Many small businesses marketers don’t like using the telephone as a marketing tool because of the DO NOT CALL LIST…they think they can no longer use it. And in many applications that is correct.
But there is one application that every business should ‘legally’ be using the phone for in order to grow their business, which is to build customer loyalty.
Yes, you can and should use outgoing telephone calls to build customer loyalty. I think any business would be smart to use scheduled follow-up phone calls to verify customer or client satisfaction. It’s often axiomatic that a business man lacking in money has excess time.
For the small business marketing person with more time than money on his hands telemarketing makes a tremendous amount of sense. You can of course also hire people to do telemarketing. Many businesses employ people confined to wheelchairs, women who prefer not to work outside the home and people who only want to work part-time to do telemarketing and sometimes have them do it from home.
Payment can be based on a per hour rate or tied to results, such as ten dollars for each appointment set or fifteen percent of any sales made.
One word of caution, one of the currently popular con game operations victimizing small businesses is the telephone soliciting service. Typically and obviously a skilled, persuasive sales person will call and convince you to use his company to make telemarketing calls to set appointments or obtain customers for you.
The tip off to the scam is the required advanced payment of several hundred dollars. In some cases these are pure rip-off operations. If approached and intrigued by such a service proceed with great caution.
One lead service though that is very reputable and that can work very well for some business is the Welcome Wagon service. Welcome Wagon represents local businesses on an exclusive basis, that is only one butcher shop, one beauty salon, etc. and for a per household fee the Welcome Wagon representative personally delivers literature and a free gift from your business to the new residents moving into your area.
You then receive a list of the people visited for your follow-up purposes. Since newcomers have not yet formed loyalties or shopping habits it’s often the first business that gets them that keeps them. The key to getting your money’s worth as a Welcome Wagon sponsor is to follow-up with your own telemarketing and direct mail efforts. If you need a lot of bang for your buck and are budget restricted, telemarketing maybe the answer to your problems!
Author Info: Dan Kennedy is internationally recognized as the 'Millionaire Maker,' helping people in just about every category of business turn their ideas into fortunes. Dan's "No B.S." approach is refreshing amidst a world of small business marketing hype and enriches those who act on his advice. 
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Right on, Dan. So many people hide behind their computer and want never to personally contact a prospect or client — to their tremendous deficit.
hey I’m not hiding behind my computer… I’m just sparing my customers from hearing my voice!
although the owner of business should strive to not answer the phones, have an employee/secretary do it – same with calling customers.
if you don’t have an employee or secretary – there are many services that can perform the task of answering and returning calls… hire them so you can focus on marketing
I can tell you from recent first-hand experience that the majority of businesses employ the one-and-done approach.
Our family recently moved and had a Welcome Wagon visit. Of the two dozen businesses represented, we received a follow-up from exactly five. Of those five, only two asked for either the sale or an appointment. Of those twenty four original businesses, I wonder how many claim “Welcome Wagon doesn’t work”.
In case you think this is a Welcome Wagon problem, the follow-up stats for the local businesses who sent us “welcome” mailings are even worse.
One-and-done is no way to get results.
(sorry for getting so off-topic, but that next-to-last sentence really spoke to me)
legally’ be using the phone for in order to grow their business, which is to build customer loyalty.
with more time than money on his hands telemarketing makes a tremendous amount of sense.
straight observations Dan.
furiously taking notes here.
thank you
Steve, you are right
probably I am one of the ones hidding behind the computer.
since doing affiliate marketing.
There are telemarketing solutions that change on a per successful lead basis only, with no upfront fee… IF they feel your offer is a compelling message that they can deliver leads for.
I do some affiliate marketing too, Charles.
And I make some sales once in a while simply over the internet.
But I have a MUCH better success rate when I take the time to listen to someone (over the phone or in person) and then suggest a solution to their problem if I know of someone who can provide it.
MUCH better.
Welcome Wagon has not personally delivered the book or a gift in at least a decade, maybe longer. That does not make it a less viable option.
a pre-recorded message set up to prequalify your caller is another solution…and eliminates your office assistance from answering the same questions over and over again… it allows her/him to focus on booking the job/service/order and eliminates the hassles of Q&A
I think people are just lazy these days, Pick up the phone and talk!