Keys to Successful Appointment Setting

In a previous sales tip, “Telemarketing with a Twist”, I focused on the actual process involved in contacting prospects.  While the process is still very important, there are many other aspects of a program that need attention.  All of these together are an important piece of the puzzle to a quality appointment setting program.

The keys to success include:

       Well defined campaign strategy and call to action

       A very focused client profile to target

       A call script that is informative, engaging and asks key qualifying questions

       Emails and voicemails that show the strength of the value proposition and allows the prospect to clearly understand how they will benefit from the product

       Target prospect list which has a high percentage of correct contact information and is focused on the target client profile

       A lead rating system that allows agents to spend more time contacting warmer leads

       Agents who are highly motivated, have the appropriate background, are well trained and who communicate well

I could write a detailed sales tip about each of the items above – and I have worked with many clients on each of them.  However, for this tip I will focus on lead rating..  Lead rating systems are a way of figuring out who is somewhat interested in a product or service.  There are many methodologies and ways to implement a system.  Creating Confidence has developed what we call a “Self Qualifying Lead Rating” (SQLR) System for this purpose.  We are using technology embedded in a client’s web-site, Salesforce.com views and reports, referral names and various lead generation programs to prioritize prospects who “self qualify” by opening emails, clicking on URLs we send, returning our calls or showing an interest via other means. 

We then further develop these Self Qualifying Sales Leads by:

       Calling them multiple times

       Sending them nurturing emails to further increase their interest

       Inviting them to additional lead generation programs

       Scheduling discovery calls to learn more and discuss their specific situation

The result is a set of clearly prioritized leads which can acted upon.

A well developed appointment setting program can yield tremendous revenue opportunities.  Paying attention to all aspects of the program is the true key to success – and what makes a quality program standout from a mediocre one.  The devil is in the details, and paying attention to the details is necessary to increase your revenue pipeline.  Take the time to plan your program before implementing it and you will experience a higher number and higher quality appointments.

Do you have other effective sales techniques that you want to share?  We welcome your input.  Drop us a line.