7 Reasons Why Calls

Drive Top Profits in

Direct Response

Written by Eddie Treizman.

Eddie is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Dial800, a

Marketing Optimization firm helping companies run more

profitable Direct Response campaigns.

In the History of Direct

Response Marketing there's

a clear divide:

Before the Internet Era and

After the Internet Era

" Our Web prevalent life has caused

many Marketers to forget a basic

tenant of success in Direct Response:

The goal is to maximize profitability, not

to minimize costs.

Before the Internet Era "Call Now" was the Call-to-Action used in DR.

After the Internet Era, the "Drive to Web" strategy has predominated as

the focus for many advertisers.

Fast deployment times and low costs are key benefits of the Web.

Cultural and social habits have shifted the relationship between

corporations and their customers from being "Service Dependent" to

being "Self-Service Oriented".

One can use the Web to research and buy almost anything...So why

should marketers spend money on Inbound Phone Calls as a channel?

Should Marketers Still Care About

Getting Calls?

Here are seven unique benefits that

“good old fashioned” calls still

provide to increase the profitability of

Direct Response campaigns:

1. Strong Buying Intent Increases

Close Ratios

A person who calls demonstrates a strong

desire to either clarify information or buy the

product or service...NOW.

This is in contrast to the less committed action

of visiting a web page.

2. Lower Perceptions of Risk or

Complexity

When people shop for products or services of a

personal nature, they are concerned about the long

lasting impact it will have in their lives. Therefore,

they will be more likely to do an inbound call than a

web submission to inquire about any concerns.

For example, in Financial or Health services the

personal touch of a phone conversation is key in

building the trust needed to close the sale.

3. Develop Demographic Profiles for

Lead Qualification and Revenue

Optimization

Nowadays, it's possible to create real time

Personalized Caller Profiles from public data

even before the call is connected to a Live

Agent.

Callers can be queued and presented with

different offers based on their conversion

potential. This reduces talk time, costs per call

while optimizing revenue per call metrics.

4. Build Brand Reputation and

Higher Lifetime Customer Value

A "safe and positive human-based interaction"

can have greater long term value to a Brand

than the actual individual transaction

conducted with that customer.

Building trust in a brand after a great "Live

Agent" buying experience, will increase

revenues from upsells or continuity offers.

5. Multiply Media Effectiveness

from Referrals

American consumers expect flawless and secure

operations from a website. They have also learned that

receiving good service over the phone is something they

can not take for granted anymore. Very few will share with

the people they love and care that they had a "flawless

ecommerce experience they should check out".

In contrast, well-trained and competent agents can

connect and transform callers from only being "Buyers"

into long term "Loyal Brand Advocates" that will be

compelled to share their experience with others.

6. Reduce Concerns of Customer

Service Responsiveness

First impressions are fundamental in business

transactions.

Knowing that you can "talk to someone" if

there's an unexpected problem with a

purchase assures skeptical consumers.

Submitting a Web complaint and being forced

to wait for an email response "within 24-48

hrs." is not acceptable to many.

7. Ease Concerns of Online Fraud

Certain demographic segments have higher

concerns than others about the safety of online

transactions and their private data.

Depending on the specific industry and perception

of risk, consumers may prefer to share personal

information (financial, health, etc) and their credit

card number over the phone.

IN CONCLUSION

• How much can it cost me in lost profits not having an

effective Inbound Phone Channel?

• Doing business with you should be easy for your

consumers. Let them buy wherever, however and

whenever they want.

• Use multiple channels to maximize revenue potential

and brand loyalty, not to minimize marketing costs.

Keep in mind these final thoughts:

HOW TO CONTACT EDDIE

Email: eddie.treizman@gmail.com

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/eddietreizman

Twitter: twitter.com/EddieTreizman

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eddie Treizman is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Dial800, a

Marketing Optimization firm helping companies run more profitable

Direct Response campaigns. He enjoys blogging on LinkedIn about

various thought provoking topics. Unless otherwise noted, all

statements or opinions made reflect only his personal views.