When the B2B marketing
world and its complexities reach
beyond what you can handle, you can only trust this simple advice—get back to
the basics.
But here’s the rub: how do you get back to the basics of B2B appointment setting?
Getting back to the basics—it sounds almost so primal that
we negate the idea even before our wildest thoughts could stray its shore. But
here’s how to make it as easy as memorizing your ABC.
Ask the right questions.
In setting business appointments with
your qualified leads, your first few
words will determine your relevance as a B2B
marketer. Asking questions is a good way to start a conversation with your
potential customers. However, your choice of words in formulating those questions
will define whether or not you are worth their time and attention.
The tricky part is choosing what kind of questions to ask
and how to ask them. Whatever your approach is, be smart in asking questions if
you want to be deemed worth talking to.
- Avoid questions answerable by yes or no. As much as possible, let your prospects explain what he/she needs. Limit the whys, but use more of the whats and the hows to draw out as much information as you can that will help you respond in a way that appeals to their current situation.
- Invoke curiosity in your tone and manner of speech.
- Through your questions, make sure that you present yourself as a person of authority -- someone who has adequate experience and business acumen, and with enthusiasm hot as hell.
Be innovative. I’m
sure I don’t need to tell you what you already know. This may sound very
generic to you but that’s what we intend here (talk about the basics, man!).
While this advice has bored all salesmen in the world to their death, it sure
did work for them.
Exhausting out your resources is different from expanding
your options. Try this and that, and if you fail, try this and that again. Don’t
just stick to what you know. It’s indeed never too weird to be different. Look
for better ways to get your message across to your target without frustrating
the hell out of them or boring them away to snoozeville. Your appointment setting campaign is just
about as good as your preparation and innovative approach.
Create certainty.
“At the highest level, sales is about creating certainty in
another human being…” The wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belfort, says so himself.
·
Setting
B2B appointments is all about convincing people that you have something
they need, and that you are sure about it. Turning a potential client into a qualified sales lead requires an effort.
It can take long, but it will pay off and you will be able to make back all
that you have invested if you have a clear vision of the end-result and if you
reach for it with sincerity. Personalize your message to show you care.
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. That is
one fundamental dogma every professional appointment setter is expected to live by.
Setting appointments
with qualified B2B leads is a tricky
engagement. Just because a lead is “qualified” or appears to be your “ideal”
customer doesn’t mean that it is ready to do a close-down business deal with
you. That’s why before wasting your time running around the bush (read: making
blind calls and praying for multi-million dollar sales engagements), get
yourself educated first on the proper way of generating B2B appointments by understanding the basics. Good luck.
