16 Key Attributes Telemarketers Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Sophia Miller

Sunday, January 3, 2016

Telemarketers solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

The core tasks that telemarketers are likely to carry out include:

Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone in order to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, in order to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation.
Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that telemarketers would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for enterprising work environments. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.4%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.2%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86.8%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86.6%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86%

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 85%

Maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 84.2%

Being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.6%

Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 83.6%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.2%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.6%

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 82.4%

Having a strong preference for conventional work environments. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 81%

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%