It seems like it does have potential considering I could hire an agency outside the us for $4 per hour and they could reach a lot of customers in a short amount of time. The problem is that people don't like telemarketers in the first place, so it could have negative effects.
The type of business is food delivery from restaurant's.
I think you have to go with your gut on this one. We've worked with clients to coordinate the use of telemarketing services through UpWork and have had a good experience. But we stuck with native-English speaking freelancers. Most on them were from the US.
When they call, ask them to not only explain the service, but also ask them to request an email address where they can send more information. Give the telemarketer a company email address and a pre-set message about your service to email. Or you can do this yourself. If you're simply trying to raise awareness, a phone call is no big deal and would be great. If you're trying to sell, it will be a little tough, and it might be better to simply have them setup a time for you to return the call and close the sale.
Whenever you're having to talk and explain a service over the phone, it's important to have a firm grasp on the language and vernacular phrases.
Look into some of the telemarketers from outside the US who list themselves as expert English speakers and setup a time to talk with them over the phone to gauge their phone skills and grasp of the language.
Telemarketing consumers is risky today, especially with do not dial lists. A more cost effective solution is couponbooks/direct mail, unaddressed bulk post mail within specific postal code/zip codes and inserts/flyers at the restaurants themselves. At $4/hr (usually offshore call centres), you need to make sure they are calling at the right times to avoid iritating customers.
I agree with the comments posted here. I do not believe that telemarketers will get the call results you are looking for. I hardly ever answer the call when I get calls that I cannot identify. Telemarketers are not industry experts, do not have a relationship in your industry, and cannot create a positive message. Relationships and networks will get the job done. You should find a company that can make focused calls, is a "call consulting" firm and is aware of your industry and products.
Let us know if you like to discuss this further. We have an extensive domestic and international trade show background. We can schedule a call and go into more details.
Good luck!
From a branding perspective, it's a bad idea. Yes, you'd reach a lot of people efficiently. But what first impression would you be creating? You'd be shooting yourself in the foot ... cost-effectively. Alienating people at a rapid pace. Hooray?
People agree on few things, but we all agree that telemarketer calls are a nuisance. Would you really want your brand to be introduced by a nuisance caller from across the planet, reading from a script in broken English?
Telemarketing works in certain sectors, but not yours. The more optional the service, the quicker we hang up. Food delivery is definitely optional; so I suspect the success rate would be low.
Futhermore, restaurant delivery is very very very local. Overseas telemarketers are the opposite. So it's a terrible fit. Seems scammy at worst. At best, it makes your brand seem faceless, shoddy, and far away.
We'd judge you instantly for being out of touch with local realities. We'd assume you're not actually interested in direct dialogue with customers; so we wouldn't want to do business with you. We'd rather order from a restaurant in our city than go through a telemarketer in India to arrange Chinese food.
You want to emphasize neighborliness for local restaurant delvery. So this, I expect, would be a branding disaster.
I think you have answered your own question:..."it could have a negative effect". So let's assess the risk.
As James Goldsmith said: "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys". This is particularly true in sales.
Let's just follow this logic for a moment. If you pay an agency $4/hour, they probably keep $2 and are willing to part with $2. Assuming the telemarketer gets paid $2 an hour; $16 a day MAX; they HAVE to come from the deprived countries. Is there English good enough? Are they aware of local culture? Are they going to stay motivated?
This is very likely to have a negative effect on your brand, which is never good. No shortcuts I'm afraid.
Good luck though.
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