Telemarketing are faced with a daunting challenge that has gained impetus in the past few years – restrictive legislation. Regulation of telemarketing services has the support of the general public and is also supported by both democrats and republicans. Even though this exerts some pressure on telesales, it is also an opportunity for quality service providers to prove their worth by adding value to consumers and businesses.

Telemarketing regulations – a mutating challenge

The challenge of conforming to new regulations limiting sales calls is further complicated by the frequent changes made to them. Old laws are regularly revamped and new laws passed that frequently have overlapping jurisdictions. Telemarketing services have their work cut out in keeping current with changing laws and rules.

Following are some of the rules a telesales and lead generation companies must abide by to avoid fines are:


* Curfews: Consumers cannot be called any time of the day. There is a certain time range within which sales calls are allowed.

* Do-Not-Call lists: People who have registered on Do-Not-Call lists cannot be called. Telemarketers are required to make this check before dialing. There are a few exceptions when such numbers can be called. Do-Not-Call registries are managed at national and state levels.

* Licensing: Some states require vendors to acquire a license to operate. In some states the company has also to be bonded also. These requirements impose more paperwork and extra fees.

* Mandatory caller ID transmission: Consumers can use call screening to divert sales calls to voice mail or decide not to receive them at all.

* Content restrictions: Laws also regulate what one call sell on the phone and even the way to market them. This is very limiting for sales representatives and sets additional vigilance.

Effective telemarketing – merging compliance and sales

Irrespective of the many limitations, telemarketing can still constitute a business’ marketing mix. Companies can continue with their phone-sales initiatives by following these strategies:

* Exploit existing customer relationships: Law allows calling a customer who already has a business relationship with the company, regardless of her registration with the Do-Not-Call list. Cross selling to such customers helps the company keep doors open for future sales. To start a relationship with a new customer, loss leaders or selling low cost products during the first contact is a good tactic to develop the client base and improve the probability of generating more rewarding sales down the road.

* Supporting telemarketing with other marketing strategies: Businesses frequently utilize more than one marketing strategy to promote products and offers. Marketing materials such as direct mails, emails, and newsletters also work well to introduce customers to call center numbers and to obtain their consent for calls.

* Getting permission to call: Laws also exempt instances where prospects on Do-Not-Call lists agree to accept calls. Organizations can get customer’s consent through contests, affinity programs or special offers.

* Being professional: The rationale behind such tight regulations around telemarketing is the indiscriminate cold calling practiced by unprofessional call centers in the past. The calls came close to customer badgering and telesales faced a lot of flak for it. Top notch telesales vendors uphold lofty standards by respecting customer’s time and willingness to receive a call.

New regulations, though restrictive, have raised the bar for telemarketing services. With the weeding out of unethical service vendors, quality service providers can distinguish themselves with their services and strategies to get customer buy-in.

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