What is Appointment Setting and How Can You Master It?

B2B appointment setting is a commonplace tactic in today’s sales landscape. On average, it takes around 18 dials to connect with a single prospect. The chances are the first call made to contact won’t necessarily lead to a sale. However, setting an appointment where a prospect is ready and willing to talk about an opportunity can improve your chances of success.

With sales appointment setting, you ensure your salespeople have the full attention and focus of their prospect, as well as time to plan for a successful interaction.

What is Appointment Setting? An Introduction

B2B appointment setting, or simply “appointment setting” is business growth and sales strategy. It involves using sales appointment setting professionals to reach out to prospects and arrange a time when they’ll be willing to speak to a sales representative.

Specialists reach out to lists of cold or warm prospects with the intent of generating interest in a product or service. During the initial call, they collect information about the lead they can pass onto a sales professional, and arrange a specific date for a follow-up.

While setting appointments to discuss options with a prospect can take a little longer than simply cold-calling or warm-calling and hoping for the best, it can improve your chances of conversions.

Why is B2B Appointments Setting Important?

Sales appointment setting has grown increasingly popular in recent years, as many B2B buyers simply don’t have time to listen to the full pitch of a sales professional when they call unannounced. B2B buyers are busy people with hectic schedules. If your call disrupts them at work, they’re less likely to be willing to discuss their needs with you and negotiate a deal.

Appointment setting in the B2B world also allows companies to identify the warm leads more effectively in their pipeline, and build a strategy for how to convert those prospects. Once an appointment has been set, a sales professional can begin researching the client and building a personalized sales pitch to match their specific needs.

What is an Appointment Setter?

Notably, the person responsible for setting an appointment between a sales prospect and a salesperson won’t necessarily be the individual responsible for making the pitch.

An appointment setter is a dedicated professional responsible for making the initial calls required to arrange appointment times, and schedule conversations for sales professionals.

The key responsibilities of an Appointment Setter include determining the level of interest a potential client might have in a product or service, then scheduling a time for sales reps to meet with the client. These experts need excellent communication skills, and must be able to organize their time effectively.

Is Outsourcing Appointment Setting a Good Idea?

Although the appointment setting services cost charged by some outsourcing agencies might be enough to deter some sales professionals, many companies do find it helpful to use a third party. Outsourcing the appointment setting process to another professional means you can ensure all of the members of your sales team are focused specifically on conversions.

Working with an outsourced specialist also means companies can leverage the latest techniques and strategies for setting appointments from experienced staff.

However, it’s important to ensure the people you work with are prepared to deliver the right results. Appointment setting specialists will need access to marketing strategy guidelines and scripts, information about your target audience, and details on your products and services.

Top Sales Appointment Setting Tips

B2B appointments setting can be an excellent way for business leaders to improve their chances of conversions in a challenging marketplace. However, like any sales strategy, there are steps companies need to follow to ensure they’re getting the right results.

Some of the most important sales appointments setting tips you can follow include:

• Know your time zones: If you’re selling to people outside of the same country as you, then you’ll need to ensure you’re aware of time zones. Double-check the time zone of each prospect before confirming and appointment, and ensure the slot is available for the sales professional who will be handling the call.
• Do your research: Up to 82% of B2B decision makers feel sales reps are often unprepared for a call. Ensuring you understand your audience and what they might need from you before you start the outreach is crucial. The more you know about the prospect, the easier it is to build a rapport, and develop a sense of trust.
• Share social proof: Sharing insights into the successes you’ve already achieved for other companies is an excellent way to boost your credibility. Specific numbers and statistics make the value you can offer to a customer clearer, so they’re more likely to arrange an appointment with a sales team member.
• Reach out to the right prospects: Connecting with warm leads to set appointments can often be much more valuable than connecting with cold leads. You can focus on reaching out to customers who have already shown interest in your company by signing up for an email newsletter, downloading an asset from a landing page, or commenting on your social media.
• Build rapport: Customers are more likely to agree to having a further conversation with a company when they have a human connection to the brand. Building rapport through things like asking questions and showing genuine interest in the prospect will form the foundations of a positive customer/sales relationship.
• Be specific: Make sure you’re clear about the exact time and date when the appointment is going to be scheduled. Offer specific times and dates, so your customer is less likely to avoid giving you a set time to call back. It’s also worth sending an email or SMS confirmation to remind them of when the appointment will be.

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