Lead generation is now part and parcel of the B2B industry. This process does not end with a simple mailing list and searching for potential customers but includes creating ideal client profiles (ICPs), deep lead research, and, of course, appointment setting.
Not all businesses are well acquainted with the B2B appointment-setting process. Thus, they miss out on many prospects for the development of their companies. Let’s take a detailed look.
What is appointment setting?
There is a misconception that scheduling an appointment is simply the process of persuading a client over a phone call or through email to arrange a meeting. Yet it’s much deeper than that, and it’s important to know why.
B2B appointment setting is a massive lead-management process: You need to establish a strong connection with a potential client. Such a lead needs to be nurtured during the entire client journey. As a result, this potential customer should reach the narrow end of the sales funnel, after which an appointment is made and then passed to the sales representative for closing the deal.
Appointment setting is directly related to lead nurturing. Based on your industry, company size, and lead-generation experience, it’s important to choose the right approach so that you can eventually set up a sales appointment.
What are appointment setters?
The B2B sphere is not the easiest one, and it can be rather complicated to do everything when relying solely on the efforts of your team. Delegating the responsibilities for lead generation and appointment setting to employees at once will not lead to positive results. Sure, you can hire a specialist or train your team, but this is quite a long and expensive process. Therefore, the ideal solution would be to outsource appointment setting to a qualified vendor. In this situation, the work of the appointment setters is essential, and top lead-generation companies always have the right people to assist you.
B2B appointment setters are skilled professionals who know how to target and develop potential customers and lead them to the appointment-setting stage. By the way, appointment setters often occupy sales development representative (SDR) positions. These specialists should:
- Know your product and services well and possess all the additional marketing information;
- Understand the entire customer journey and sales development process;
- Know and apply the suitable sales methodologies;
- Have excellent communication skills and be client-oriented;
- Know about all communication channels and use them correctly;
- Know about various software and use helpful tools for successful lead generation.
In terms of responsibilities, qualified appointment setters ensure smooth communication with leads, set up a connection between a potential client and a sales representative, and lead the client through the buying journey to set a sales appointment and minimize misunderstandings.
Why is appointment setting important?
To begin with, setting up appointments is essential for all types of businesses, be they startups or large corporations. However, based on our experience, we can confidently say that companies with long sales cycles and/or expensive services should pay special attention to the appointment-setting process. Why is this so important, and what benefits does it provide? Let’s unpack the answers.
- It’s efficient and fast. If you have already conducted the research and compiled a database of qualified leads, you no longer need any formalities. Thus, your specialists can quickly get down to their mission and set up B2B sales appointments.
- It provides an opportunity to increase conversion. If you are already well aware of the client-nurturing process, it will be easy for you to work with them. Setting up an appointment will allow you to subtly introduce the prospect to you and your company. This way, they are unlikely to drop out of your sales funnel.
- It improves targeting. Appointment setting makes it easier to find an approach for the potential client. Additionally, B2B decision-makers will receive what suits their needs and goals. You will also be able to understand the prospect better and get more information about your potential buyers.
How does appointment setting work?
Making appointments is a step-by-step process. Each stage is crucial to achieving the desired result.
Campaign outline
If we are talking about outsourcing to a company, then at this stage, both parties meet each other. You must provide all the information about your company and offering as well as instruct SDRs to make sure everything complies with your business strategy. A team on the vendor side, in their turn, will delve deeper into your company’s specifics and will be able to pick up the perfect approach. At this stage, each specialist already knows their responsibilities, and the qualified team is able to professionally launch a marketing campaign based on your ICP and market research.
Audience building
It’s important to create an ideal customer profile every time you launch a campaign. After that, the team that works with you should familiarize themselves with your ICP to understand what they are working with. Next, specialists will be able to identify key characteristics and select leads accordingly. A good vendor should carefully and manually collect and examine all indicators and statistics for maximum ROI.
At this stage, you also need to choose the tools your team will work with to successfully collect B2B data and set appointments. Common tools include LinkedIn Sales Navigator or Hunter. For more delicate work with narrow niches, there is more specialized software, but you don’t have to worry about this. If you have chosen a great vendor like Belkins, then the team will definitely have qualified appointment setters who know everything about such instruments and how to use them effectively.
Target outreach
The research team usually starts by preparing leads for appointment setting. It can be cold-calling or cold-emailing. Based on our experience, we can say that the second method is more efficient and less intrusive. We suggest creating several email campaigns to contact company representatives, acquaint them with your proposals, and eventually lead them to appointments. It is important to build the right approach that will suit your company and the needs of your customers. Top-notch agencies should provide you with tailored templates to get the best results.
Appointment setting
Reaching this stage is half the battle. If everything goes perfectly, the potential client agrees to set an appointment. Now you will need a calendar tool where you can easily enter and correct data. The interaction between you and the vendor is essential here because everything should happen quickly and the data should be available to your sales reps. Lead-generation companies always take charge of filling out the calendar and making sure appointments are confirmed.
Belkins: Outsourced appointment-setting services for getting more leads
If a company wants to try outsourcing for the first time, finding the right team must be approached with great care. Why would Belkins be the perfect fit for your lead-generation needs? Let us tell you.
It is worth noting that we are at the very top of Clutch’s ranking, but of course, this is not enough to be completely confident in us.
In regard to our skills, we deliver top-quality appointments to skyrocket your business. When it comes to organizing cold-email campaigns, we know how to achieve 100% deliverability and avoid spam triggers. We also know everything about advanced technologies and use up-to-date methodologies to achieve success.
We have been matching businesses together for 7 years now. Our company consists of seasoned specialists, so our appointment setters will surely exceed your expectations. We take care of the entire prospecting process, guiding leads along the client journey to set appointments. And when the goal is reached and the meeting is scheduled, we enter all the calendar data and transfer it to your sales representative.
Finally, Belkins offers services for all types of businesses, regardless of scale. We have much to offer for:
- Startups;
- Mid-sized companies;
- Enterprises.
Over the years, we have helped businesses in various industries, led them to growth and success, and grown ourselves. We are trusted by companies such as Berkeley, CitrusAd, Mole Street, Ordway, and many more. Why did they choose us? We offer way more than a cookie-cutter approach and are always ready to go above and beyond, offering a personalized strategy that fits your business environment.
Last but not least, our experts are always ready to share valuable advice that will help you in the future. Feel free to learn more about our services, check out customer reviews, and request a call with the Belkins experts via our website.