Mie-Yun Lee, Editorial Director, BuyerZone.com

Limiting your company's growth because you do not have enough people to prospect and sell new clients or people to handle response from your marketing efforts is one of those proverbial "good problems to have." But it is nevertheless a problem. A telemarketing firm can be a very effective way to solve this good problem.

A telemarketing firm provides an instant call center for you, with all the infrastructure you need including people, equipment and phone lines. These firms can provide inbound campaigns where telemarketers handle incoming calls or offer outbound campaigns where callers make calls on your company's behalf.

Before you start contacting different telemarketing firms, use BuyerZone's free provider comparison service to instantly review mini sites from multiple companies. Once you know what firms offer, follow these tips to select the most appropriate company to work with.

Choosing telemarketing firms
Finding the right firm involves finding a company that has the relevant experience to make your campaign a success. Ideally, you will be able to find one that has worked with at least one client in the same or related industry and that had similar campaign objectives.

While you may want to inquire about the average experience of the telemarketing specialists, the answer to that question is likely to be exaggerated. This industry has a very high turnover rate, with most telemarketing careers counted in terms of months rather than years. Instead, focus on the qualifications, and even meet with, the one or two people who will be leading the campaign. These people should be part of the team that handles calls for you and will provide training for the other callers who are staffed on your campaign.

The key to choosing a telemarketing firm is to go beyond reviewing an impressive roster of clients to thoroughly checking references. Request references from clients that are most similar to yours. Although a company may be loath to provide them, references from former clients that had a bad experience can be incredibly valuable as well.

How much will it cost? The pricing structure varies according to the type of campaign you want to run. Inbound telemarketing campaigns are priced according to the number of call minutes that you expect the firm to handle. Typically, a minimum monthly amount is established. This can range from 250 to 1000 minutes with a cost of about a dollar per minute.

To start a telemarketing campaign, the firm will need a script with responses to typical questions, comments and objections, a list of names to call, and background information about your company. You can develop these materials in-house, or have the telemarketing firm take the lead. If the firm develops these materials, it will add another thousand dollars or so to your total bill.

Outbound telemarketing firms base pricing on an hourly rate. This can range form $11 to $40 per hour. The low-end pricing reflects the pricing you can get from firms that utilize overseas workers to make calls. Your pricing will veer to the high end if you have U.S.-based callers who need to reach top executives at firms.

In the age of the Internet, it can be difficult to remember that the personal touch of a live person can be the difference between a lost and closed sale. Telemarketing firms allow you to get personal easily.