Appointment Setters can follow a specific script for the purpose of setting up appointments for clients, getting new business or otherwise generating interest in your offerings. They organize and process the shipment of sales flyers, brochures or other marketing materials like product samples. An appointment setting service can handle everything from picking up calls to delivering the materials. Some may even do all of these tasks at once. You decide what works best for your business and your employees.
For most businesses, hiring appointment setters to schedule appointments is an efficient, cost-effective way to maximize efficiency while minimizing paperwork. With the help of experienced salespeople, appointment setters can now be hired to get the job done right. However, for many companies, it’s a time-consuming and sometimes confusing process to find an effective appointment setter who will be reliable, responsible and well-organized. Below are several qualities of an appointment setting professional that you should look for when hiring a salesperson to help your sales team.
Cold Calling. There is little doubt about it: most people hate to be “cold-called” by a stranger. However, when you have a large number of prospects and you need to close as many deals as possible, cold calling is an effective way to generate interest in your products and services. Most appointment setters will understand this and will try to minimize the incidence of cold calling. If you feel that your sales team is not as well-trained in handling cold calls, send them to a sales coach who has a proven system for making cold calls to generate interest.
Impersonation. Appointment setters may provide a very personal service – they may dress up in a business suit and take the time to personally greet each prospective client. However, you as a salesperson must be willing to do the same if you want to succeed. Prospective clients want to know that they are being seen and that you actually want to work with them and not just hire some cheap hustler to do the job.
Prior Experience. You should first evaluate the experience level of your appointment setters. A seasoned professional with many years under their belt is much more likely to be successful than one who has never made any personal visits to houses seeking new customers. Make sure to ask specific questions about their personal background so that you get a clear picture of their responsibilities and how you can relate to those duties.
Responsibilities. Some appointment setters have a large number of potential clients to work with, but those clients only interact with the setter once per week or even once per month. If you need someone to work on your behalf more frequently, then look for other sdr available.
Labor Statistics. Labor statistics can provide you with a good indication of the cost of the particular sdr you are looking at. Labor costs are typically a good indicator of overall quality of work and the quality of appointment setters you’re considering. However, you should consider the long-term view when it comes to these numbers because your labor costs are tied to the amount of time that the professional is required to work on your account.
Time Commitment. The more time an appointment setter has to complete a specific task, the more he or she will charge. However, it is important for sales teams to keep in mind that there are some short-term goals for these setters. For example, some sales teams require appointment setters to make a visit to a prospective client’s home within a specified amount of time after receiving a phone call about a particular opening. If you find a professional who can meet these requirements, then you have found a successful appointment setter.