Wednesday, January 28, 2015

The ABCs of B2B Appointment Setting Campaign: Let’s Make it Easier

The ABCs of B2B Appointment Setting Campaign: Let’s Make it Easier

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.


Thursday, July 10, 2014

How to Make Presentations for Business Appointments Interesting

When making a presentation for a business appointment, it's got to be something different. Not just mere phrases with bullets, this will surely bore your audience. As much as possible you got to make your presentation as lively as ever.

Break the ice and shave out the boredom by following these tips.

Learn how to change prospect's impression towards meeting and turn that sluggish discussion into a interactive conversation.


Monday, June 30, 2014

A thing or two about running a business from Boardwalk Empire

A thing or two about running a business from Boardwalk Empire
No matter how history looks at mobsters, whether they are dismissed as murderous thugs or power-hungry businessmen, their influence on our culture – fictional or historical – is undeniable.
That influence is depicted in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, a series set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era. The show’s lead character, Nucky Thompson, is a politician who was able to rise to prominence because of his sleek business dexterity and charm.
Thompson is faced with organizational, legal and personal problems along with the ambition of staying afloat in his self-built underground economy.
Business owners and marketers can gain valuable wisdom from the premise of Boardwalk Empire:
Demand spawns business opportunities.
With the entire country prohibited to manufacture and sell alcohols for more than a decade, the demand for such was almost inevitable. Nucky saw this as a golden shot to make unprecedented profit and went on to amass power and influence in the process.
Not advocating underground and illegal means of doing business here, but it’s noteworthy to point out how businesspeople should be constantly observing their surrounding for potential rise of demand.
Value your connections.
Heads of organized crime groups have power that is more or less equal to the extent of their connections or ‘network of influence’. These are intangible assets that come in handy whenever strings need to be pulled to get something done.
In a way, your business connections can also help you achieve your (legitimate) goals, particularly lead generation. Your affiliation with industry authorities and influencers can provide you with the exposure and traffic that your business needs.
Don’t let your competition gain the upper hand.
It’s not just about getting more aggressive and putting more risk on the table. To really outsmart your competitors means learning about them a bit deeper and knowing the kind of weapon they have in their arsenal that they could throw at you.
Luckily you don’t need to hire goons and make them snoop around for information. In this age of information technology, almost everything is out there – you just need to know which information to pick and use.
Watch your movements closely.
Because of Nucky’s apparent bootlegging success, all eyes – federal agents, competitors, and just anyone who just wants a piece of the action – are on him. Still, he breezes through the pressure and drama of keeping his venture alive and kicking.

It takes real leadership and business skills to bring everyone aboard and share a vision for a company. A lot of distractions and hurdles may get in the way, but by operating wisely and carrying out well-thought actions, you could build your own business empire.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Factors To Remember When Outsourcing B2B Appointment Setting


Before you decide to outsource your b2b appointment setting campaign to an appointment setting service provider, you have to take note of these 7 factors. Knowing these things about your BPO of choice is a must if you want your appointment setting campaign to be successful and ensure your ROI.

It's better to invest with companies who can provide quality leads in a estimated period of time than those who promised to have fast return of investment but without a solid estimation.


Tuesday, June 3, 2014

The Ultimate List of Who’s Who in B2B Marketing this 2014

The Ultimate List of Who’s Who in B2B Marketing this 2014

There’s a reason why influencers are called as they are.
Not only do they influence people by means of dishing out valuable insights – in this case, marketing trends, techniques and just about anything that only experienced veterans can share – but they also influence fellow marketers by giving them a much-needed. albeit meager, share of the limelight.
Hence, it is important to be in constant knowledge of who these people are and how they can assist in your lead generation and thought leadership goals.
In the B2B Digital Marketing sphere, the top influencers every marketers should follow on social networking sites are as follows:
Jay Baer (@jaybaer) – President, Convince & Convert
Jay has consulted with more than 700 companies on digital marketing since 1994 including Caterpillar, Nike, and 30 of the Fortune 500. He was named one of America’s top social media consultants by Fast Company magazine and the Convince & Convert blog is ranked as the worlds #1 content marketing resource by the Content Marketing Institute.

Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) – Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs
Ann Handley is a veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. She is co-author of the best-selling Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (Wiley).

Jon Miller (@jonmiller) – VP, Marketo

Jon leads Marketo's product marketing, strategy, and content marketing initiatives. He is the author of multiple Definitive Guides including Marketing Automation, Engaging Email Marketing, and Marketing Metrics & Analytics. In 2010, The CMO Institute named Jon a Top 10 CMO for companies under $250 million revenue.

Michael Brenner (@BrennerMichael) –  VP of Global Marketing and Content Strategy, SAP
Michael has  been working in leadership, marketing and sales roles for nearly 20 years serving a diverse group of industries. He is the Managing Editor for this SAP Business Innovation site. He is also the author of B2B Marketing Insider.

Joe Pulizzi (@joepulizzi) – Founder, Content Marketing Institute
Joe is head of the leading education and training organization for content marketing, which includes the largest in-person content marketing event in the world, Content Marketing World. Joe’s third book, Epic Content Marketing: How to Tell a Different Story, Break through the Clutter, and Win More Customers by Marketing Less was named one of “Five Must Read Business Books of 2013” by Fortune Magazine.

Michael Stelzner (@Mike_Stelzner) – Founder, Social Media Examiner
Aside from being CEO of Social Media Examiner, Michael is also the author of the books Launch and Writing White Papers and the man behind large events, such as Social Media Marketing World and Social Media Success Summit. He is also host of the Social Media Marketing podcast show.