If it were only that easy. It’s no secret among sales people that just setting the initial appointment can be one of the hardest parts of the sales process. Yes, it is a fact that there is success in numbers; and by numbers we mean making a lot of calls. But without the proper lead,or the proper language, you will be lucky to get one appointment. Even when you begin with the volume of calls necessary to get through to the person you want to ‘get on the calendar’ with, you might only get that appointment if you know how to put the words together into an “ask” that is compelling and authentic. Being received positively is why many sales organizations will augment their sales team’s efforts with the business development team of appointment setters at Intelemark. Business takes place when connections are made, good connections where the purpose of the appointment is clearly of mutual benefit. This takes preplanning and knowing enough about the background of the company and the person you’re after to not only get them on the phone, but get on their calendar. Murray Goodman, Intelemark CEO has given several examples of the preparedness and communication skills of Intelemark’s elite team of highly successful appointment setters. It takes a different skill to set up a meeting with the expectation of success for all parties. -author Mike Kristiansen