Outsourcing all sorts of functions has become more and more popular. The fact is, it often works out cheaper especially as it effectively sidesteps many of the expenses usually relating to employees. One of the most common arguments for outsourcing is that it is a way to access specialised knowledge which might otherwise be unavailable. Many organisations will not have specialist trainers for example and cannot justify having such a person on the payroll. They will therefore outsource their management training to a company who provide the same service for a number of clients. In fact it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between outsourcing and consultancy.

However there are a number of areas that should be critically examined when considering outsourcing telesales.

The most obvious risk is that you are handing the responsibility for keeping in touch with your clients over to a third party and you have no way of knowing how good they really are.

You also need to consider whether you should be investing in your own company, rather than in a third party. After all your own staff may well be the best people to talk to your clients especially if they receive appropriate training.

The management of customer relationships is a priority particularly in times of recession. Do you really want to leave it to someone else?

Many people who think they are being assertive can come across as rude. They appear to be attempting to bully and shout people down and refuse to listen to the other person’s point of view. Unfortunately, they often mistake the hectoring style of Jeremy Paxman and his ilk as an example of assertive behaviour.
What assertiveness actually means is having the confidence to put your view across in a polite but determined way. It is all about not being used as a doormat.

There are a number of key areas which can be looked at, as this is potentially a complex area.
Staff need to examine their own feelings and how they can deal with them.

People need to recognise what their acceptable boundaries are and how to ensure that other people recognise those boundaries.

There are many coping mechanisms which can be practiced. For example, showing people how to bring unhelpful conversations to an end.

Staff have to learn how to say no and how to mean it without causing offence.
Anything that can be done to increase confidence is helpful.

People need to look at what are awkward situations for them and when they are most likely to occur. They should understand how to avoid those situations, or failing that, how to bring an end to those situations.
This can form a training course in its own right or be part of general soft skills training.

Anyone who has considered personal development or read any self help books will tell you that a positive mental attitude is essential, not just in your business career but in all aspects of your life. Some go as far as singing the praises of affirmations, whilst others would consider this to be at the flaky end of the spectrum. The fact is that there are some very straightforward applications of positive thought in everyday business life. Perhaps the most obvious are seen in sales.

It is very easy for a sales person to start to have a negative attitude towards their work. This may be brought about by a lack of sales or dealing with difficult or unhappy customers. This can then spiral downwards and taint all their future dealings with customers and colleagues.

Staff need to train themselves to review each call or meeting, take away what was good and consider whether they could have done anything better. They then need to reenergise themselves and approach the next call or appointment with the belief that they will be successful. This self belief will become second nature and helps create an upward spiral as it will lead to sales which will in turn increase confidence and enjoyment of the job.