When it comes to jobs, perhaps one of those that receives the most flak is that of telemarketers. We’ve all experienced answering our phones eagerly, thinking it will be a family member or a friend or a classmate, only to find out it is a telemarketer on the other end of the line. We’ve all had our fair share of being on the receiving end of a telemarketer who is asking us to pass them to either mom or dad so they can convince them to buy a new product, participate in a survey, or offer an upgrade for a package they have purchased.

Most people think that telemarketing is a walk in the park and that it provides people with limited options when it comes to their careers. However, by end of 2015, telemarketing is actually one of the fastest growing professions in Canada according to Workopolis, proving that it is unfairly underestimated. Let us take a close look at telemarketing and how you can get a head start on this promising career.

So What Is a Telemarketer?

A common misconception of telemarketers is that they are purely after selling and making a profit for their respective companies. For some, this is indeed one of the major aspects of their job responsibilities. However, there are also telemarketers who are hired by non-profit organizations, either directly or through a third party, to make households aware of important causes or of their fundraising campaigns. At times, this type of telemarketing involves asking for donations or pledges, but they don’t obligate people to do so and even encourage them to help in any way they can in whatever way they can.

Some telemarketers are also hired by organizations to do a survey, such as a political survey, usually during election period. This gives a good idea of how a particular election can go. Others are simply hired as qualifiers for a lead generation campaign, either for a new product or service. The survey is brief, and there is certainly no harm for people to participate in them. In some cases, the company launching the new product or service are planning to conduct a contest or promotion in which those who participated will be eligible for.

Salary

According to PayScale.com, the average earning per hour of a telemarketer in Canada is $11.61 for the first four years and it can grow to up to $17.70 within 10 years. Plus, they can earn up to $4,500 in bonuses in a span of 4 years and up to a whopping $9,000 within ten years. Not bad for being on the phone, right?

Skills

It takes more than talking skills to be a good telemarketer. You will need great heaps of natural people skills to engage the other person on the line and get them to listen to you. Building rapport, however, is not a skill that is inherent in most people, but it can be learned or acquired. The important thing for telemarketers is to be sincere to their listeners, and this can be achieved if they do have an honest desire to help

A telemarketer should also be expected to have exceptional active listening skills to determine exactly what the people on the other end of the line would need. Every product or service has their own set of features or benefits, but to be able to highlight which of those will be most applicable to a person or family takes a great deal of analytical skills.

A telemarketer should also be open-minded and has a great ability to handle pressure. Every customer is different, and they are always expected to remain professional even when encountering challenging customers.

Pros and Cons

The most obvious advantage of being a telemarketer is learning how to deal with different types of people.  While some jobs are monotonous, for telemarketers that is rarely the case as every day is different as they get to talk to various people from all walks of life and cultures. As a result, they gain insight into the workings of people in general.

The biggest disadvantage though is that a telemarketer may sometimes have to deal with those who are outright rude. While some say it’s nothing personal, words can still hurt, and it takes patience and understanding to soldier on despite the difficulties encountered

The Future

Telemarketers who do well in their field can definitely look into a strong career in the sales industry as they are already experts in building rapport. Telemarketer can also successfully transition into client relations. Those who had experienced internal promotions as a team leader or supervisor can look into management roles in any industry as they already acquired leadership skills to lead a team to exceptional performance.

So will you be exploring a career in telemarketing now?

SOURCES:

https://careers.workopolis.com/advice/the-fastest-growing-occupations-in-canada/

https://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Industry=Telemarketing/Hourly_Rate

https://www.monster.ca/career-advice/article/telemarketing-as-a-calling-canada

https://charityvillage.com/Content.aspx?topic=ten_myths_of_telemarketing
http://learntipsandtricks.com/blog/marketing/269/The-Pros-and-Cons-of-Telemarketing