Jim Hamilton, CallPermission.com product manager, Authtel Inc.

As published in Scotsman Guide's Residential Edition, June 2005.

For a long time, telemarketing was a permanent foot in the door for marketers and salespeople. Times have changed.

With the National Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry, consumers slowly are regaining power over Corporate America’s sales and marketing departments. The Federal Trade Commission created the registry after many consumers asked to regain their privacy. While some consumers were OK with receiving occasional offers on the telephone, others had been bombarded with offers that did not interest or apply to them. In their eyes, companies that solicited in this way did not care enough about their potential customers. The companies should have targeted their marketing campaigns better, they say. This, of course, negated future offers from the same company.

How do we make consumers feel special and regain their trust? The first step is determining your target market, which is the foundation for a good direct-marketing campaign. Target marketing identifies consumers who are most likely to purchase your product or service based on their demographic and psychographic information. Specifically, targeting the proper consumers for your campaign helps develop customer relationships and generate repeat sales. Collecting and using this customer data can generate marketing strategies that are sharper, more focused and more individualized than traditional marketing efforts.

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