High School
The skills and education needed to become a telemarketer depend on the firm. A high school diploma is usually required for any type of position, while some employers hire only people who have earned a college degree.
Telemarketers must be able to speak persuasively and listen to customers carefully, so classes in English, communications, speech, drama, and broadcasting are particularly useful. Business and sales classes, as well as psychology and sociology, are also valuable. In addition, since many telemarketing positions require the use of computers for entering data, familiarity and experience with technology in general and data processing in particular are pluses.
Postsecondary Training
A college degree is not absolutely necessary for many telemarketing positions, but some employers hire only college graduates. Courses in English, speech, drama, and communication are especially useful for those aspiring to the job of telemarketer. In addition, general business classes, such as marketing, advertising, and sales, are valuable. Also, courses in psychology and human behavior can help telemarketers gain insight to the wide variety of people that they often speak to during the course of a typical workday.
Other Education or Training
The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) offers seminars, courses, and webinars to help marketing professionals keep their skills up to date. One past course, "Direct Marketing 101," covered when and how to use telemarketing in direct marketing campaigns.
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