Career Guide is a series of occupational briefs which aims to provide information on hard to fill and highly-in-demand occupations identified during the 2006 National Manpower Summit and the 2007 National Human Resource Conference. The Career Guides contain such information as the nature of the job, its education and competency requirements, earnings, employment and job outlook.

Telemarketer

Telemarketer promotes an organization's products and services by telephoning potential customers relying on instructions and pre-established guidelines to perform the functions of the job.

Tasks

Answer telephone calls from potential customers;
Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit orders for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes;
Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers;
Obtain and maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders;
Schedule appointments for sales representatives to meet with prospective customers or for customers to attend sales presentations;

Basic Educational Requirements

The position of Telemarketer is open to persons with at least a college level of education. However, there are some companies who require college graduates of any four- year course and with at least six months experience in outbound sales. A Sales and Marketing background is likewise a distinct advantage for candidates to the position.

Telemarketers are required to have a knowledge of:

Sales and Marketing - principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling pro ducts or services.
- marketing strategies and tactics
- product demonstration
- sales technique
- sales control systems
Customer and Personal Service - principles and processes for providing customer and personal services.
- customer needs assessment
- meeting quality standards for services
- evaluation for customer satisfaction

Skills and Competencies

Adept at persuasion;
Effective speakers and active listeners;
Solid time management skills;
Exceptional verbal communication skills;
Strong organizational and follow-up skills;
Ability to work exceptionally well in a team environment;
A team player but with an ability to work ;
Knowledgeable on the use of computer technology integration (CTI) systems.

Physical Attributes and Characteristics

Must have a dynamic personality and must be enthusiastic about his/her work;
Must possess the following traits: self-motivated, confident, competitive and well-or organized.
Must be customer service focused, and actively looking for ways to help people.

Salary/Compensation

Salaries for Telemarketers at the entry level ranges from P15,000 to P18,000 per month. Aside from the basic pay, they also get allowances and other incentives.

Prospects for Career Advancement

A Telemarketer with at least 1-2 years working experience, have the ability to manage and train people, can perform strategic planning, and is adequately prepared to do analytical work can be promoted to the supervisory level. However, there are companies who require considerable in-house training in procedures and product knowledge before one can assume a supervisory position. Supervisor in telemarketing earn salaries not lower than P 20,000 a month and receive allowances and other incentives.

Employment Prospects

The continued expansion of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) assures a steady demand for Telemarketers. However, telemarketing is sensitive to downturns in the economy since much of the work involves sales. Thus, during periods of recession, the demand for telemarketers tends to decline. In this case, Telemarketers may consider related jobs where a pleasant phone manner is important such as that of an office receptionist, telephone switchboard operator or dispatcher in customer service, freight and transportation.

Cost of Education *

The cost of a 4-year business or social science course varies between a public and a private school. In a public university, the tuition fee is only around P3,000 per semester whereas in a private school, fees may range from P20,000to P40,000 per semester.

* Based on the tuition fee rates for school year 2007 - 2008