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Improve your phone communication skills.

Check out this article about 20 qualities that great salespeople share. Write down 2 qualities you want to improve on. For each, brainstorm 2 small ways you can practice this in your day-to-day life.

Build qualities that'll make you a great salesperson.

Get the hang of working in sales or customer service by applying to jobs where you'll interact with people regularly. Make a list of 5 local places where you might like to work and start applying!

Get experience working with people!

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Telemarketers

Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

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.

Enterprising

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.

Conventional

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.

Social

Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.

Realistic

Work involves creating original visual artwork, performances, written works, food, or music for a variety of media, or applying artistic principles to the design of various objects and materials. Artistic occupations are often associated with visual arts, applied arts and design, performing arts, music, creative writing, media, or culinary art.

Artistic

Work involves studying and researching non-living objects, living organisms, disease or other forms of impairment, or human behavior. Investigative occupations are often associated with physical, life, medical, or social sciences, and can be found in the fields of humanities, mathematics/statistics, information technology, or health care service.

Investigative

Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

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.

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.

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

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.

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

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.

Actively looking for ways to help people.

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Sales and Related Occupations

Other Sales and Related Workers

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.

Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.

Deliver prepared sales talks, reading from scripts that describe products or services, to persuade potential customers to purchase a product or service or to make a donation.

Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts.

Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals.

Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations.

Database Systems Corp Telemation

Microsoft Dynamics

Zoom

Acarda Sales Technologies Acarda Outbound

Automatic call distribution software

Softphone software

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Remote access call center software

Microsoft Office software

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Autodialing equipment

Predictive dialers

Telephone headsets

Wireless telephone headsets

Multiline telephone systems

Call recording systems

Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Every day

How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

Constant contact with others

Contact with others most of the time

Continually or almost continually

More than half the time

How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

Extremely important

Very important

Important

How often does this job require working indoors in an environmentally controlled environment (like a warehouse with air conditioning)?

Never

How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?

Deal With External Customers or the Public in General

How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?

Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People

Once a week or more but not every day

Once a month or more but not every week

How important are continuous, repetitive, physical activities (like key entry) or mental activities (like checking entries in a ledger) to performing this job?

To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?

Extremely competitive

Highly competitive

Moderately competitive

How often does this job require working exposed to sounds and noise levels that are distracting or uncomfortable?

Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable

Telemarketers

Overview

Career

What Telemarketers Do

Other Job Titles Telemarketers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Telemarketers

Overview

Career

What Telemarketers Do

Other Job Titles Telemarketers May Have

Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

Education

Level of Education Attained by Telemarketers

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