26 March 15
Utilities.com.au Pty Ltd is pleased to announce the success of its pilot telemarketing program. This program was designed to measure the relative outcomes of sales efforts in three primary areas: Training, Sales, and Data efficacy. An outsourced contracted call centre was utilised.
Telemarketing Study:
Ten professional telemarketers with no previous experience selling utility based products.
Trained for six hours and then monitored for compliance with industry standards.
Focused on adhering to the marketing script and linear online sales system.
Data was diverse across energy distributors, phone types, and dwellings within NSW.
Results:
842 hours call time over 6 weeks.
6 hours training per agent.
Fixed 87.50/unit commission.
286 units sold
Revenue 39,754
Commissions 25,025
Net Sales 14,729 (59% mark-up)
Training:
Agent Retention: First week 9 of 10 agents; Six weeks 7 of 10.
Training Cost: $210 per agent.
Training Time: 4 hours initial, 2 hours advanced.
Prequalification: no energy experience.
Sales: (retained agents).
Sales Hourly Rate: 0.40 sales hr/agent (gross 0.34).
Sales per Call: 4.65% success rate (gross 4.17%)
Target Market Conversions:
Conversion data is market sensitive information which makes it prudent not to disclose specific data in this regard. However, the marketing data post analysis suggests that by using targeted data - a gross conversion sale rate of 5.41% is achievable (35% improvement).
Conclusion:
Multiple indicators within the marketing study support the ability for the program to scale effectively. Even when utilising new agents with no previous experience; a linear sales system; and diverse data – the outcomes of the Utilities.com.au system were significantly better than the historical energy industry average. The combination of the company’s strong brand, proprietary technology; and effective training produced outstanding results.
The agent success rates were consistent across the retained group over time. Although some agents made fewer calls and a higher sale rates per call; other agents alternatively had high call rates with a lower sales rate. Different agents topped the sales charts each week and sales were relatively stable and predictable. This offered diversity in sales patterns while maintaining the integrity of the sales system. These factors all point towards a consistent, stable, and scalable product.
Through organisational learning, target marketing, and iterative improvements over time the experienced agents believe they will consistently perform and improve. The agents as a group indicated selling the service was easier than most telemarketing and more fulfilling as employment.