Corporate B2B decision-makers are under a time crunch to manage multiple priorities each day without taking phone calls from people trying to sell them something. Is it any surprise that they put up walls and use gatekeepers to manage their time better?
The crux of the matter is that your salesforce is trying to carry forward great ideas and solutions to critical business issues that will have a significant impact on your prospect’s bottom line—if only they could get in front of those decision-makers.
If your inbound and other marketing efforts supply 30-50% of your pipeline, your sales team still needs to generate the rest of their leads in other ways. One way many companies do that is by engaging a proven team of appointment setters.
The following list of best practices for B2B appointment setters will make sure that your salespeople get in front of the right prospects at the right company at the right time:
- Determine your objectives. Before making the first call, make sure your appointment setters know exactly what you want to achieve. Target the decision-makers with whom you want to speak and set goals for the expected number of appointments.
- Use a targeted call list. Identify specific criteria to determine on which companies you want to focus. For example, you may want to include only manufacturing companies with more than 250 employees that generate revenues in the $50-$100 million range. And during the course of the calling campaign appointment setters vet your list to ensure that you’re reaching decision-makers within the target company.
- Provide value with each call. You have a limited time on each call so take advantage of that time. Make sure the prospect understands your value proposition and how your solution can solve their critical business issues. You can also offer a whitepaper, a case study, or a short webinar containing relevant and useful information.
- Be prepared for objections. When you know in advance the types of objections that might arise, you’re in a better position to turn those objections into positives.
- Sell the next step. If you can’t set an appointment right now, know what the best alternative should be. Is there a better time to call back to schedule a meeting? If they’re not ready to set an appointment now, is there information you can provide to keep your company top-of-mind for future consideration?
Outbound calling takes time and expertise. If your sales team is currently making these calls to fill their own pipeline, they are taking valuable time away from selling. To make best use of your sales force, you may want to invest in an inside sales function to systematically and regularly do outreach, or use a proven B2B appointment setting organization. You’ll be amazed at the impact on your revenue when sales people focus their attention on sales.
Intelemark is The Business Connection Company. We have a proven team and an innovative method of driving outstanding results for our clients. Contact one of our experts today to discuss how our customized B2B appointment setting campaigns can help you meet your goals.