Q: What goals are realistic for getting appointments phone appointments?
A: Effective lead generation and list building are about qualifying prospects for future contacts.
You are calling to get information -- NOT to book an appointment!
That means finding out if your prospect qualifies being added to the front end of your sales funnel.
Picture a crowded room.
Your goal: find the folks interested --- more or less --- in what you offer.
How to do it? Ask for a show of hands.
There, that's the goal of your cold call ---
- finding the right prospects
- separating them from the crowd
- qualifying their interest level
My goodness --- now you have three goals!
Also, view each call as a means for fine tuning your prospect database.
It's a work in progress that never ends!
Q: How do I pitch my B2B call?
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.
Relax and be yourself. After that, the rest is easy!
Remember, the phone is a great way to build prospect lists, increase customer loyalty and develop new clients.
The secret is to keep your call relaxed, almost informal tone.
Q: How do I qualify Sales 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.
Used early in your call this simple question helps you spot good prospects from the not so good prospects.
Remember that crowded room example?
Your question is asking for a show of hands.
Some folks will raise their hands, some will not.
Your b2b appointment setting and revenue stream develop over time 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 prospectis 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.”
Getting Appointments By Phone Prospecting Update
This article in FORBES may unsettle your B2B appointment setting strategy.
Reading it may force you to rethink how you go about getting and keeping customers.
Prospecting B2B In The Age Of The Customer
Called 7 NEW RULES FOR PROSPECTING IN THE AGE OF THE CUSTOMER it tells of the shift in the marketplace of business to business sales.
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.
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.
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.