What is telemarketing?

There are so many concepts of telemarketing that I thought I might do some damage and try to define it as I see it. Here goes...

Telemarketing "is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits to prospective customers to buy products or services, either over the phone or through a subsequent face to face or Web conferencing appointment scheduled during the call." Wikipedia.

Telemarketing from my perspective is using a phone or VoIP service to contact someone and convey a message. This message can be a sales pitch (as described above) or it can be a request for information, asking permission to forward an email, fax or mail item. Telemarketing is used in surveys, market research, lead generation, data management, appointment setting, prospecting, etc...

There are so many sub categories of telemarketing To refer to it solely as an activity to solicit sales is not painting a fair picture of telemarketing.

As an examples, we use the phone everyday. We call our mother to wish her a happy birthday, to ask our girlfriend out on a date and to tell our friends about a show that we'd like to go see. Which one of these scenarios is telemarketing? I'm not sure either, I guess it's user defined to a certain extent...or is it?

However, if we define the call to our mother without considering the consequences of not calling, then I would say, no, this is not telemarketing. But if we believe that if we didn't call our mother to wish her a happy birthday, that the relationship might be damaged in some way or another, then therefor we call, then this is telemarketing. We are branding ourselves to our mother as caring and loving children who think of them of their birthday.

When we ask our girlfriend out on a date, over the phone, we are in fact, asking her opinion and her permission. We could show up at the door and she has changed her mind and wants to stay in, alone, with the dog and watch TV. In a very real sense, we used telemarketing to get a potential date with our gal. If she still goes through with it even better...but it all started with a telemarketing call.

We want to see a show with our friend so we call him up and tell him about it. He asks questions we answer, "The Rolling Stones...front row tickets...drinks...after hour party...etc..." we have just used the phone to promote an activity that we feel is worth while. Yes, that's telemarketing.

Marketing isn't just sales (yes, sales are the core of marketing) but marketing is and in this case telemarketing in of itself, is so much more it's "a set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large." Again from Wikipedia, thanks!

Most people think that telemarketers are people that con, interrupt meals and generally push people into doing things that they do not want to do. Well, now we know better and the best thing is that many of "those people" use telemarketing everyday for a variety of reasons. Bankers, real estate agents, consulting firms, etc... all use telemarketing and it's not just for the sale.

So pick up the phone, telemarket and be proud. Call your mother, your father, call your girlfriend or boyfriend, call a prospect but just remember that often it's only the medium that defines the term.