List of Duties for a Telesales Representative

Many people have a poor opinion of telesales and telesales representatives as they see it as nothing more than an invasion of their property or privacy. When telemarketers do their job well, though, they not only profit from much more, but also can improve the overall opinion that people have of telemarketing and telemarketers.

Memorizing Scripts
Nearly all telesales representatives are required to keep to a specific script as they make their calls. Telemarketers must memorize their scripts in order to do their job correctly.

Customer Service
Though telesales workers have a strict script that they must follow they must also be ready to answer questions that potential clients have and to do so in an effective way. Being well-spoken even for unexpected questions is important.

Knowledge of Product
In order to be an effective salesperson, a telesales representative must have extensive knowledge about the product or service that they are trying to sell. By having this knowledge telemarketers will be prepared for any questions that customers may ask.

Recording Customer Information
Telesales reps or telemarketers must be able to keep accurate records of customer information. Contact information is not the only information that telemarketers need, however. They also need to know how customers have reacted to previous calls or to certain products or services. During the call, telemarketers usually enter the info into a database.

Sales
The top priority and job of a telesales position is to sell a service or a product. It is important for telesales representatives to have good judgement when interacting with potential customers. In telesales a representative must discern how to approach a potential customer by judging his or her personality. Some customers require a friendly tone, others may prefer a more professional approach. It is the telesales representative's ultimate goal to become successful in this area because it will generate more leads, sales and more money if the job is commission based.

Follow-up Calls
Follow-up calls are a tactic that is often used by telesales workers and the companies they work for. Often, follow-up calls are made simply to thank customers for the business they have given the company, to generate more sales for the company or to gather feedback from a customer in order to improve a service or product.

Total Jobs: Telesales Job Description
American Teleservices Associaton
United States Bureau of Labor Statistics: Sales and Related Occupations
Indeed: Telemarketer Salaries
O*NET: Summary Report for Telemarketers