# General Business Category > Marketing Forum >  Telemarketers on commission

## Chatmaster

Hi guys.

I am stuck trying to get a telemarketing company that will be willing to do n commission only. I need some telemarketing done in Cape Town and in Gauteng atm. Now I know many of us find them being annoying but telemarketing is a very realistic and powerful marketing technique. Any of you know of a good company I can chat to?

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## Debbiedle

Try Incommunica  - haven't spoken to them for a while - a few years, but this is exactly what they do.

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## Chatmaster

Thanks Debbie

Unfortunately they seem to be out of business, their website is down and I am unable to contact them on the number I found.

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## SilverNodashi

Hi Chatmaster. 

If you find such a company, please let me know. I'd like to make use of their services as well.

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## Chatmaster

I was unable to find a company that was willing to work on a commission basis. So I decided to setup my own team. I appointed a marketing manager on Friday, that will setup the team for me. Hopefully that will work out  :Smile:

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## duncan drennan

And then you can rent them out to SoftDux  :Wink:

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## SilverNodashi

Ok, so do you offer this as a service to other companies?

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## Dave A

I'm kinda interested in what basis telemarketing companies *were* prepared to provide services.

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## RKS Computer Solutions

CM -- How is your team going to go about getting data in order to start cold calling?

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## Chatmaster

The telemarketing companies I contacted all looked at charging me a once off of some kind. Some included commission, but none were under 8k once off fee. Then the costs also depended on how many telemarketers you needed.

The team we are currently setting up consist out of 3 people. They have specific targets to maintain and work strictly as independent contractors. Our businesses (Me and my wife) will carry the telephone costs and they will get a very high commission. My business alone can see them earning in access of 50k p.m. if they reach their very realistic targets.

At this stage this is something I am purely setting up for our businesses and the intention is not to do telemarketing for others.

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## Chatmaster

> CM -- How is your team going to go about getting data in order to start cold calling?


Well, the target market is strictly businesses so we will be doing it the old fashioned way, the yellow pages  :Big Grin:

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## RKS Computer Solutions

How would the NCA affect your cold calling?  Nothing against you, but suddenly extremely glad I haven't even got a hellkom line...

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## Chatmaster

Hopefully it will not affect me. Business interested in my services will pay the full amount via EFT or cash into my business account. I do not work with credit in any way. My consultation fees are also calculated upfront and payment needs to be upfront else no service. I have bumped my head several times in the past with non-payments and I am a bit reluctant offering any kind of service without payments upfront.

RKS I must say I actually never thought that the NCA would effect a telemarketing business. I actually discussed the possibility of providing the service to other businesses with my marketing manager yesterday, after the responses I received here. She is of the opinion that the only way a proper telemarketer will work is on commission basis only so we are actually thinking of broadening the scope there. This might result in us having to investigate the effect the NCA will have on us.

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## duncan drennan

I think what Riaan was eluding to is more the impact of the NCA on cold calling, as we discussed in another thread. In my personal reading of that section of the NCA, I can't see how it impacts on cold calling. The issue is raises is really more with how a credit provider uses your information, and what permissions you give them - something which has been standard practice by banks for a long time.

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## Dave A

Pulling telephone numbers out of the Yellow Pages - you can't get much more than "from the public domain" than that. So there shouldn't be a problem.

Perhaps the only thing to guard against is calling the same person/company too regularly. I certainly get a little steamed when I get two canvassing calls from the same company within weeks - normally because they've hired someone else who has started working from *A* again.

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## RKS Computer Solutions

CM -- A few things : 

1.  boomerangmarketing  found in adsense below the reply box, they are in Cape Town

2.  I have the same issue as Dave, if you're going to want to do this right, get someone to write a software solution for you that keeps track of who you have called, at which dates and what the crux of the conversation was when it happened.  The best option would be use a database and have it available to all telemarketers at all times in order for any one of them wanting to follow up with a client, to have that clients history.  This would also allow you to build up your own contact base.

3.  Get a decent ADSL connection, I know it's difficult in SA with Hellkom raping our country still, but follow me to the next point.

4.  Use VOIP, something like Skype, you'd be amazed how much money can be saved.

5.  Please add my phone nr:  0800-"""""""" - "Welcome to the Psychic Hotline, don't say anything and hang up immediately, we already know who you are and what you want.  We will call you right back"  :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:

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## QUINN

> How would the NCA affect your cold calling?  Nothing against you, but suddenly extremely glad I haven't even got a hellkom line...


The NCA is only applicable to Credit Providers, hence the name National Credit Act

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## Chatmaster

Just some feedback on this matter. I am waiting for Telkom to provide us with more phonelines, but so far we are working the numbers. My team has been instructed to end calls the moment someone try to avoid a possible sale, so NO pushyness. So far all is going well and the project seems to be working. We are using "Act" to manage the database.  :Smile:

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## Dave A

I'm a bit curious about a couple of things - hopefully nothing too sensitive - like:

What % of calls do you manage to get past the "realisation you're selling something" stage to actually describe what you're selling?

Are there any techniques you've found in improving that percentage?

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## Chatmaster

Well, Dave. I am not a professional telesales guy, nor did I receive any kind of training on it. My Marketing manager I appointed didn't last past the 1st week and I manage the team on my own atm. So there is very little professional about my conduct, so with that out of the way lets chat about my current strategy.

My opinion about telesales is that it is the most annoying thing to be targeted with, therefore my company shouldn't be associated with annoyance. We ensure that we talk to the right person. No slap bang I am so and so and I want to tell you about our product thing. That is all fine, that is off course what the telesales person want, they want to tell the prospect about their product. But because it is business to business, the scenario should be different. The product is me and the medium is my workshops. The last thing I want is a company representative being forced to be on one of my workshops by a pushy sales person. That causes issues I do not wish to deal with atm. So the steps we take at the moment is the following.

Ensure we know who we talk to and what their current status is with regards to their website. I do the prospect lists myself and therefore a company getting a call from one of my telesales team members has serious issues with their websites and do need to attend my courseWe ensure that we talk to the right people. I cannot afford wasting money on non-targeted phone calls o once again I make sure that we talk to the right person. That in my case is either the Marketing Manager, Human Resources manager or the MD (Many companies doe not have a marketing manager)The next step is to introduce yourself as a representative inviting their company to attend the workshop. This normally bring the next question which is what the course entailsWe normally have a short introduction about the workshopThen the person would be in  position to respond whether or not they are interested. Either way (interested or not) we ask for an email address. I would then personally respond via an email that introduce the prospect to me and my workshops. I might even include a evaluation and motivation why I think they should attend.My emails are tagged and a day after the mail was read a followup call will take place. This normally end up with a booking or a possible interest for a later booking.

My current closing % is in the region of 7%. Although this is not nearly as high as I would like it to be, my ROI makes it truly worth while.

I hate interrupt marketing and the idea is to make it as pleasant for the receiver of the call as possible.

Well with regards to improving the percentage, removing the pushiness made an improvement as well as the format of the emails we sent. I cannot take payments over the phone because the business market doesn't allow for it. This makes the closing of sales a bit more expensive.

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## SilverNodashi

As matter of interest, what product / services do you sell, in who do you target?

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## Chatmaster

I present workshops and seminars in internet marketing, I also act as a consultant. So at this stage this is the product. The product range will be broader next year but at this stage this is what they are selling.

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## RKS Computer Solutions

How are things going Roelof?

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## Chatmaster

Well at this stage I am looking at expanding my service to offer a bit more than before. I am busy finalizing the plan but I already have a few customers banging my door down lol. In essence I will make a move soon changing my two companies around or rather swapping their services. SA Marketing will mainly offer what Belateral has offered in the sense of workshops and seminars in Internet marketing.

Belateral will become something totally different. In the recent months I came to realize that most SMME's doesn't have a marketing department or employees that focus on their marketing. So in essence they are lacking marketing professionals to grow their business. Belateral will then become a outsourced company acting as the marketing department for SMME's. This means that instead of employing someone or employing a team of marketers at extremely high monthly costs, you simply sign a contract with Belateral at a minimal monthly fee (compared to employing one person) and we will then act as your marketing team. This means that at a minimal monthly fee you have a marketing team that will look after your interests.

This new product should make a considerable change to the my telesales team's portfolio and I will hopefully have to expand the team pretty soon. At this stage I still have only 2 people doing telesales for me, but I hope to expand them soon.

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## Chatmaster

BTW, I had a very interesting chat with a well experienced telesales manager yesterday. She mentioned that you do not pay telesales agents a basic otherwise they simply do not perform. A quality sales person would jump at good commission if the product is right. Thinking about her words logically, she has a very good point. So why would you pay a monthly fee plus commission to a telesales company? Mmmmmmmm still trying to figure that one out...

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## RKS Computer Solutions

Do you reckon, if I signed you up as a telesales agent, that you'd be able to sell products from my shop?

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## ClairT

I work for a company called Marketing Fanatics. I opened up a research centre at the beginning of this year. We do any kind of market research required if anyone is interested (tele-marketing, field marketing etc). Our website is being revamped and will be ready beginning next year - www.marketingfanatics.co.za. But if anyone is interested please feel free to contact me at clair@marketingfanatics.co.za

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## Buzzy7

> Hi guys.
> 
> I am stuck trying to get a telemarketing company that will be willing to do n commission only. I need some telemarketing done in Cape Town and in Gauteng atm. Now I know many of us find them being annoying but telemarketing is a very realistic and powerful marketing technique. Any of you know of a good company I can chat to?


Hi... I am not sure if this is too old as I see you requested some time ago? I am also looking for a company that can do telemarketing for me? I battle to find reliable people that can speak correctly and think about what they are doing. If you have found someone please let me know.

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## Buzzy7

Hi.....I am looking for someone to do Telemarketing for me to small medium size companies... Do you do such a thing?

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## Buzzy7

> Well at this stage I am looking at expanding my service to offer a bit more than before. I am busy finalizing the plan but I already have a few customers banging my door down lol. In essence I will make a move soon changing my two companies around or rather swapping their services. SA Marketing will mainly offer what Belateral has offered in the sense of workshops and seminars in Internet marketing.
> 
> Belateral will become something totally different. In the recent months I came to realize that most SMME's doesn't have a marketing department or employees that focus on their marketing. So in essence they are lacking marketing professionals to grow their business. Belateral will then become a outsourced company acting as the marketing department for SMME's. This means that instead of employing someone or employing a team of marketers at extremely high monthly costs, you simply sign a contract with Belateral at a minimal monthly fee (compared to employing one person) and we will then act as your marketing team. This means that at a minimal monthly fee you have a marketing team that will look after your interests.
> 
> This new product should make a considerable change to the my telesales team's portfolio and I will hopefully have to expand the team pretty soon. At this stage I still have only 2 people doing telesales for me, but I hope to expand them soon.


Looks like you have this all together... Are you now doing telemarketing for outside companies....? I am too small to have an in house telemarketing division so I need to find someone that can do that side outsourced?

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## Buzzy7

> Try Incommunica  - haven't spoken to them for a while - a few years, but this is exactly what they do.


Hi Debbie.... Do you know what incommunica's web address is as i tried looking them up but could not find them? Owen.

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## Rikus

Hi we are a online bulk messaging company and we provide data to corporations (businesses) who require access to consumer data for direct marketing purposes and / or verification against an internal database .

we are able to profile data according to clients specific requirements to ensure that their campaigns align with their target markets.

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## Perform Computers

What kind of data do you provide to corporations? If it's cell phone numbers then I am not going to be impressed.

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## Rikus

No well we got title fname surname idno adress	postalcode	home_tel work_tel cell and lsm's

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## Perform Computers

Allow me to be the first to say, "WTF".

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## AndyD

Where do you acquire or harvest the info from Rikus?

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## Rikus

We've got an internal database of 52 million consumer records across South Africa with dense demographics,we got full geo coding down to street level,

deceased flags, full public domain information including deeds, cipro , defaults, judgements , debt review status etc
trend indicators
income estimations
language indicators based on algorithm 
race indicators based on algorithms
email linked to id
home numbers linked to id
work number linked to id
home address
employment
job title
vehicle indicators,owner
marital status

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## Rikus

We are a part of the direct marketing association of South Africa
and we have a Centre of Excellence certificate

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## Rikus

i take it you guys not interested in data?

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## cts2411

yes

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## AndyD

> We've got an internal database of 52 million consumer records across South Africa with dense demographics,we got full geo coding down to street level,


Wouldn't 52 million consumer records mean nearly three quarters of the SA population is on your database?

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## Rikus

> Wouldn't 52 million consumer records mean nearly three quarters of the SA population is on your database?


yes that's what it means we have a huge database we have the whole south africa on our list.

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## Rikus

yes you are interested or yes you are not interested?

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