Salesmen sell, telemarketers telephone
I have lost count of the number of times sales managers tell me how difficult it is to get their salespeople to do their prospecting calls. And equally I have lost count how many times I have told them not to bother: telemarketers and sales people have almost opposite personality profiles!
What do I mean by personality profiles? This is the essential set of traits that motivates our basest instincts. Sales people are creative emotional types. Telemarketers are systematic level-headed types. You almost never get the sets of traits that typify a successful telemarketer combined with the features of a successful sales person. Similarly, a sales manager is a third type of person again.
Getting a telemarketer to sell or a salesman to telemarket is like pushing a square peg in a round hole.
The solution? Employ a company or individuals to set appointments for the sales people. Salespeople are restless at best when trapped at a desk and disruptive at worst. So get them out on the road. The telemarketer types hate driving around and spending ages building relationships with prospects. They like quick wins and booking appointments!