When done correctly, appointment scheduling can become a work of art. Therefore, how the scheduling is carried out has a significant impact on the profitability of your company. The scheduling process may appear straightforward. You schedule the customers according to their availability. However, efficient scheduling is critical for customer service delivery and your ability to manage operations across all customers.
To some extent, it enables you to maximize team productivity, thereby increasing revenue. Furthermore, it aids in avoiding long customer wait times and maintaining high customer satisfaction. In the end, both serve to improve the quality of your service.
But how do you balance two seemingly contradictory interests?
What is an appointment setting?
The scheduling of an official meeting between a qualified sales lead and closer is known as appointment setting. This is common in B2B (business-to-business) interactions. Sales representatives can schedule these appointments to continue the relationship with a prospect and move them through the lead cycle. For example, sales representatives can provide customers with more detailed information about a product or service, draw contracts, and make the final sale during this meeting. The appointment setting is the lead generation process stage that occurs between the initial prospecting phase and the final closing meeting. Each step is described below:
- Prospecting is locating potential customers by conducting primary research, compiling contact lists, and making initial calls from the list. These lists typically include the names, phone numbers, emails, job titles, and companies of potential customers who may be interested in purchasing the product or service offered by the B2B Company.
- Appointment setting: During the appointment setting process, sales reps may meet with prospects multiple times to build rapport and screen them based on criteria. They then set a date and time with the lead and send them to an official meeting with a closing sales rep, who can help them draught and implement a final sales proposal.
Why does a company need to do an appointment setting?
Every small, medium, or large business can benefit from an appointment setting. The following are signs that your company could benefit from a B2B appointment setting.
You have a long sales cycle.
A high-involvement B2B purchase will almost always result in a longer sales cycle, especially if a demo or consultation precedes the sale. Long sales cycles typically have a high payoff, but it can be frustrating to spend all of your time vetting prospects rather than spending time with qualified leads.
You can reduce the sales cycle, phone tag, and email back-and-forth by allowing your sales reps to focus their time on qualified prospects who are already considering purchasing your product or service.
Sales team burnout
You risk overburdening your entire sales team if you don’t have designated appointment setters or sales development reps (SDRs) who handle lead qualification and appointment setting.
That is why many businesses prefer to outsource B2B appointment settings. This allows them to capture more leads and book appointments while saving time and money on building and training an internal team.
Divide and conquer is the most efficient way to speed up and improve the sales process. This frees up your executive sales reps to focus solely on selling and closing deals by allowing B2B appointment setters to find and schedule appointments with interested buyers and promptly follow up.
What is the significance of appointment making?
Appointments are essential because they assist sales teams in streamlining and optimizing the lead generation process. This can lead to an increase in sales and revenue for the company. Here are some advantages of making appointments:
- Allows for sales specialization: By segmenting the lead generation process and delegating tasks to different employees or teams, you can reap the benefits of sales specialization, in which team members practice and improve their specific, specialized roles. In this system, each employee completes the work that best suits their interests and skills, and some representatives handle prospecting and appointment setting while others handle closing.
- Saves time and effort: Generating and pursuing those leads through phone calls, email messages, and other communication methods can take time and effort. Salespeople can save time and effort talking to prospects while increasing closing efficiency by narrowing the lead pool to the most qualified, enthusiastic, and high-value candidates for a product or service.
- Increases employee morale: Outsourcing cold calling and appointment setting to a specialized agency can help increase employee motivation and confidence during the sales and closing process. This is because salespeople can devote more time, energy, and effort to conversing with and developing long-term relationships with buyers genuinely interested in the company’s product or service, resulting in more enjoyable conversations.
- Improves the customer experience: Interested customers typically want to learn more about a product or service from a sales representative with extensive knowledge and experience. Sales teams can ensure that there is always someone to answer basic and more complex customer questions by guiding them through the prospecting, appointment setting, and closing system, which can lead to high customer satisfaction and loyalty rates.
What are the advantages of having appointment setting tips?
Setting appointments is critical to keeping a healthy sales pipeline. It aids in the nurturing of leads and the conversion of prospects into qualified leads. In addition, using appointment setting tips may assist you in scheduling more appointments and increasing your bottom line.
Cold calling can effectively attract new prospects, but converting them into leads often requires multiple contacts or conversations. On the other hand, appointment setting tips help you have more productive conversations that lead to determining when you’ll speak next. In addition, the tips will assist you in easily building rapport with your prospects, strengthening any connection you may have with them.
26 Appointment Setting Tips
Use the following suggestions to improve your strategy for contacting sales prospects to schedule an appointment:
Take into account their time zone
Choose the best time to call the prospect. Avoid calling when they are inactive, such as sleeping, relaxing, or eating dinner. Consider their time zone and pick a time that works best for them. Call when the company is open, and the decision-makers are most likely present.
Inquire if they have time to speak with you.
Always inquire if the prospect has time to take your call and speak with you. Using your manners and being considerate may increase the prospect’s willingness to hear your pitch. If they say it’s not a good time to talk, ask them when it might be better for you to call again.
Before you call, do some research on the company.
Before you call, do some research on the company. Determine how your product or service might be able to assist them with current problems. This may also help you prepare to answer any difficult questions the prospect poses.
Highlight your enthusiasm
Use the conversation to express your enthusiasm for working with them. Please explain why you want to work with them and how an appointment will benefit them. This may increase prospects’ desire to work with you, increasing their likelihood of doing business with you.
Use technology to your advantage.
Utilize technology to assist you in managing your leads and appointments. Investigate software or other appointment platforms with features that will assist you in making a more successful call to request an appointment. Look for features that make it simple to check time zones, follow up with prospects via email, and qualify and nurture leads.
Look for people who have previously interacted with you.
Investigate possibilities for connecting with people who have previously interacted with your company. For example, review people who have visited your website or attended events you have hosted. Follow up with these leads and consider communicating with them through various channels.
Create a rapport
Make use of your conversation to establish rapport with the prospect. Concentrate on getting to know the individual and gaining their trust. Emphasizing your genuine desire to assist them may assist you in accomplishing this.
Prepare to face opposition.
A prospect may object to speaking with them or scheduling an appointment. It is critical to prepare for these objections to pivot the conversation. Investigate the prospect’s market and create an audience profile based on your learning. Ensure that the prospects and their businesses are properly aligned with your company’s solutions.
Make a script
Prepare a script to guide you through your call. Avoid writing the entire script word for word, and practice using it so that it sounds more natural. Include a branded introduction that describes who you are and what you represent.
Make a specific recommendation.
When requesting an appointment, provide a specific date and time to meet. Consider saying, “Can we meet on June 8 at 10:30 a.m.?” instead of “When can we meet to discuss this again?” Allow the prospect to provide alternative meeting times that are convenient for them.
Concentrate on your goal.
Approach your phone call with a clear goal in mind. Then, during your conversation, focus solely on moving the prospect through the sales process pipeline. For example, avoid jumping ahead in the process and attempting to close the sale during your conversation instead of requesting an appointment.
Create an elevator pitch.
Create an elevator pitch to deliver during the discussion. This pitch should contain a few sentences highlighting who you are and what you can offer. Consider focusing your pitch on your value proposition or statement or including examples to support your claims.
Ask probing questions
During your phone call, ask probing questions. This makes your conversation more engaging for the prospect and encourages an interactive conversation. You might also learn something useful to help you secure the appointment and close the deal later.
Make use of multiple channels.
Contact prospects through a variety of channels. Prospects frequently require multiple contact attempts to connect, so it’s critical to be persistent without overwhelming them. Contact them through various methods, including phone calls, emails, mail, and other options.
Make use of referrals.
Utilize referrals to find and gain prospects. Prospects that have been referred to you are more likely to trust you because they learned about you from someone they trust. These prospects are more likely to contact you and set up an appointment.
Be understanding.
When speaking with prospects, be sympathetic. Recognize their concerns and refrain from interrupting them when they speak. Instead, use their concerns to discuss how an appointment or your company can assist them in resolving their problems.
Use a respectful but informal tone.
Avoid using an overly formal tone, as this may cause people to disconnect. Instead, use a casual, conversational tone. Of course, it is still important to be respectful, but clear and positive language allows you to speak more naturally, which may lead to a more productive conversation.
Attempt to speak with the decision maker.
When making a critical decision, it is crucial to speak with the decision maker. While it is essential to establish rapport with and respect the receptionist, do not pitch to them. Instead, ask them questions to gain insight and get information on how to make an appointment with the decision maker.
Role-play
Use role-playing techniques to practice your scripts and elevator pitches. This may also help you prepare to deal with various situations and objections and receive valuable feedback from your peers. In addition, Role-playing and practice may boost your confidence when cold calling and help you become a more effective salesperson.
You should listen more than you speak.
Your conversation must benefit both you and the prospect. Try to listen to their concerns before speaking to them about you. This may assist you in better understanding their needs and how your product or service can help them.
Help the prospect do their research.
Provide the prospect with resources to assist them in conducting their research on you. For example, send the prospect an email right after your conversation with resources based on what you discussed, such as links to general company information or specific services you offer that they could benefit from using. This may also reinforce your genuine desire to assist them and increase their trust in you.
Indicate who should be on the call.
Make sure you specify who should attend the next meeting you have with your organization and theirs. Include everyone in the invitation to avoid anyone missing out on important information. You can answer questions, assist with decision-making, and avoid unnecessary follow-up meetings by specifying who should attend the appointment.
Be careful about reconfirming.
Reconfirming the appointment details should be done with caution. Following up with a prospect about an upcoming appointment to remind them about it may allow them to cancel immediately after the call, including a calendar invitation with your initial confirmation to allow them to set their own reminder.
Best practice for appointment setting
Speak with the Decision Makers
It’s too easy to get carried away with making an excellent first impression. Of course, you want to demonstrate that you know your company and can assist the prospect on the other end of the phone. But, before trying to persuade someone, ensure that the person you’re speaking with can make or influence a decision. Otherwise, you will waste your time and have to explain it to someone else. Nothing is more frustrating than delivering an excellent pitch only to be told that you must repeat it for someone else.
Understand Your Prospect
Make sure that you are familiar with your prospect. It’s embarrassing to call and have no idea what the company does or why they’d be interested in your product. Make sure to conduct as much research as possible to impress them with your knowledge. This helps to demonstrate that you are a hardworking and trustworthy business.
Developing Relationships
Appointment setting best practices require you to build a relationship with your customer. However, sounding approachable, knowledgeable, and friendly over the phone is difficult. Because you can’t see the other person’s reaction, you must rely on their voice. Copying the prospect’s tone and using appropriate language suited to your prospect’s needs are two techniques that will improve your phone report. For example, if you sell IT to a business, using technical IT terminology will only alienate them.
Adapting to your potential client necessitates discretion. For example, if someone is talking quickly and is stressed, a calm and confident demeanor is the best way to get their attention. But, again, it is about assessing the speaker’s needs and reflecting on them in your conversation.
Listen and assess
Don’t just throw your offer out there. Instead, ask them some questions to learn what is essential to the customer and their business. This also allows you to assess a prospect’s level of understanding of your services so that you can highlight what might be best for them when you begin to outline your products or services.
If you decide to use a script, keep in mind that you can deviate from it once you have more information. Being personable and human is far more critical than cramming in all sheet requirements.
Be adaptable.
Many calls are canceled or rescheduled owing to time constraints. Instead of pursuing a face-to-face meeting that won’t happen, why not request a phone meeting? How about an online meeting? Also, provide multiple options at various times throughout the day. Please confirm it immediately so there is no doubt about whether the meeting will occur. “See you on…” is a polite way to end the phone call.
How to set an appointment
Let’s get to the good stuff: how to make an appointment. Finally, your appointment-setting success is determined by how well you navigate the process, divided into three stages.
There are three steps to making an appointment:
- Disarm: You want your prospect to relax their guard. One thing is sure: your prospects are extremely busy. As a result, it’s always best to acknowledge this right away.
- Purpose: Get right to the point of the call and explain why you’re making it. This is an excellent time to let them know how much of their time you will require.
- Question: End your call with a question about how to achieve your goal. This is where you will request that the appointment be scheduled for a specific time and date.
You can also read about 5 Best Practices in Sales Prospecting
Techniques for Appointments setting
Now that we’ve covered how to set an appointment over the phone and via email let’s look at some tips to help you become more effective at setting appointments with anyone.
Appointment Setting Tip #1: Maintain a Positive Attitude
Keep your cool. It’s important to remember that the tone of your voice or message is noticeable to the prospect and can make them uncomfortable with the product or service you’re selling.
Appointment Setting Strategy #2: Make a Powerful Value Statement
Please don’t leave your prospect wondering what you’re selling or why they should buy from you. They should understand what you’re selling to them within the first minute.
Appointment Setting Strategy 3: Do Not Use a Script
Do not read from a script. Of course, it helps to know what you’re going to say, but you want to sound natural and friendly, not robotic.
Appointment Setting Strategy 4: Be Natural
Match your voice speed to that of your prospect. Mirroring your tone and speech can help you establish rapport with your prospect, but don’t go too far. Avoid using technical jargon or complicated words as well. But, again, the call should be natural.
Appointment Setting Strategy 5: Share Social Proof
Hubspot claims that 88 percent of customers trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations. For example, customer testimonials and case studies are extremely useful in securing appointments because they generate interest and captivate your prospect. They also directly appeal to what your prospect is looking for, providing proof of what your product or service can do for them.
Conclusion
No matter how well-organized your appointment scheduling process is, there will always be customers who arrive a few minutes late or unexpected events that cause the entire schedule to fall behind. Whether these occur at the start or end of the day, they will cause disruption and frustration in the workflow.
Although you cannot have complete control over how customers treat scheduled appointments, you can take steps to keep errors to a minimum and the schedule on track.
