The B2B outbound lead generation process is lengthy and involves various steps such as doing an in-depth analysis, developing ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas (BPs), selecting leads, generating personalized content for a multichannel outreach, calling, emailing, and many other aspects.
But one of the important aspects of this process is to set a B2B sales appointment. You must be thinking that the role of a salesperson is crucial here. But things have changed with the evolution of sales specialization. While the sales executives are responsible for selling and closing deals, sales development representatives do the appointment setting.
Here, every B2B appointment scheduler’s dream is to be able to set up a meeting with a company’s decision-maker, like the CEO. But it’s hard to convince these people that your offering greatly benefits their business. The fact that they agree to meet with the sales staff shows they are highly interested. All that is needed is a little push to make them valuable customers.
Appointment garnering takes a lot more than just one phone call. It’s a multi-step process that involves connecting with multiple Sales Qualified Leads, nurturing them throughout their customer’s journey until they reach the narrow end of the funnel, booking an appointment, and then giving them to a qualified sales rep to close.
A well-versed B2B telemarketing team knows the best time to seek an appointment and how to use technology to schedule an appointment. Sales representatives will be able to set up qualified appointments for revenue generation when they can prospect, qualify, nurture, and engage with leads across all stages of the buying cycle.
In this blog, we will take a look at some of the reliable tips and tricks followed by top B2B appointment-setting companies to generate maximum appointments and close deals effectively:
IN THIS BLOG
Give priority to prospect discovery and research
Sales reps often use the same email template or cold-calling script repeatedly. This makes it harder to set up appointments. Even though most emails to customers have similar elements and calls to action, the content and way they are treated should be given a personal touch. With personalized email outreach, the person who gets the message will feel like it is for them and addresses their specific problems.
Before sending emails or making cold calls, finding the right prospects and learning as much as possible about them is essential. About 82% of B2B decision-makers think that salespeople who contact them are not ready. An experienced B2B telemarketer should know the product they are selling and be able to guess what the call recipient might need or be worried about. Before reaching out to prospects, they need to think about what hard questions they might have to face and plan how to answer them. Also, sales reps need to know a lot about the firmographic, technological, and demographic information of the account they are calling.
Show interest in the services offered by a prospect
According to Forrester Research, only 36% of B2B executives think that sales reps understand their unique business problems and offer clear solutions for them. A good rule for telesales services is to care about prospects and be interested in them. A good salesperson should really try to figure out what the person they’re talking to wants and needs. B2B appointment services can be improved by tying in real-life human experiences and addressing the tough situations of potential clients.
Clients want to know what’s in it for them. This is the most important part of any sales call. You can gain their trust through clear communication and market research and show them what you can do for them.
Let technology speed up the process of scheduling appointments.
Using the most up-to-date technology is a must for modern B2B lead generation and appointment-setting services. Having good software for making appointments can help sales reps do the following:
Make calls in accordance with the recipient’s time zone.
Get in touch with the next best possible lead based on established criteria.
Use voicemails to drop messages before moving on to the next lead.
Progressive or preview dialing can help you make more direct dials each hour.
Email follow-ups.
A lead that isn’t ready for a sales conversation should be nurtured.
Schedule meetings according to your location.
Combine schedules for improved team sales efforts.
Schedule meetings on calendars at the earliest available time.
Send out reminder emails for scheduled meetings.
Strike appropriate conversation
An appointment cannot be scheduled in the blink of an eye. It’s a gradual process and takes time. Many salespeople approach a prospect with a view to scheduling an appointment during the first call itself. This is bound to backfire. Instead, the focus should gradually be on winning the trust of the gatekeepers and lower-level executives instead of discussing your product or solution and how it can solve a problem and put forth the value proposition. When you start a conversation by educating a customer, it will positively impact the sales journey.
Some of the essential characteristics of the best sales approach are having a salesperson who is patient to listen, offers relevant information, and is not too hostile. These components can help keep the prospects engaged and propel them to purchase.
Put forth the appointment question
Appointment can be sought in two ways: One, ask the lead for a meeting. Two, get them to request a meeting.
The secret to a successful B2B appointment setting is to be explicit and accurate on the why and what of the appointment. The trick here is to ask for a short meeting. It’s a common practice for salespeople to ask for appointments that would consume much time. This is not the right practice. The sales reps should strengthen their sales pitch and seek appointments for a shorter duration. This way, they will be able to target appropriately and be heard as well. Lengthy meetings are not often encouraged as prospects end up with more questions than answers.
Salespeople must approach appointment setting as a step-by-step process. This way, they can deliver personalized outreach messaging and highlight the pain points and goals of the prospects.
Pay special attention to no-shows
In the B2B segment, it’s common to secure an appointment and get stood up in the meeting. However, salespeople must not lose hope. They need to be more focused and keep taking follow-ups with their leads to eliminate no-shows. In the midst, sales reps must also take the time to give their approach a personal touch, emit confidence, and engage in thought-provoking discussions.
The best way to do a follow-up is to present oneself as a partner and not just a service provider. Besides, the follow-up emails must be personalized, and other communications must be updated with new information, crucial questions, or new product information and offers. The follow-up messaging must serve as a reminder to prospects about the agenda of the meeting and what key issues it seeks to discuss.
Sum up
Salespeople of the current digital age need to use sound and tactful telesales strategies to drive effective B2B appointment-setting programs. They can make a good start by developing on the interest of prospects to get the conversation going. Perfect telesales marketing is all about facilitating a two-way communication process to keep the prospects engaged and take the sales journey forward.
Click here to learn more about Binary Demand’s B2B appointment Setting and Lead Generation Services.