News

At VST, we firmly believe that Summer is the perfect time to build and cleanse your business’ data. Read Louise Howson (Managing Director) and Andrew Smart’s (Founder of VST and…

VST have recently launched a sales support and training incubator, which looks at teaching everything our sales professionals have learned in 16 years of telemarketing to in-house sales teams. When…

A healthy workplace culture is essential for not only the success, but the sustainability of any modern business. Both the employer and employees can influence a workplace’s perceived culture, that’s…

Over the last few years VST has been working with a number of clients across the circular economy landscape, allowing us to get an inside look into the industry and…

Sales is often seen as either an art or a science. However, very rarely is there argument for the answer to be both. The wider integration of data analysis into…

Andrew Smart, Solutions Director and Founder of Virtual Sales Team, recently talked to UK Business Forums about all things sales but in particular, how to generate more sales leads. Andrew and Jacob…

Whether you should outsource your lead generation, or manage it in-house, has been widely debated across the Sales and Marketing industry for some years now.   Whilst there is no…

When you think of the telemarketing industry across the last 10 years, similarly to a wide number of industries, the majority of true change and innovation has taken place over…

We get as many enquiries from Digital Marketing Agencies to generate new opportunities and meetings for them as we do from other commercial businesses. I’ve just had another one this…

A Northamptonshire-based sales company is relocating to new offices in the county after experiencing significant post pandemic growth. Virtual Sales Team, which has been operating in Northampton for 15 years,…

Please join us all in congratulating Louise on a well-deserved promotion from General Manager to MD at Virtual Sales Team. Louise has been with VST since 2010 and having fulfilled…

In the age of digital marketing where customers can be contacted via so many different channels, it can be easy to think cold calling is no longer an effective technique.   In fact,…

Lead generation marketing is the process of finding prospects and capturing their details, with the aim of converting them into customers. The process relies on an effective sales pipeline –…

Booking venues for charity fundraisers takes skill, empathy and a network of suitable contacts. We book venues for charities looking to raise funds and awareness, passing on the benefit of…

“Return on Investment (ROI) should be a staple metric of all business activity.”   What is ROI?  ROI is a way of measuring overall performance and evaluating the profitability of…

Have you ever wondered, when you go to a supermarket and see charity fundraisers standing at the entrance, how they got permission to be there? Chances are VST booked their…

Virtual Sales Team is delighted to be one of the sponsors for the 2021 Northampton Filmhouse and Delapré Abbey Drive-in Cinema. Running from Saturday 22 May till Sunday 6 June,…

The most common question I am being asked at the moment is, “Is it a good time to be prospecting?” The simple answer is Absolutely Yes! The first half of…

One thing we did during the pandemic was to revert to our old name. We changed it a couple of years ago to VST as that’s what people often refer…

The point is this, it can take months or even years of really hard work and dedication to create the perfect beach body, you cannot start this one month before…

“Cold calling is dead,” they say, “the telephone is outmoded and social media has taken over” – THINK AGAIN. In some ways, there is some support to each of those…

Should telemarketing calls be unscripted? The debate continues. At Virtual Sales Team, we recognise the benefits of both; however, we have always used unscripted telemarketing as in our experience this…

Why is appointment setting so valuable? According to Forbes, appointment setting is considered to be one of the most challenging parts of business development and also the most typical barrier…

Salespeople need to be good at appointment setting and lead generation to grow a business. As the business world changes, so too do the number of skills and activities that…

It goes without saying that every telemarketer is different and, likewise, every product and service is a different sell. However, great appointment setting calls have commonalities. When observed and utilised,…

It goes without saying that a competent telemarketer is of major importance when it comes to the success of an outsourced telemarketing campaign. Perhaps, not quite as obvious to the success however, is the client themselves

Sales outsourcing can be a good way for businesses to increase lead generation and sales without investing in recruiting and the cost associated with full-time sales reps. There are important…

B2B Marketing Database Targeted data drives all lead generation campaigns. Virtual Sales Team provide highly targeted data cleansing and building with high accuracy. When we cleanse your existing data or…

Telemarketing, how to remain compliant. Telemarketing in the UK is a great way to reach your ideal prospects and create a relationship with your brand, so prospects and callers can…

Virtual Sales Team compile recommendations shared during our weekly campaign reviews.  The following lists a sample of the outbound lead generation and appointment setting guidelines. Keep it light When appointment…

How does lead generation work? These are questions that we frequently hear. Most businesses understand that they need to generate more leads, but when it comes to implementing specific strategies,…

As we re-open for business, our clients are asking what’s changed?  If it’s going to be different then how, what, why and who?  At Virtual Sales Team, we are here…

4 steps to a fantastic Value Proposition…. In challenging and uncertain times like these, it can be difficult to know what to focus us on next:  Product, Service, Efficiency, Cash…

What are the “real” differences are between a professional telemarketer and an in-house telemarketer? We have compiled a list that helps assess the choice and what you need to think…

We cannot underestimate the impact of the Coronavirus. This is now affecting every single one of us from many different perspectives; our children and our own health, care for our…

Please click the link below to read about our latest sponsorship: https://www.northants-chamber.co.uk/news/virtual-sales-team-sponsors-customer-commitment-award

If you have 30 minutes spare and you enjoy a good discussion around sales you may well enjoy this podcast: https://anchor.fm/talktalk/episodes/Talk-The-Talk—Business—Andrew-Smart-CEO-Virtual-Sales-Team-e9arqe    

Well here we are again in a New Year and new decade and I don’t know about you but 2020 really feels like a futuristic date. 2020 – the kind…

Virtual Sales Team is a small business, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make a real difference when it comes to our environmental impact and of course, being aware of…

We’ve all got to make sure we retain our existing business, but how do we take the process of looking after our existing clients up several levels to ensure we…

It’s a term many of us are hearing about these days, but what exactly is it and why is it important to understand why many organisations are adopting this approach?…

A thriving B2B sales support agency is sponsoring the Workplace Wellbeing Award at the 2019 Northamptonshire Business Awards. Virtual Sales Team (VST) prides itself on being the human, professional and…

In the first of a series of VLOGS, VST’s MD Andrew Smart addresses a question often asked by potential clients: How can you represent us on the phone as well…

This will always be an ongoing debate, but I thought I’d put a few thoughts down in writing on this age-old question.   We’ve been providing outsourced marketing and telemarketing…

Our ‘not so secret’ Santa, Andrew, being his usual shy and retiring self on our last day in the office in December. Do you think you, or know someone you…

This is one of the most important things I’ve learnt this year so far…. When was the last time you asked yourself what business problems you are actually solving for…

Data and its quality impacts every aspect of your business, especially sales & marketing. If performance is low, your sales database is a mess, and the pipeline has lost momentum…

Over the last month, we’ve been exploring the results of our recent survey on why customers chose Virtual Sales Team (VST) as ‘the trusted extension to their sales and marketing…

We’ve been exploring the results of our recent survey on why customers chose Virtual Sales Team (VST) as ‘the trusted extension to their sales and marketing team’. This week we’re…

This week we are bringing you the second in our series of blogs exploring the results of some recent research we did to find out why our customers chose Virtual…

This month we are bringing you the first in our series of blogs focussed on the results of some recent research we did to find out why our customers chose…

We all know that telemarketing can be a difficult industry to work in and it’s important to remember that, until the dotted line has been signed, no sale is guaranteed. Much as all the signals may all point towards a successful sale, potential customers can still back out at the last minute

This month we’re looking at how a “human” approach to telemarking will always win out over “robotic” techniques; i.e. sticking to a script with no room for deviation or natural…

Northampton based sales support agency Virtual Sales Team (VST) are embarking on a unique recruitment strategy to attract talented new employees into the business. The VST team is continuing to…

Do you have the art of making small talk down to a T? Can you adapt your style no matter who you’re speaking with to keep the conversation flowing and land a successful lead? The art of small talk is key for telemarkers; is this a skill you have?

It is essential to keep your tone and conversation polite and friendly during a call, even if you’re presented with the opposite from your receiver. You, after all, are the professional, and keeping your manner polite and calm stands much more chance of making sales than coming across as rude.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from our years in the telemarketing sector, it’s that rejection really is nothing personal!

We have always found great appointment setters have some common traits, including positivity, empathy, resilience, self-discipline and a great personality – does this sound like you; do you feel you have what it takes to work for us in our appointment setting team? Contact us to find out more!

Ensure your lead generation is effective with stringent quality scoring, undertaken by the right people at the right time, for maximum ROI! A strategic approach to planning a lead generation campaign accelerates time-to-benefit and will further your success and processes!

Key strategies for improving and maintaining customer retention

It’s important that employers have a strategic plan in place to deal with staff absences as and when they arise.

Make sure your staff keep up with the industry for maximum ROI

With support from us (Virtual Sales Team), The Britannia Inn, based at the centre of the Rushmills business park in Northampton has been installed with a community AED (Automatic External…

Our top 8 tips for mothers returning to the workplace after maternity leave to get back on track for the perfect home/life balance

Virtual Sales Team are passionate about creating a great working environment and team culture We work hard, but we play hard also. We like our offices full of team spirit…

The good old Flexible Working Request – enough to strike fear into some boss’ hearts, although why this is the case is a bit of a mystery. We look at…

From 2nd – 6th October, the team celebrated Work Life Week. The national campaign was created by Working Families UK charity and raises awareness of employee health, wellbeing and flexible working…

Zoe Brown’s diary was even busier than usual one Thursday. In the morning, she was booked in for a C-section, then at lunch time, she was scheduled to be back…

Do you feel like your appointment setting is lacking something, or your team knows what they need to achieve but aren’t sure how to get there? We’ve put together the…

As May 2018 steadily approaches, is your business preparing for GDPR? The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will officially become law on 25th May 2018, effectively replacing the current…

So what was your New Years resolution for 2017, and, 9 months in, have you stuck to it? Was it the usual half-hearted promise that didn’t even last out the…

It may only be six weeks but the summer holidays seem to last forever for some families. That’s not to say spending time with our children isn’t enjoyable, but in…

Gone are the days when a boss would hand out the Yellow Pages and bark at his staff to “bang out some calls”…well they’re hopefully gone anyway! Once upon a…

Telemarketing is not as easy as it looks! You may think picking up the phone and making a call is easy but there’s a lot more to it than that….

Many appointment setting companies focus purely on numbers when it comes to measuring the success of their clients’ campaigns. Normally a final statistical report is automatically generated and sent over…

If you’re a marketing manager or part of a new business generation team, you’ll know first-hand that sourcing your leads is a time consuming and frequently fruitless venture. You need…

Everyone in business should know that their biggest asset is their people. Yet few businesses know how their most valued asset can successfully help them to market their company. In…

Companies spend a lot of time and money on exhibitions because they realise the value of raising the profile of their brand and the opportunity to generate qualified leads and…

Have the changes made by the Information Commissioner’s Office since 2014 impacted on the number of nuisance telemarketing calls?

Anyone who’s has returned or is looking to return to work after having a family will know it can be a very daunting and upsetting time. The demands of a…

Ever wished you could decrease your working week to less than five days? Government legislation introduced from June 2014 means that all employees have a legal right to request changes…

Debates surrounding the contributions that flexible working and zero hours contracts have on the economy have continued since we originally wrote about this topic in 2014. At that time, the…

We are extremely proud to report that Virtual Sales Team were awarded a commendation in the Best Small Employer category at the Working Families Top Employers Awards. The awards were held…

When it comes to returning to the workplace after having a child, parents and carers face a number of challenging obstacles. Childcare One of the biggest complications they face is…

If you’re familiar with either of these departments then no doubt you’ll have heard each of these departments blaming each other for new business sales revenue being down! Typically, sales…

On 25th May 2018, we’re going to see some major adjustments to data protection laws via the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These are the biggest changes made to data privacy in…

We’ve got some exciting news to share with you today. After over ten years in business, we are unveiling a new brand identity and logo. You can expect to see…

We recently received the fantastic news that we have been shortlisted as Best Small Employer and Best for Flexible Recruitment in the Top Employers for Working Families Awards. The annual…

The business is 10 years old and going from strength to strength, what’s the secret? There’s no secret, other than we always do the very best for our clients and…

We’re pleased to announce that we have launched a new web-based app, enabling our clients to give direct feedback on the service we’re providing. It’s the first of it’s kind…

Welcoming new clients is always a pleasure, and its particularly exciting when we form partnerships in new business sectors. We (Virtual Sales Team/ VST) currently work with clients from charities…

We (VST) celebrated ten years in business on 1st February 2017. The anniversary comes at a crucial time, as on 24th January we moved to larger premises. The new office, off…

Are men still being ignored when it comes to finding a balance between working and home life? Research carried out back in 2014 suggested that men had overtaken women when…

There’s no denying that recruiting the right people, in any role, is a tricky business. You only have a short interview time to make a decision about someone. However, it…

“If you do what you always do, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten” This famous quote by Anthony Robbins sums up nicely why businesses need to develop and evolve the…

Shouldn’t the saying “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” be banned in the business?! Surely if something isn’t broken, then that’s the time to improve it? Prevention is better…