ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how the telephone can be used as a valuable marketing tool. The telephone is one of the most versatile tools available to today's marketers, and when applied with skill it is also one of the most powerful and profitable. A bold increase in investment can result in dramatic improvements in the overall return on investment. It is important to apply these principles to the kind of activity that has the potential to deliver high value for the business. To illustrate the shift in focus required, the two examples below demonstrate ways in which investment and value might be increased for typical call centre activities, in order to cost-justify a high-impact approach. Adopting a bolder approach to the entire marketing process can significantly increase the effectiveness of the telephone marketing activity. Most telemarketing activities are measured primarily on response rates; of course this only forms part of the equation for a profitable return on investment.
