Here’s is an appointment sales qualification phone process for building a base of qualified sales prospects

This strategy is simple, straightforward and easy to implement.

But it works.

Q:What’s the first goal of sales qualification by phone? A: Effective sales qualification by phone begins with simple information gathering.
That means finding out if the person you are contacting is a qualified sales prospect.

Your cold calling goal: find the folks interested in your offer.

These are the qualified sales prospects. How to do it? Ask for a show of hands.

There, that’s the goal of your introductory cold call — (1) finding the right sales prospects; (2) separating them from the crowd; then (3) qualifying their interest level in what you can do for them.

NOTE: See below: How Do I Qualify Prospects? From there your follow-up calls take over. These calls create trust, build your credibility and forward the sales process.

Also, sales prospecting by phone is a form of direct marketing.

And building a highly targeted database is the key to any successful direct marketing campaign.

Therefore, view each call as a means for fine tuning your database. It’s a work in progress that never ends!

Q: For Effective Appointment Sales Qualification By Phone Do I Need A Script?

A: Always use a script. It keeps you focused and in control of the call. Make your introduction short, simple, to the point — something you can deliver in twenty seconds…without being rushed.

Q: How do I qualify Prospects?

A : Conclude your introduction with a simple “yes” or “”no” question. How your prospect answers will indicate if they are a qualified prospect…or a prospect you want to drop.

Remember that crowded room example?

Your question is asking for a show of hands. Some folks will raise their hands, some will not.

Your appointments develop from the folks who raise their hands.

Q: How do I know my Script is working?

A: That’s easy — delivering your “pitch” without interruptions from your prospect is a sign that your script is working — keeping you and your prospect focused on your delivery.

Q: OK to read my Script…or memorize it?

A: Reading is fine. The secret is making your delivery appear unrehearsed. Follow Winston Churchill. His speeches are among the greatest in the English language. He toiled endless hours over their every detail. Yet when delivering them he appeared completely at ease… almost casual in his presentation. Hence, his quip that “The very best impromptu speeches are the ones written well in advance.”

George Clay

Unsettling News For Old Way Appointment Sales Qualification

This article in FORBES may unsettle your appointment sales qualification strategy.
Reading it may force you to rethink how you go about getting and keeping customers.

Prospecting In The Age Of The Customer[singlepic id=102 w=300 h=220 float=right]

Called 7 NEW RULES FOR PROSPECTING IN THE AGE OF THE CUSTOMER it tells of the massive shift that has taken place in the marketplace of business to business sales.
This upheaval is the relationship between buyer and seller.
Buyers no longer need you the seller in front of them to make intelligent buying decisions.
Your importance to a buyer is vastly diminished if you follow old way selling habits.
Forget prospecting for appointments.
The digital age has pushed appointment setting off the high ground it held for so many years.
Appointment setting is now a loser’s game.
Sure, face-to-face appointments matter…but their significance in the sales cycle has faded.
The importance of this dynamic for anyone in B2B sales and marketing cannot be understated.
Bottom Line: If you are prospecting for appointments you are playing a loser’s game.[singlepic id=106 w=320 h=240 float=right]
Get over it. Or get yourself another job — but not in sales.
With that in mind my page on prospecting for new clients also may be worth a look.
If you want better qualified sales leads, higher conversion rates and more revenue per sales lead than is typically achieved by traditional business prospecting B2B I can help you.

Get updates on ways my appointment sales qualification process can help your business grow —especially in this economy. Also, go here for DMA 2012 response rate reports for lead generation marketing media. Plus this Advertising Age update on B2B phone marketing.

Also, if you do nothing else today click and read this: