The telephone is an interactive medium, which provides the flexibility and immediate response of a personal conversation. It can be especially effective when used in concert with other direct response media, such as direct mail or a Web site. To those who know how to use them, the interactive features of the telephone are, in many cases, replacing the face-to-face contact of a salesperson’s visit to a prospect or a buyer’s visit to a retail location. The telephone obviates the need for travel and makes it possible to talk with and not just to customers and prospects. The application of the telephone to direct marketing efforts is a most powerful combination. No other direct marketing medium can match its effectiveness. Telemarketing is actually a form of personal selling, since it occurs on a person-to-person basis but without the face-toface aspect.