Appointment setting is scheduling sales meetings between a qualified sales lead and a prospect. Appointment setting involves proven methodologies that can increase sales opportunities and is essential to maintaining an effective sales pipeline. It helps you nurture leads and convert prospects into qualified leads.
You might have heard about cold calling. Cold calling can attract new prospects, but requires multiple contacts, or conversations, to convert them into leads. Appointment setting helps you have more productive discussions that can establish when you’ll speak next. The tips help you quickly build a rapport with your prospects, strengthening your connection.
Using appointment-setting techniques may help you schedule more appointments to increase your bottom line. Now that you know what an appointment setting service is, let’s discuss some effective appointment setting techniques that can help you with the process.
Appointment Setting Techniques You Should Know
- Know Your Leads
- Don’t Sound Like a Salesperson
- Address Objections
- Ask for the Meeting
- Outsource Appointment Setting
Appointment Setting Techniques 1: # Know Your Leads
82% of B2B decision-makers think sellers are unprepared (MarketingProfs). The appointment setter should be prepared at all times for a call.
You need to understand your industry and know your target audience and their needs. An effective appointment setter knows about the product or service they are supporting and can anticipate hard questions with planned answers.
You can also check out a prospect’s social media, such as a LinkedIn profile, to learn more about their preferences. Know the mission and critical goals of the companies where your prospects work. Before your reps start visiting prospects, you’ll need to know who they’ll be talking to, and how your product or service can help them solve their problems.
Know your prospects well, so you will be able to anticipate the questions.
Work on the ideal customer profile (ICP), determine your prospect, position your solution, agitate pain points, and eventually close the deal.
Make sure to answer the following questions:
- Who are your prospects?
- Does this person need what you’re offering?
- Why should the prospect choose your product or service right now?
- How can your product or service solve your prospect’s pain points?
If you can get prospects to see what’s in it for them, you’ll have a much better shot of getting the appointment.
Appointment Setting Technique 2: # Don’t Sound Like a Salesperson
Your goal is to set an appointment, not make a sale. So, refrain from being a salesperson, and force the prospect to buy the product or try a service.
17% of salespeople think they’re pushy, while 50% of prospects view them as pushy (Hubspot). As an appointment setter, you need sales skills to help you set the appointment.
Don’t be forceful, or the prospect may feel uncomfortable and annoyed, which can lead them to write you off completely. Be courteous to ask if it is the right time to talk, and then take your pitch. Take time to ask some questions that demonstrate their interest.
Being an appointment setter, you need to show that you are genuinely trying to help. Try to use persuasive language to set up a positive sales appointment.
Appointment Setting Technique 3: # Address Objections
Once you qualify the prospect and work towards closing, you’ll encounter a few objections. Remember, even qualified prospects that are a perfect fit will have objections.
That’s why you need to know how to handle sales objections, to be prepared to pivot the conversation, show your prospects why your product or service is unique, and highlight the competitive edge that your solution brings to the table. These are some tips given below to handle objections:
- Research the marketplace and the industry.
- Actively listen and respond= accordingly when the prospect objects.
- Ask thoughtful questions.
- Align your prospecting efforts with your solutions.
- Develop an ideal customer profile.
- Share successful client stories, case studies, and insights.
For instance, provide proof of value if a prospect says they can’t afford to purchase your product. Demonstrate how your product can improve their bottom line. These conversions could give you insights that can speed up the sales process.
Make sure to answer every prospect’s questions or objections. Work with your content marketing team, and develop scripts that might sway a meeting. Establishing value over objections helps salespeople build trust, and secure more in-person appointments.
Appointment Setting Technique 4: # Ask for the meeting
This is one of the most important appointment setting techniques, yet the crucial one. As obvious as it seems, appointment setters need to remember the ideal goals they reached for the prospects. Be persistent, and always ask for the meeting specifically.
For example, say, “I have time on December 10th at 11 AM. Does that work for you?” Instead of asking, “Would you like to meet about this?” or “Let’s set up a meeting to discuss further.” Being more specific about the date and time changes the question from “Do you want to meet?” to “When do you want to meet?”
Also, ensure you clearly understand the following details while setting up the meeting.
- Where will your meeting take place?
- Who will be present for the meeting?
- Will it be the same rep? Or a different salesperson? Both?
- Will there be multiple decision-makers present for this call?
- What will be discussed during the meeting?
Ideally, scheduling the meeting during that initial interaction would be best if you need more time to follow up by sending an appointment reminder with details (not re-confirming). If they don’t “go for it,” you can also follow up by sending them a link to your calendar to book an appointment, though you’ll want to make sure you try to book first before using this option. Again, it’s important to remember that you’re still open to the sale, generating enough interest to complete the appointment.
Appointment Setting Technique 5: #Appointment Setting
When you are a growing organization with limited resources, SDR probably has limited time to work efficiently to close a deal, but outsourcing appointment setting can maximize the efficiency of your sales team, and helps focus on their time to close deals.
Outsourced appointment setting providers have the experience, skills, and tools needed to generate high-quality appointments. They can help you create a compelling sales prep strategy, handle the sales pipeline, and focus more on closing deals rather than finding leads. Your clients are only sometimes available, so you may need to contact them at their preferred times, which can result in higher conversions. Hence an appointment setter can reach the prospects at the right time to ensure an excellent first impression.
When you outsource appointment setting services, it not only aids in B2B lead generation, but also enables B2B companies to grab a more significant share of market revenue, which can help grow their businesses.
FAQs
1. Why do you need appointment setting for your business?
Appointment setting service is a significant tool for a growing business because it improves your prospecting and portrays trust to your potential clients. It also creates an excellent impression that you have a systematic business process and are more trustworthy. Skills and experienced appointment service providers can handle customers professionally and guide them towards a purchase, so many businesses which lack these resources opt for an appointment setting agency.
2. Why should we hire an appointment setter?
Hiring an appointment setter, who communicates with potential customers to schedule meetings, enables your sales representatives to focus on sales.
3. Can appointment setting increase sales?
Appointment setting services have the expertise of growing the interest for your product or service by explicitly targeting potential clients of your targeted demographic. They also optimize your sales strategy, thereby increasing lead conversions.
4. How does appointment setting work?
An appointment setter will contact leads through the web, email, and phone prospecting. The appointment setter will contact qualified leads to explain your company’s product or service and gauge the potential client’s interest. You answer their preliminary questions and determine their interest in your product or service.
Final Thoughts
Following these appointment setting techniques can improve your probability of making a sale. You need to get an appointment to make a sale. Whether the B2B organizations are small or large-scale, appointment setting services are armaments through which businesses can increase their sales revenue.
If you are looking for an appointment setting services provider to improve your sales game. Feel free to reach out to us!
Related Posts
- Appointment Setting – The Ultimate Guide (Including 6 Tips)
- 10 Tips for an Effective Appointment Setting Service
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