B2B Appointment Setting: 4 Golden Rules That You Must Follow
It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance on your part to set appointments for prospective new clients. It is possible that you will hear a lot of nos, but here are a few tips that are going to help you increase your chances of securing that appointment:
1. Don't Just Contact During Office Hours.
One of the first mistakes that many appointment setters make is calling only between nine and five – the typical business hours. While a vast majority of the office goers are in the building at this time, the gatekeepers tend to be in the office much earlier and much later. After all, they're the ones that run the shows, which means they're the ones you need to speak to. So, if you haven't had much success during the day with your e-mails or phone calls, try reaching out before eight or nine in the morning, during the lunch hour, and after five or six in the evening. You'll be surprised just how many people you'll reach at this time, as many use this "downtime" to catch-up on e-mails and voicemail, which could include yours!
2. Don't Use Just One Type Of Media.
Another mistake that people make is only using the phone or e-mail to reach out to future prospects. If you want to make an appointment, you need to use all the resources available to you. In order to truly have success in the b2b appointment setting industry, you must reach out to potential prospects dozens of times across multiple channels. Keep in mind that these prospects are extremely busy and are constantly flooded with sales and marketing messages, meeting requests, etc. It is possible to break through, but it isn't going to happen if you're only trying one media outlet and if you only try once or twice. So, send e-mails, leave voicemails, write letters, and send packages in the mail.
3. Don't Forget to Make Use of Your Lead Generation.
Whether you know it or not, your business' marketing campaign is key to setting up successful appointments with prospects. As a general rule, you are much more likely to set up an appointment with someone who has already had some form of interaction with your company than someone who has never even heard of it. So, take a look at the list of business individuals who have downloaded white papers and webinars from your website and grab that list of individuals who attended your last company event and make use of them.
4. Don't Be Afraid to Actually Request for the Meeting.
When you finally reach the end of the call and you're ready to close, don't simply ask if they would like to meet. Instead, before you get on the phone, look at your calendar and know what day and time you have available for a meeting. This way, when you are ready, you can say something like "I have an opening on May 8th at 10 a.m. Are you available then?"