Business is evolving at a gargantuan pace in the current world. Despite the numerous types and avenues of businesses present in the world right now, the process of calling and appointment setting is present in a vast majority of them.
This is mainly because sales start as a meeting. Ideally, after the company representatives show off their product, customers get excited, see something they can achieve with the product, and eventually buy the product. This not only increases revenue, which is the primary goal of any business, but it also increases brand value, market outreach, popularity, and even influence.
Setting appointments, besides selling the product, is also the best opportunity to introduce your product to the customer and gain trust. If done well, a positive and lasting impression is left on the customer. However, it is impossible to convert every appointment.
Additionally, setting appointments isn’t easy. A lot of work and science goes behind the whole process and even at the end of it, less than 10% of calls end up as appointments. Thus it is of paramount importance to increase the call-to-appointment ratio to optimize the usage of time and money to generate revenue.
Initially, you should check if the process you follow is a leaky pipe. Follow these tips to improve your sales with efficient and productive appointment setting:
Prioritize On Creating A Good Strategy
One of the most common mistakes that salespeople follow is: trying to sell their product during the first cold call.
Not only will this most likely result in a rejection, but it will also make the salesperson sound irritating and pesky, reducing your brand value as a result. Instead, the goal should be to fix an appointment with the decision-maker. After the appointment is set, then you can start pitching the product.
To maximize your call-to-appointment ratio, and in turn, boost your sales, you need to have a good strategy. The company should create value in the conversation, target the right people at the right times, talk politely, ask good questions, pitch efficiently on call, and push them towards fixing an appointment.
Improving Your Sales Appointment Scheduling
1. Do Your Research
To have an effective strategy, it is important to do enough prior research to collect important information about the person you’re calling. While names and phone numbers are usually enough to reach out to theperson, researching on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn will tell you more about their personalities.
2. Have A Script But Don’t Follow It Word For Word
Sales calls aren’t normal conversations. Thus it is important to have a good script which casually introduces the prospect to the call, makes them familiar, and then understand the message conveyed by the caller.It is also important to listen to the prospect so as to understand their needs and concerns. It is then you tell the prospect how this product can be of value to them. It is also important to let the call flow seamlessly.Following the script word-for-word will surely prevent the call from flowing seamlessly. Also, every call is unique. Thus, you need to keep on learning from every call and note down your mistakes in order to avoid repeating them.
3. Don’t Push Too Much
Customers are usually wary and thus it is important to push them towards a decision. However, you shouldn’t overdo selling to such an extent that you start to sound desperate. This will not only drastically reduce your chances of bagging the client, but it will also leave a negative impression in the minds of the client and consequently spoil your brand image.
4. Use Multiple Media
Usually, you need to reach out to the prospect more than once to get a response. You need to use multiple media as prospects are busier than ever. Reach out to them via e-mail, call, and if possible, on Social Media. However, don’t overdo this as it will make you seem pushy.
5. Strategically Schedule Meetings
According to research, 70% of the meetings occur when scheduled within 9 days versus only 47% when scheduled within a month of the first call. As more time passes, there is less chance that the prospect remembers the conversation. Also, you are making them think more which reduces their chance of making an impulse purchase.
Avoid The Basic Cold Calling Mistakes
It is of primary importance to craft a strong opener as you only have 10-20 seconds to catch the prospect’s interest. As people aren’t usually receptive to sales calls, it is important to create surprise and intrigue in the opening seconds so as to not sound like a normal sales call. The main objectives of the opening statement(s) are to pique interest, lower interest, and gain permission to continue with the call.
The caller also faces these basic obstacles in each cold call:
“I’m Not Interested” – Usually callers need to persist and tell them something else that makes the prospect interested
“Now’s Not a Good Time” – Assure that the conversation will be over quickly, but if the prospect doesn’t follow it is important to note down a good time and then call the prospect at that time.
Close It, And Set The Appointment Quickly
Once you feel that the conversation is slowly heading towards setting an appointment, then proceed to this step without further ado. After the appointment setting, make sure to confirm the appointment a few times before the big day. If the prospect can’t make it to the appointment, you can give yourself the chance to reschedule and use your time more productively. Confirming the meetings also reduce the likelihood of no-shows, which can occur almost in 50% of the meetings.
Thus, follow these tips to efficiently set appointments and consequently improve your sales. In addition, you could also hire the services of expert appointment setters in Texas, Exclusive calls in this regard.
