7 Essential Tips to Set Sales Appointments Geared for Success   

Rome wasn’t built in a day. A successful sale isn’t either.

There is a sea of content written by business pundits enumerating trade tricks that if implemented correctly, will create an explosion of unprecedented sales. Whilst these make for an interesting read, they seldom deliver on their claims. The sales cycle is a long and complex one with several checkpoints along the way.

One of the first and most crucial points is setting a sales appointment.

The main objective of setting a sales appointment is to lay the groundwork for the sales management team to make their pitch and convert a prospect to a successful sale. This first point of contact with a potential customer is what often distinguishes a conversion from a dud.

From exploring all conventional and unconventional avenues of communication including call park features to adopting a more intuitive approach to your customer’s needs, this article covers the long and short of how to set up a sales appointment.

Here are our seven essential tips to set sales appointments geared for success:

1.  Schedule Your Call

Ideally, you should aim to first schedule a call to a prospective client. This changes your sales call dynamics from one of cold calling to one of active interest. This has a direct impact on your chances of conversion.

Always understand that any request for a face-to-face appointment is likely to be declined because of the higher time commitment required. Your best bet is to initially schedule a call on the business phone system. However, make sure you give them multiple options for when and how to initiate the call. Some may prefer online video meetings while others may be more comfortable on the phone.

On the flip side, when you do schedule a meeting, you should nonetheless be prepared for it to be rescheduled. Nearly 25% of scheduled meetings end as no-shows, although 50% of these MIA prospects can be persuaded to reschedule. You need to pursue your lead and get them to agree to a new call. You can be politely persistent at this stage. Remember: initially, you just need them to give you a time. The actual sales pitch comes later.

2.  Confirm Your Lead’s Availability

It’s really as simple as asking, “Is this a good time to talk?” Regardless of whether you had scheduled a call with your prospect or not, it is common courtesy to check if they’re available to talk when you call. Some critics argue that this approach can backfire in that the prospect may say no. However, it creates a positive impression of your company and shows that you respect your customers and their time.

Also, you wouldn’t want to catch potential customers while they’re in the middle of something either. They would be distracted during the call and likely give you no more than a few seconds of their time to ultimately say “No”.

Automatically schedule and run meetings and improve your chances of lead conversion.

3.  Know Your Customer

Before you make that initial sales appointment call, ensure you do thorough research on your prospect and find out about their business. It is important to know how the prospect’s business needs align with your products or services. Make sure to ask informed questions during the call. If they make online catalogs, check out their portfolio and prepare a few probing questions regarding specific products or services they offer.

Make an effort to listen to the client and understand their pain points, if any. Find out about any specific solutions that their business needs at present. This shows the client that you are interested in their company and have taken the time to find out about them. This also makes the call more engaging.

Bottom line: everyone likes to feel important. Treat your prospect like a VIP and chances are they’ll return the favor!

4.  Focus on One Goal at a Time

The end goal of any sales appointment is lead conversion. This can often distract you from the initial goal – to secure an appointment with the prospect. The first contact with a potential customer is made purely to set the stage for the designated sales team to make their pitch and sell a product.

It can be tempting to cut out the middleman and go straight for the kill. However, reign in your sales instincts and focus on one goal at a time. Remember, the first step is to secure an appointment with a prospect. This facilitates the work of the sales managers and distinguishes a cold call from a verified sales appointment call. Practice doing this as a trial and learn how to record a phone call to review your technique.

5.  Be Patient

One of the most important tips for setting a sales appointment is to be patient. Any sales process from initial cold calling to the final conversion is a long process that can make you jump through several hoops at various stages. In fact, according to a recent study, only 20% to 25% of sales appointments result in conversions.

You need to be persistent but patient and this attitude will translate in your call manner. Make that first call and then be prepared to follow up with more calls and friendly reminder emails. Make sure to explore all available routes of contact including the call forwarding system if any, mobile text messages, social media channels, and live chat options.

6.  Build Rapport With the Client

Building a good rapport with a potential customer is sales 101. Admittedly, this is easier done in person where you can see and gauge the other person’s responses. However, with certain tips and tricks, you can build rapport on a call as well. Try and imitate your clients’ intonations and inflexions. Use familiar language. Using technical jargon with a business or creative lead will only alienate you.

This is also where your listening abilities come into play. Remember, in order to build a connection with the client, you need to listen to their needs and then show them how your company or brand can address them. A long explanation about the cutting-edge technology powering your product may have little impact on your client. It may in fact turn them off your call.

A successful sales appointment call is instinctive and dynamic. Even if you are reading from a script, you need to adapt your conversation based on your client’s responses so you come across as personable and someone they can trust. Rapport building is also one of the first steps of lead nurturing in the overall sales lifecycle.

7.  Be Prepared for Rejections

Any seasoned salesperson knows that tenacity is the name of the sales game. It is all too common to face rejections, especially whilst making cold calls. Everyone fails at some point. You need to dust yourself off and come back stronger. Remember: be prepared for the worst and hope for the best!

This means preparing a few stock answers to possible objections so you’re not put on the spot. The less you fumble, the more composed you appear and the more likely to convince your prospect to commit to an appointment.

For example, if the prospect mentions their reservations about your pricing in the Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) market, say that you understand their concern. Then explain how your pricing model is better than your competitors’.

In Conclusion

Setting a sales appointment is one of the first and arguably most important steps in the sales process. While we have discussed seven essential tips to set sales appointments geared for success, it is undeniably a time-consuming process. Employees tasked with setting sales appointments may end up being diverted from their core duties without any assurance of success.

In these cases, it may be worthwhile to outsource your appointment setting task to a quality monitoring call center experienced in sales appointments. A dedicated outsourcing team can filter leads, outline sales objectives, and set appointments – without involving your core sales team. This delegation of tasks increases productivity in the workplace and also accelerates the sales process.