Telemarketing is only as good as the person making the calls. To be good at telemarketing, a person needs to have certain skills and attributes. So, here's the DJR Marketing's 8 Great Attributes we think a telemarketer should have.

1. Listening skills - very important for any sales role.  The best sales people are the best listeners so listen very carefully to what your potential client's needs and requirements are, and then mould your products and services to match the client's needs.

2. Communication skills - when engaging in a telemarketing call, potential clients are only able to use one of their five senses: listening. So a sales consultant should speak clearly, concisely and professionally at all times.  Remember, this is the first time this person has listened to you, even though this may be your 20th presentation that day - so don't rush, don't use jargon, and don't cut corners.

3. Product knowledge - in every job I had as a sales consultant, after a month or so I would see a dramatic increase in my sales. After a while I realised why.  It was all down to confidence. I learnt about the product and this gave me more confidence, which naturally came through in my telemarketing calls.  I had the confidence to talk to clients (build rapport) and knew, no matter what questions they asked me, I would be able to answer them.  My newly found confidence came across in my voice (tone, pitch) and I gave the impression that I believed in the product.  A lack of product knowledge is the main reason new sales consultants struggle at the start.  Try giving a new or underperforming sales consultant a product knowledge test and then compare it with a top performer.  You'll be amazed at the results.

4. Intelligence - a certain level of intelligence is required in order to learn about the different products and services you'll be promoting within the range of telemarketing campaigns. DJR Marketing employs staff that may not have formal qualifications like A Levels and degrees. We prefer to build teams of people who have lots of life experience and common sense.  In our experience, when speaking to key decision makers, this is more important than formal qualifications.

5. Target-driven - all telemarketing campaigns should have targets that have been agreed with clients such as the number of calls to be made or the number of outcomes etc. It helps tremendously if you enjoy working to targets and get a 'buzz' from meeting or exceeding them. Excellent time keeping and personal enthusiasm play a part in helping to meet targets together with natural sales skills.

6. Self-motivated - but also the ability to work in teams. This is a double edged sword as you alone will make the telemarketing calls so you need to be self-motivated, but you are also working within telemarketing teams for campaigns so you need to be able to work with others and help motivate them and overcome any problems/issues together as a team.

7. Honesty - it is essential to be honest when making telemarketing calls. You should never misrepresent as you are representing the client and the telemarketing company.  In any case, misrepresentation is always discovered!  The best sales consultants never have to lie to get the sales/meet targets.  They rely on their sales ability and product knowledge.

And finally

8. Commitment - this is the main attribute a good sales consultant needs. You are making a commitment to be on time, not to give up when times are tough or you're not meeting targets, to learn about new products, to learn and memorise scripts, to achieve and aim to exceed agreed contractual targets, to support other team members and to be the best you can.  Commitment is the cornerstone for all the other seven attributes sales consultants should possess.

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