Telemarketers

Previous experience in customer service or sales is recommended for aspiring telemarketers. They must be able to deal well with other people, even in telephone conversations. This work requires the ability to sense how customers are reacting, to keep them interested in the sales pitch, to listen carefully to their responses and complaints, and to react tactfully to impatient and sometimes hostile people. Telemarketers must be able to balance sensitivity to their company's concerns with the needs of the customer.

To succeed in telemarketing, telemarketers must have a warm, pleasant phone voice that conveys sincerity and confidence. They must be detail-oriented as well. They have to take orders while on the phone, get other important information, and fill out complete sales records, all of which requires an accurate and alert mind.

Many federal, state, and local laws have been enacted governing the sort of language and sales tactics that can be used with phone solicitation. Such legislation is intended to protect consumers from unscrupulous telemarketers operating phone scams. Telemarketers must be aware of these laws and conduct their phone sales in an honest and unambiguous manner. To bolster the industry's image in the eyes of the public, several professional organizations exist to further the cause of ethical and effective telemarketing.