Want to Hire an Overseas Telemarketer? Here's How! (it's Easier Than You Think)

Josh

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There are a lot of ways to hire an overseas telemarketer and the reality is a lot of the professionals on here started off as people just getting started and they learned there way around it. There are more nuances to it than I can cover in this post, but here's how you can get started, a few things to think about, and hopefully others can share their thoughts/experience to make this a really helpful thread.

First, most folks want to use filipinos. They're pretty accent neutral (tend to sound latino if you don't know any better), speak english fluently, and inexpensive ($3-$5/hour is a good starting point). On the downside you typically will have to pay them via either paypal or western union, both of which I've done without problems, unless you do dispute their labor. Another challenge working with them is legitimately their internet isn't always as reliable, especially if you're getting out of Manilla and heading to more rural areas.

So where do you find them? Well, where do you find everything? CRAIGSLIST! I had good luck with Cebu (https://cebu.craigslist.com.ph/), but Manila is where you'll generally find the most polished/experienced talent. Major call centers for US companies will be based there and if you go up on your budget it a bit, $7-$9/hour you may end up paying close to US wages, but you can expect an incredibly skilled telemarketer for that which is reliable. In the U.S. being a telemarketer is generally considered low-skill/degrading/whatever, but for them it's a very respectable career.

Things I found helped:

First, don't agree to full-time permanent employment. I always start them off on a week or two and say "we'll try this for 10-20/hours and see if we're a good fit". For better or worse it becomes really apparent pretty quick if they're going to work out or not.

Second, use a dialer that lets you log their activity. I like Dynamic IC because it will screen out cell phones and DNC lists, but the big thing is you want to make sure you can track their calls and activity. You know, trust, but verify :)

Third, and this is probably the hardest, treat it like business. It is an area where money is extremely limited and so you will legitimately hear some sad stories that will pull at your heart strings. Maybe they're hustling, maybe it's honest, but keep it professional. Only pay them if they're working and be clear with your goals. If they tell you about how (whatever) happened, certainly no need to be rude, but you're only paying them for work and if they can't work then you can't pay them, that's just business.

If anyone would like to share their experience/best practices/questions let's make this an active discussion!
 
They often times just disappear into thin air. Hire fast, fire even faster. If you have one that isn't working, fire them. I know that sounds cruel but you can't keep going with no results or limited success.
 
Lastly, get quality lists not the lowest price you can find.

We pay $11-12 for American telemarketers using very accurate data. Probably works out a bit more than overseas but quality is more important than saving a few bucks. At least to professional insurance agents.

Rick
 
There are a lot of ways to hire an overseas telemarketer and the reality is a lot of the professionals on here started off as people just getting started and they learned there way around it. There are more nuances to it than I can cover in this post, but here's how you can get started, a few things to think about, and hopefully others can share their thoughts/experience to make this a really helpful thread.

First, most folks want to use filipinos. They're pretty accent neutral (tend to sound latino if you don't know any better), speak english fluently, and inexpensive ($3-$5/hour is a good starting point). On the downside you typically will have to pay them via either paypal or western union, both of which I've done without problems, unless you do dispute their labor. Another challenge working with them is legitimately their internet isn't always as reliable, especially if you're getting out of Manilla and heading to more rural areas.

So where do you find them? Well, where do you find everything? CRAIGSLIST! I had good luck with Cebu (https://cebu.craigslist.com.ph/), but Manila is where you'll generally find the most polished/experienced talent. Major call centers for US companies will be based there and if you go up on your budget it a bit, $7-$9/hour you may end up paying close to US wages, but you can expect an incredibly skilled telemarketer for that which is reliable. In the U.S. being a telemarketer is generally considered low-skill/degrading/whatever, but for them it's a very respectable career.

Things I found helped:

First, don't agree to full-time permanent employment. I always start them off on a week or two and say "we'll try this for 10-20/hours and see if we're a good fit". For better or worse it becomes really apparent pretty quick if they're going to work out or not.

Second, use a dialer that lets you log their activity. I like Dynamic IC because it will screen out cell phones and DNC lists, but the big thing is you want to make sure you can track their calls and activity. You know, trust, but verify :)

Third, and this is probably the hardest, treat it like business. It is an area where money is extremely limited and so you will legitimately hear some sad stories that will pull at your heart strings. Maybe they're hustling, maybe it's honest, but keep it professional. Only pay them if they're working and be clear with your goals. If they tell you about how (whatever) happened, certainly no need to be rude, but you're only paying them for work and if they can't work then you can't pay them, that's just business.

If anyone would like to share their experience/best practices/questions let's make this an active discussion!


My friend uses Native Americans who live on reservations. Sets them up with everything pays flat minimum wage and they work from home. They are OK with the pay structure Because a lot of reservations to get free housing and medical through the tribe, they just live in a remote areas so it's hard for them to find any work at all without having to drive 5060 miles out-of-the-way. Most of them appreciate it because they get the money to buy a car pretty quickly
 
This is very helpful. I have two Filipino telemarketers working for me currently and getting my lists from Josh. One is getting phone appointments, the other has gone dark. I am going to take the advice to fire him.

I tweaked it just a little bit, to add to the advice and intelligence of the craft:

"George, I am not pleased as you have again gone dark. Should I hire another telemarketer? Lets switch up, lets move from hourly to $25 a phone appointment and $35 for a face-to-face appointment. That way I am paying you for performance versus burning time on the phone. Do you want the position?"
 
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