The B2B Appointment Setting Process: What Works & What Doesn't

Depending on the industry in which you're selling, converting leads into customers can take anywhere from a few weeks to well over a year. One of the most critical moments in that sales process is appointment setting. And, being one of the most important moments, it can also be one of the most difficult.

Did you know that it takes an average of 47 days following initial contact to arrange a sales meeting? That's over a month of careful communication, expert relationship-building, and timely follow ups. It often takes the very best sales reps to get the job done.

So if you're a newer sales rep - or, indeed, anyone in the sales team looking to improve their sales process and start hooking more potential clients - you may be looking for secrets behind the B2B appointment setting process. How can you engage potential customers more effectively? How can you persuade prospective clients to schedule meetings? How can you become the best appointment setter in your sales team?

Luckily, here at Leadium, we're pros at appointment setting. That's why we've taken the time to come up with an expert guide to give you the boost you need. We're going to explore B2B appointment setting in detail, examine what works when scheduling meetings, what doesn't, and much, much more.

Read on for the full lowdown.

Understanding B2B appointment setting

Before we get onto the essential tips and tricks you need to familiarize yourself with, it's important to first go over the basics.

What is 'appointment setting'?

So, your sales team has done its research, they've conducted effective lead generation to identify the right people, they've established initiate contact, now what?

Setting appointments with key decision makers in order to discuss (or even demonstrate) your product or service is a vital next step in the sales process. Essentially, appointment setters leverage their top-tier communication skills to persuade potential clients to put a date in the diary - a concrete opportunity to show of your product or service and secure a sale in a face to face meeting.

Why is appointment setting so important for B2B companies?

Appointment setting has the power to generate an 82.5% lead-to-opportunity conversion rate. Numbers like those speak for themselves, but if you need a little more convincing, here's a breakdown of why appointment setting works:

• Meetings give your company an opportunity to establish a personal connection with potential clients
• They help you demonstrate your product or service in a hands-on way
• They can help reduce the sales cycle
• They help with building relationships
• They help build brand awareness (which could lead to other sales opportunities)

Preparation and research

Never underestimate the power of proper preparation in appointment setting (or, for that matter, at any stage of the sales funnel). Many sales reps make the mistake of going into correspondence the same way every time, armed only with their value proposition. Top-performing salespeople understand just how much more there is to it than that.

• Define your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
• In today's saturated marketplace, broad, ill-defined sales campaigns simply don't cut it. You need to target the right prospects in exactly the right way. And how do you do that? Well, first, by analyzing your current customers, finding commonalities, and doing market research to identify the key demographics and buying habits of your ICP.
• Having a well-defined ICP has been proven to increase win rates by 68% in some cases. Only with a great ICP are you able to properly address potential customers' pain points and provide tailored solutions.

Effective communication strategies

Once you've done your research and lead generation, you need to be equipped to ace your initial contact with as many prospective clients as possible. While we can't cover everything there is to know about powerful sales communication here, we can let you in on a few best practices.

• Personalization‍
  
  • Practically all evidence suggests that personalization is key to effectual communication with prospective customers. For example, a conclusive 89% of marketers experience better ROI on personalized campaigns than generic ones.
  • So ditch the bulk emails and start getting personal for better results.‍
• Value proposition‍
  
  • The thing many sales professionals fail to realize about value propositions - or 'value' more generally - is that it's not just the benefits of your product/service. Value is dependent on the customer's needs.
  • Think about it: a Beverley Hills mansion is of little 'value' to a 6-year-old, whereas a candy bar would be.
  • So crafting a value proposition that addresses specific pain points is crucial.‍
• Follow up‍
  
  • Prospects need to know that you take them seriously and your company's offerings are genuine. One of the best ways to demonstrate this is by consistently following up and actually objection handling. Evidence shows that 30% of leads expect a response from the business within 15 minutes.

B2B appointment setting: what works?

Appointment setting is an art, not a science. Having said that, there are some surefire methods we've tried and tested over the years to establish a powerful appointment setting methodology. Let's take a look at some of our top tips:

1. Craft a multi channel approach‍
   
   • Back in the day, appointment setters could rely on cold calling and email campaigns - after all, what else was there?
   • These days, however, effective appointment setting services like Leadium spread messaging across a range of platforms to deliver consistent results. This involves engaging with high quality leads with phone calls, email, social media outreach, gifting, and more.‍
2. Be persistent‍
   
   • Did you know that 80% of sales take more than five follow ups before converting? Despite this, a staggering 44% of reps give up completely after just one follow up. If that's you, you can forget about a follow up meeting.
   • Lead nurturing, even when it seems time consuming, is crucial to any appointment setting service.‍
3. Get your timing right‍
   
   • Believe it or not, if you're cold calling, there's actually an ideal time of day to call your prospective clients. According to most research, that time is between 4pm and 5pm (which is 71% more effective than calling between 11am and 12pm).‍
4. Leverage data and automation tools‍
   
   • CRM and sales engagement software are your best friends when it comes to appointment setting. They'll help you stay on top of complicated booking schedules and keep all your important information in one place.
   • What's more, many services collate crucial customer data, which you can use to refine your target audience and message more effectively.

B2B appointment setting: what to avoid

Okay, we've seen what works, now let's explore some of the common mistakes you should steer well clear of if you want to succeed in appointment setting:

1. Generic messaging‍
   
   • As we've seen, great appointment setters and top appointment setting services use personalized messaging to maximum effect. Boring, samey messages receive far fewer responses and fail to build relationships necessary to succeed.‍
2. Poor targeting‍
   
   • Cold calling or emailing too many low-quality cold leads is a classic error, resulting in who-knows-how-many missed opportunities every day. As we mentioned earlier, you need a comprehensive ICP in order to target the right people quickly and efficiently.‍
3. Ignoring no-shows‍
   
   • It's natural for a sales representative to be put-off when they receive a no-show. But don't despair: it's possible there's an innocent explanation, and you don't want to miss a sales opportunity out of pride. Always shoot the prospect a message to see if they'd like to reschedule.‍
4. Overly-aggressive tactics‍
   
   • The potential customer is more alert than ever to pushy, cynical sales tactics. Modern appointment setting services and sales representatives tend to use softer, more explorative lead generation and appointment setting strategies to set appointments with new prospects.

Enhance your sales process with expert appointment setting services

Of course, we've only scratched the surface when it comes to the world of appointment setting in sales. You could spend a lifetime learning everything there is to know about appointment setting in the 21st century and still have much to discover.

What we've given, however, is a comprehensive overview of some of the fundamentals every sales team should know about appointment setting. By absorbing and practicing these tips, you'll be well on your way to appointment setting proficiency in no time.

And don't forget, if you're looking to reduce your appointment setting cost or gain access to a ready-made (and experienced) lead generation team, you can always consider an appointment setting service like Leadium. With our founders' guidance and decade of experience, we're some of the best people in the business to help you reach the right people and start appointment setting for you today. Check out our appointment setting services now!