.  That being said, if your candidate can explain why they liked or didn’t like this method using more than a few words but not running their mouth, then you have another clue how they may work in your environment.

Question 3.

“What’s the number 1 objection a salesperson has to deal with?”

Anybody who has ever worked in Sales knows the most common objection to any product or service by a customer is – Price.

If the applicant doesn’t know the answer, then they have never worked in sales or they have very limited experience. If they get it right, the follow up question is easy and can you tell volumes.

“How did you handle the objection?”

Question 4.

“How do you handle an angry customer?”

This question has a couple of elements in the answer that should be kept in mind.

• Do they know how to handle anger over the phone other than hanging up on them?
• Do they match the customer’s anger?
• Do they maintain a calm demeanor?
• Do they immediately hand it over to their supervisor?

Understanding how they handle this kind of situation can give you an indication not only how they treat their clients but how they will interact with other members of the sales team and office in general.

Question 5.

“What are the two things a sales person needs to do when speaking to a customer?”

This again gives you an insight to their experience and what kind of sales approach they are used to and if it matches your own approach.

For me, the answer is simple but often over looked as most sales people tend to talk at a customer instead of to them.

Listen and Ask questions.

This answer bodes well for your interview as well. Not so much what you will do, but more importantly what your applicant does.

If they talk over you, don’t hear what you’ve been saying and asks you to repeat information, then they aren’t suitable to be in sales.  But if they show sincere interest, ask intelligent questions and provide clear answers to your inquiries then you’ve got someone that is worth your time and can make you and they money.

Depending upon the intricacies of your business there are more questions to be asked. If you have the basic call center set up and need to have people that can smile and dial for hours on end the next phase will be to bring them into the office.

The Face to Face interview brings with it a new set of skills for the manager and provides an opportunity to test the applicant on their sales techniques and personality. It is also at this point that we can get a better feeling for the person to evaluate just how well a match they will be. 

In the end, simple screening and interview techniques will result in a better caliber of employee, greater retention and more productivity.  All things that can make you smile!