Telesales is More Relevant Than Ever - Why Just Saying "Hi" is Important
Telesales is not only as relevant as ever, but it may also be more important than it has ever been.
'We need to be very careful of becoming too trusting of our digital marketing and sales at the cost of telesales'
Don’t get me wrong, it is a vital part of a modern business but be very wary of allowing it to overshadow something that is still one of, if not the most important elements in your sales approach. Telesales is not only as relevant as ever, but it may also be more important than it has ever been.
AI is good, but it doesn’t beat human contact.
If you are wondering about the place of telesales against the potential of AI, it only takes one statement to clarify why they are still so important. Customers will almost always trust a real person over an automated system. See my video here for my own experiences with an AI cold call that was both impressive and a failure at the same time.
Not only does AI not offer any improvement over a human in the long run, but it also usually loses out by quite a long way. It’s clever, it’s got potential, and it has its uses, but in the end, it is clearly artificial, and customers will feel that. That said, you cannot deny that AI-powered chatbots, automated emails, and intelligent CRM systems have streamlined the sales process. They are making it easier to gather customer data, send follow-ups, personalise some marketing, and they perform many other functions that aid the sales process. However, as good as they are, these tools lack the warmth, intuition, and adaptability of a human conversation.
In fact, there is a fairly well-researched response to artificial humans known as ‘the uncanny valley’ which could result in AI unintentionally losing you potential customers. There is a good discussion of it here from The Content Generator. It seems reasonable that this dislike of artificial humans would translate to telesales.
AI can handle simple inquiries, but when it comes to complex sales discussions, objections, and negotiations, human interaction is irreplaceable. A skilled telesales professional can read tone, adapt their approach, and build rapport in ways that AI simply cannot.
Human contact is far and away the best form of sales
People buy from people they trust, so a genuine human to human conversation builds credibility and fosters relationships.
- Personalisation: Every conversation should be tailored to the customer's specific needs and concerns.
- Emotion and Persuasion: Voice tone, enthusiasm, active listening, problem solving and a sincere interest in the customer all help to form the engagement and trust that facilitate sales.
- Instant Feedback: A telephone conversation should be built around real-time answers, clarification of benefits, and the ability to address hesitations and objections immediately with problem solving.
Refreshing Old Customers, Supporting New Ones, and Finding New Leads
Telesales is sometimes misunderstood as being all prospecting and cold calling. This couldn’t be further from the truth because a good telesales team will also play a crucial role in maintaining, nurturing, and expanding your customer base.
- Re-engaging old customers: The bottom line is that something as simple as a phone call can reignite interest in you and your brand. I often see clients with a long list of inactive customers who didn’t stop buying because they were unhappy. They just drifted away or were picked up by a competitor because they haven’t been engaged with in a while. A quick call can be all that’s needed to remind them why they chose your business in the first place.
- Supporting new customers: Telesales provides a direct line of communication to new customers that ensures they feel valued and supported.
- Qualifying new business: You remember all that time you spent pouring over the stats and metrics and then refining your digital lead generation? Well, when that pays off and the enquiries come in, telesales remains the most effective way to qualify those leads. A trained telesales person can uncover vital information like needs, budgets, and decision-making authority. That’s information you are unlikely to get from a form or other digital contact.
The Role of Telesales Throughout the Sales and Marketing Process
Telesales is not just about closing deals (although it should also do that), it integrates throughout the entire sales and marketing funnel. Done right, your telesales will be part of:
- Lead generation & qualification
- Follow-ups & nurturing
- Customer support & retention
- Upselling & cross-selling
When combined with good marketing, telesales bridges the gap between automation and personalisation, ensuring that potential customers don’t just receive information but also feel genuinely understood and valued.
Telesales Creates Bonds That Digital Methods Can’t Match
Emails, social media, digital ads and all the other paraphernalia of modern sales have their place. In fact, they are a vital part of doing business. They help create leads and fill your sales pipeline. However, they are one-way communication channels. They broadcast messages but lack engagement and emotional connection. A phone conversation, on the other hand, allows for real-time rapport-building, trust development, and relationship nurturing.
In a world where people still crave genuine interactions, telesales adds the human touch that can make the difference between a lead you lost or never followed up and a lifelong customer.
While technology continues to reshape sales, the human connection is what closes deals, nurtures relationships, and keeps customers coming back. By blending other tools with personal conversations, businesses can create a powerful, customer-focused approach that outperforms cold, impersonal methods. Sometimes, picking up the phone to say ‘Hi’ is all it takes to create sales, and it never does any harm to keep in touch with a customer.
Telesales isn’t outdated, it is just as relevant as it always was and it’s a timeless strategy that continues to drive real results.
If you need help with your telesales approach, or have any questions about how to improve your telesales team's performance and integration, why not book a free conversation?
