Tele Marketing

Telemarketing is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson uses the telephone to solicit 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.

Telemarketing can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via automatic dialing. To most, telemarketing is a disturbing annoyance. However, while there are many methods in which to block telemarketing calls, most residents with a telephone number receive these calls.

Categories and Sub-Categories
The two major categories of telemarketing are Business-to-business and Business-to-consumer.

Subcategories

• Lead Generation, the gathering of information
• Sales, using persuasion to sell a product or service
• Outbound, proactive marketing in which prospective and preexisting customers are contacted directly
• Inbound reactive reception of incoming orders and requests for information. Demand is generally created by advertising, publicity, or the efforts of outside salespeople.

Negative Perceptions and Criticisms of Telemarketing
Telemarketing has been negatively associated with various scams and frauds, such as pyramid schemes, and with deceptively overpriced products and services. Fraudulent telemarketing companies are frequently referred to as "telemarketing boiler rooms" or simply "boiler rooms." Telemarketing may also be criticized as an unethical business practice due to the perception of high-pressure sales techniques during unsolicited calls. Telemarketing calls are often considered an annoyance, especially when they occur during the dinner hour, early in the morning, or late in the evening.