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List Management Is Among Keys to Catalog Success
SAN FRANCISCO, June 4, 2003 -- Key areas of focus for catalogers include list
management, training, scripting and the quality of the product,
DialAmerica Marketing's Kevin Fields told attendees during a
session at The Annual Catalog Conference at the Moscone Center
here yesterday.
"The biggest mistake many catalog companies make in list
management is they assume by using the [USPS] process of cleansing
databases that they're ready to make an outbound call," said
Fields, director of business development/inbound & interactive
services at DialAmerica. "What you don't realize is people move,
their phone numbers change and area code changes is the biggest
thing. You want to have a regular outbound campaign that helps you
keep that database ... up to date and usable."
In the area of training, he said, "you cannot over-train."
He divided training into two levels: "making them an outbound
representative," which has to do with how to make a call and get
people's attention and the regulatory requirements that must be
followed in making a presentation; and product or campaign
training specific to a campaign's goals.
When it comes to scripting, outbound call representatives must
internalize the offer and its benefits.
"They don't need a script," he said. "They may need to say things
a specific way, but they're saying it with passion, they're saying
it with the right inflection. They mean it vs. just reading a
script."
Perhaps the most important element, he said, is making sure you
have a quality offer.
"Too many telemarketing companies get beat up for not succeeding
when, in fact, no one would buy the product if you gave it to
them," he said.
His company provides outbound and inbound campaigns for about 20
catalog clients.
Established in 1957, DialAmerica has six divisions: Inbound & Interactive Services,
Financial Services, Books & Membership, Consumer Communications, Energy Services,
and Cause-Related Services.
Collectively, DialAmerica employees place and receive more than 250 million
phone calls annually through approximately 6,000 workstations. On average, the company employs
8,500 telephone sales representatives.
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