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Salespeople are hired for one thing in particular — closing the sale. Getting to that point, however, can be a time consuming process that interferes with more money intensive activities. To open up the sales cycle of your company and increase the chances of a successful closing, you may want to consider the advantages of […]
Salespeople are hired for one thing in particular — closing the sale. Getting to that point, however, can be a time consuming process that interferes with more money intensive activities. To open up the sales cycle of your company and increase the chances of a successful closing, you may want to consider the advantages of employing an appointment setting service.
The advantages of an appointment setting service can be many and varied, depending on the type of services you need for your business. The system of appointment setting can be customized to fit with any type of business, from real estate and financial services to physicians, manufacturing, and auto sales operations.
Providing an appointment setting service has become a specialty that requires its own level of training and experience. These companies routinely hire experienced cold-callers who know how to extract the information needed via the telephone. Finding the right firm that fits with your business, which will act as an extension of your own staff, can be problematic. There are some basics to look for, though, when shopping for this service.
If you are a U.S.-based company with American clients, you may want to consider a U.S.-based appointment setting service. Also, be sure the company is able to cover all the time zones in which you operate and that the appointment setters are well versed in your company and the products or services you provide.
Your ability to access information is another major consideration. Some companies will offer round-the-clock computerized access and will meet with you personally on a regular basis to discuss strategies and report on outcomes. A top-notch service should always be open to shifting goals and objectives.
Then you will want to consider the specific services the appointment setting service will actually provide to improve your sales pipeline and free up your sales staff to make those vital closings. They will be dealing one-on-one with potential clients, so you will want them to be able to create reasonable relationships that you can carry into a sales meeting.
Sales services you may want to include would be cold calling, meeting confirmation, lead generation, decision-maker identification, and prospect qualification. Many appointment setting service companies also will provide marketing services such as doing trade show follow-ups, performing market surveys and taking market samplings, obtaining referrals, and sending out invitations to events.
The best appointment setting service companies will provide efficient campaigns designed just for your business that will set your sales staff up to meet with well qualified prospects. Under your guidance, they will write motivational scripts and provide for real time appointment cancellations or rescheduling.
You may also want to look at the small details that companies providing an appointment setting service include, such as sending out appointment reminders via voice message or email. If hot prospects on are the line with them, do they pipe them immediately to the sales staff for closing? Will they take messages and forward them to the proper salesperson?
An appointment setting service can provide the link you need between the prospect and the sale, boosting the productivity of your sales staff. Compare what you need and what they provide, however, before signing a contract. Intelliverse (www.intelliverse.com) provides excellent appointment setting service options.
