Telemarketers

Solicit orders for goods or services over the telephone.

tasks jobzones knowledge skills abilities work_activities work_context interests work_styles work_values

Tasks

• Conduct client or market surveys in order to obtain information about potential customers.

• Schedule appointments for sales representatives to meet with prospective customers or for customers to attend sales presentations.

• Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.

• Telephone or write letters to respond to correspondence from customers or to follow up initial sales contacts.

• Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.

• Adjust sales scripts to better target the needs and interests of specific individuals.

• Obtain names and telephone numbers of potential customers from sources such as telephone directories, magazine reply cards, and lists purchased from other organizations.

• Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.

• Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.

• Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.

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Job Zone

• Name: Job Zone Two: Some Preparation Needed

• Experience: Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

• Education: These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

• Job training: Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

• Examples: These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Svp range: (4.0 to < 6.0)

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Knowledge

Browse Knowledge

• Sales and Marketing
  Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

• English Language
  Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Customer and Personal Service
  Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Communications and Media
  Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

• Computers and Electronics
  Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Clerical
  Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Mathematics
  Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• Education and Training
  Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• Telecommunications
  Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

• Psychology
  Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

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Skills

Browse Skills

• Persuasion
  Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Active Listening
  Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

• Speaking
  Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Reading Comprehension
  Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

• Monitoring
  Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

• Learning Strategies
  Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

• Service Orientation
  Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Social Perceptiveness
  Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Negotiation
  Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

• Critical Thinking
  Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

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Abilities

Browse Abilities

• Oral Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

• Speech Clarity
  The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Oral Comprehension
  The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

• Speech Recognition
  The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Written Comprehension
  The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

• Near Vision
  The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

• Written Expression
  The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

• Inductive Reasoning
  The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

• Problem Sensitivity
  The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

• Deductive Reasoning
  The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

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Work Activities

Browse Work Activities

• Selling or Influencing Others
  Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
  Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization
  Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
  Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
  Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

• Processing Information
  Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

• Getting Information
  Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
  Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
  Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
  Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

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Work Context

• Telephone
  How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

• Contact With Others
  How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?

• Spend Time Sitting
  How much does this job require sitting?

• Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People
  How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?

• Face-to-Face Discussions
  How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?

• Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?

• Physical Proximity
  To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
  How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?

• Deal With External Customers
  How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?

• Work With Work Group or Team
  How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?

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Interests

Browse Interests

• Enterprising
  Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Conventional
  Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

• Social
  Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

• Realistic
  Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

• Investigative
  Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

• Artistic
  Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

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Work Styles

• Stress Tolerance
  Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.

• Integrity
  Job requires being honest and ethical.

• Persistence
  Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.

• Dependability
  Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

• Achievement/Effort
  Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.

• Self Control
  Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

• Adaptability/Flexibility
  Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.

• Attention to Detail
  Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

• Initiative
  Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.

• Cooperation
  Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.

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Work Values

Browse Work Values

• Independence
  Workers on this job do their work alone.

• Moral Values
  Workers on this job are never pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

• Autonomy
  Workers on this job plan their work with little supervision.

• Achievement
  Workers on this job get a feeling of accomplishment.

• Working Conditions-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

• Activity
  Workers on this job are busy all the time.

• Compensation
  Workers on this job are paid well in comparison with other workers.

• Supervision, Human Relations
  Workers on this job have supervisors who back up their workers with management.

• Supervision, Technical
  Workers on this job have supervisors who train their workers well.

• Support-Mean Extent
  Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.

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