SOUTH AFRICA · SALARY IN RANDS

Telemarketers

What the work involves, the skills employers want, and how to get started in South Africa.

  • Call Agent
  • Inside Sales Representative (Inside Sales Rep)
  • Telemarketer
  • Telemarketing Sales Representative (Telemarketing Sales Rep)
  • Telephone Sales Representative (TSR)
  • Telephone Service Representative (TSR)
  • Telesales Representative (Telesales Rep)
  • Telesales Specialist
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What do Telemarketers do?

A telemarketer is a professional who engages in sales and marketing activities over the telephone, often working for companies to promote their products or services. They typically make outbound calls to potential customers, and may also receive incoming calls from clients interested in specific offerings. Telemarketers are responsible for executing scripts, addressing inquiries, overcoming objections, and closing sales effectively during conversations. Their role can vary widely, encompassing lead generation, appointment setting, customer feedback solicitation, or conducting surveys. Telemarketers need to possess strong communication skills, a persuasive demeanor, and the ability to handle rejection with resilience. The work can be challenging due to the repetitive nature of calls and the potential for encountering uninterested or frustrated prospects, but it can also offer opportunities for bonuses and incentives based on sales performance. Telemarketers may work in call centers or be employed directly by organizations of various sizes, spanning multiple industries.

What the work actually is

  • Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
  • Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
  • Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
  • Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
  • Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.

Skills employers expect

Skills

  • Persuasion Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening 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.
  • Service Orientation Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Abilities

  • Oral Comprehension The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech Clarity The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech Recognition The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Selective Attention The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Knowledge

  • Sales and Marketing 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.
  • Customer and Personal Service Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • English Language Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and Management Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Computers and Electronics Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
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How people get into it

Education of new hires

High school diploma or equivalent
or: GED, High School Equivalency Certificate
Some college, no degree
Less than high school diploma

A normal week

  • Selling or Influencing Others
  • Communicating with People Outside the Organization
  • Getting Information
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  • Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Tools used on the job

Tools

  • Autodialers Autodialing equipment · Predictive dialers
  • Phone headsets Telephone headsets · Wireless telephone headsets
  • Special purpose telephones Multiline telephone systems
  • Conversation recording units Call recording systems
  • Personal computers

Who it suits

Enterprising

Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.

Conventional

Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.

Social

Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

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Questions people ask

How much do Telemarketers earn in South Africa?

Telemarketers salaries in South Africa vary by experience, province and employer.

What do Telemarketers do?

Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes, Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers and Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.

How do I know if this career fits me?

Take the free Assessify career assessment. It matches your answers to careers and shows the South African salary next to each one.