Summer is one of the most awaited seasons of the year. Longer and warmer days, more activities, and time spent outdoors make it a special time for everyone. On the other hand, businesses may not always be as happy as their customers; for many enterprises, the summertime means less traffic, less sales, and less revenue. But luckily, companies still have a powerful tool at their disposal that they should take advantage of – telesales.
Benefits of Continuously Running Telemarketing Campaigns
Don’t assume that summer is the time to put a stop to your telemarketing campaigns. The secret lies in doing it right! Summer is exactly when you can benefit from your customers’ good moods since 87% of people are the happiest in the summer months! Let’s take a look at the reasons why companies should continue telemarketing campaigns during the summer.
Boost your sales with summer telemarketing campaigns and stay ahead of the competition
Scaling down your telemarketing efforts may be tempting, especially since everyone around you is counting down the days until their extended holiday over the summer months. Remember that there is a high chance that your competitors are thinking along the same lines.
Running summertime telesales campaigns is an excellent opportunity to set yourself apart from the competition and capitalise on your competitors’ downtime. Less competition on the market also creates more opportunities to generate leads by showing prospects that you’re professional and proactive while your competitors are hibernating.
Build and maintain relationships by calling prospects this summer
Consistent communication with clients and prospects is key to success across all industries, no matter the size or goal of your organisation. You simply cannot pause all communications, especially, if you tend to touch base with customers on a regular basis – this applies to both B2C and B2B businesses. When it comes to B2B, summer is when you may be able to finally speak to the decision-makers whose gatekeepers are away during the summer holidays. And if you’re calling up your B2C prospects, even if they’re busy barbecuing or sunbathing, you can lay ground for autumn and schedule calls for later in the calendar.
Take advantage of the summer season and get on top of your telemarketing game
Are you not sure how to put together your summer telesales campaign? We all know that marketing campaigns need thorough planning. A good idea would be to start with establishing your ultimate goal. What is it that you’re trying to accomplish? Do you want to generate leads? Put your foot in the door for future sales opportunities? Or maybe you want to improve customer satisfaction? By stating a clear goal, you can plan and curate content that has all the potential to help you achieve your goals.
If you have run summer telemarketing campaigns before, be sure to check analytics and results to discover the areas that need improvement or differentiation. You may discover that your strategy needs a bit of adjusting or that you were right on track the previous summer! It’s also crucial to understand the pain points of your target audience and what solutions they’re looking for. The more you understand your customers the more you can tailor your campaign to their needs.
Pro tip:
Use the data you have on leads you've previously called - even if they were not interested at the time. If they thought the product was too pricey, create a campaign that includes all these leads and start calling them with your awesome (and cheaper) summer offer. This will show your leads that you listen to feedback and meet them halfway while simultaneously giving your employees motivation to sell. Or if there are many leads you just haven't been able to get a hold of, create a campaign with all leads that have reached the maximum call attempts (without answering) and give them a call during the summer when they're likely to be happier and have time to chat! With Adversus, you can segment your leads based on data and add them to your summer campaigns with a few clicks.
– Brian Pedersen, CSO at Adversus
Embrace seasonal themes while calling prospects this summer
As temperatures rise, we, as customers, begin to see summery themes creeping into our social media feeds, TV screens, leaflets and magazines. When it comes to telemarketing, you skip the part where you worry about the visual part of seasonal marketing but there are still ways to incorporate summer vocabulary into your script! A good idea is to look up a list with summer keywords and pick some of them for your summer telemarketing campaign.
Overcoming the most common objections during the summertime
It’s no secret that telesales agents are used to encountering objections coming from the other end of the phone, but they’re also trained to handle them. However, calling during the summertime and vacation season may bring up some unique objections that can hinder conversion rates. Here are some of the most popular summer telesales objections and how to handle them:
“I’m on vacation” - less availability or limited time for sales calls is a common problem telesales agents face during the summer months. This objection can be handled by:
Acknowledging their need for a break and well-deserved rest
Offering flexibility to schedule a follow-up call at a more convenient time
Highlighting the urgency or limited availability of the offer
“I prefer to wait until the end of the summer” - many customers may be tempted by end-of-summer sales that are popular across various sectors but here’s how to address the popular objection:
Highlight the advantages of acting sooner, such as enjoying the product or service for a longer period of time
Emphasise any time-limited offers or benefits exclusive to the summer season
Explain why waiting until the end of summer might not be in their best interest
“I have budget constraints due to vacation expenses” - it’s common for people to be more careful with their spending after purchasing a vacation. Handle the objection by:
Understanding their financial situation
Showcase the value and affordability of your product or service.
Offer flexible payment options, for example, a cost spread over months with Digital Autogiro.
“I’m too busy” - summer vacations often include many outdoor activities that take up your leads’ time, but there’s a way to navigate the conversation in a different direction:
Show appreciation for their desire to enjoy the summer
Position your product or service as a compliment to their summer lifestyle.
Highlight the convenience or your offer to cater to their busy schedule
Let technology help you lead your summer telemarketing campaigns
Telesales agents are accustomed to utilising technology in their day-to-day tasks. When designing your summer telemarketing campaign, using software that will help you run it smoothly is essential.
CRM systems may be a mine of knowledge when it comes to calling your customers during the summertime, as customer relationship management systems store all the information about customer behaviour and preferences. You may be able to generate a list of prospects who are more likely to purchase during the summer based on their behaviour over the previous years. Analyse which segments of customers opted for your summer bargains and you will be able to increase conversion rates and streamline communication.
Besides, if you use Waytobill as your payment provider, you can use your CRM system to send payment links directly to your prospects’ mobile phones. See Waytobill’s integrations with CRM systems.
The Importance of a Well-Trained Telemarketing Team
Your telemarketing team is the backbone of your sales efforts - ensuring they're prepared for the summer is crucial to your success. Remember that it’s important to offer ongoing training for your telemarketing team, preparing them for all the possible objections but also equipping them with tools, knowledge and techniques to overcome all the obstacles. One idea would be to share our blog post with 11 tips for telemarketing agents that improve conversion rates!
It’s also important to keep your team motivated during the summertime! The morale is likely to go down while half of the team is enjoying their holidays on the beach, and the other half is trying to stay focused.
A great way to keep your team on top of their game during the summer would be to reinforce goals and… organise a sales contest! Encourage your team with attractive incentives to increase morale and improve conversion rates.
How summer telemarketing campaigns can help you set your business up for future success
As we’ve mentioned in one of the previous sections, summer generates some new challenges for telemarketing agents. So even if your sales team doesn’t close all the deals, your summer telesales efforts won’t go unnoticed. Here’s how your calling tactics can help you set your business up for future success:
Relationship building: the personal interaction you conduct with your prospects allows you to establish a rapport and build relationships with them. And by nurturing these relationships over time, you can cultivate customer loyalty and encourage businesses.
Market research: the summer is a great time to gather valuable market research and customer insights. Thanks to conversations with prospects and customers, you can gain a deeper understanding of their needs, preferences and pain points. This information can serve your company to refine your products and services, tailor your marketing campaigns, and improve the overall strategy.
Improve brand awareness: by opting for summer telemarketing campaigns, you get to increase brand awareness and strengthen your business’ reputation simultaneously. Every interaction with prospects and customers is an opportunity to showcase your brand’s values and expertise.
Are you ready for your summer telemarketing campaign? Do you need information about integrating your telesales system with a seamless payment solution so that you can skyrocket your results? Make sure to contact us today!
