Telemarketer

Telemarketers may telephone businesses or private individuals to:

• identify potential customers and arrange appointments for sales demonstrations
• build relationships with current and potential customers
• solicit sales for goods or services
• ask for donations for charitable causes
• conduct market or client surveys
• communicate product or account changes which could lead to sales opportunities
• conduct customer satisfaction surveys.

They may obtain names and telephone numbers from lists of previous customers or donors, reply cards from magazines, lists obtained or purchased from other sources, telephone directories or Internet searches.

Duties and responsibilities vary from one organization to another but, in general, telemarketers:

• telephone prospective customers to describe the service or merchandise offered, or to solicit information for surveys
• deliver prepared sales talks that are designed to initiate conversations about products and services, and persuade customers to buy
• answer questions and quote prices
• record names, addresses, purchases and reactions, or sign people up to attend sales presentations.

Telemarketers may work flexible hours from their own homes, or work shifts in an automated office environment. Evening and weekend work usually is required.

Telemarketers need the following characteristics:

• a pleasant telephone voice that conveys sincerity and confidence
• tenacity, a strong sense of self-esteem and a sense of humour
• good organizational skills
• the ability to work independently or as part of a team
• the ability to perform repetitious tasks
• the ability to deal with the stress of handling rejections
• the ability to think quickly and answer smoothly and tactfully.

They should enjoy taking a methodical approach to their work, persuading people and distributing information to other workers.

Above-average occupational growth is expected in Alberta for 2016 to 2020. Job openings are a result of employment turnover and newly created positions.

Telemarketers are employed by:

• organizations with in-house telemarketing departments
• outsourcing companies or service bureaus that contract out telemarketing services to other companies and charities.

Experienced telemarketers may advance to supervisory, training, quality assurance or script writing positions. Telemarketers with additional education and leadership skills may advance to contact centre management positions.

Telemarketers are part of the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 6623: Other elemental sales occupations. In Alberta, 80% of people employed in this classification work in the following industries:

• Retail Trade (PDF)
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (PDF)
• Business, Building and Other Support Services (PDF)

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and eventsaffecting overall employment (especially in the industries listed above)
• locationin Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth(work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Over 5,400 Albertans are employed in the Other elemental sales occupations occupational group. This group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 1.8% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 97 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As telemarketers form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for telemarketers.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.