"Looking for tips on how to set sales appointments more effectively"

A member of the Inside Sales Buzz LinkedIn Group recently asked for tips on setting appointments and in my experience I have found that most appointment setters usually doom themselves before ever picking up the phone because they are focused on the wrong objective.

Getting all psyched up after a morning meeting to hit the phones and set X amount of appointments is short sighted and is part of the problem. Now don’t take that statement to mean you shouldn’t set goals for yourself… you should. And they should be challenging.

If you want to hit your appointment-setting goal, you’ll need to be smarter in your approach.

To hit your appointment setting number and have the highest close rates, instead of making the sales call with a mission to set the appointment, change the mission dial to: qualify the potential opportunity, then set the appointment with the prospects who meet specific qualifying criteria. Or another way of saying it: “Set X amount of QUALIFIED appointments”.

Nonsense. Most appointment setters I know have a multi-tiered bonus structure. The more appointments that lead to new business, the more you’ll earn.

No sense setting an appointment with someone who doesn’t have the specific criteria to be a high probable suspect and waste everyone’s time when a few proper sales questions (after a solid opener, of course) could qualify the potential opportunity.

One of the biggest complaints from outside sales people who don’t do their own appointment setting is... (Drum roll please...) “The lead wasn't qualified.” Now, we all know that’s not always the case... the sales rep just blew it and is blaming the appointment setter... but that's a different discussion.

The reality of the matter is you have no control over how many appointments you can set… you can only influence the potential outcome. Meaning, your actions will influence the likelihood of you achieving your goal. However, you are in complete control of setting appointments with only qualified prospects. You just need to ask the right questions, to the right people, at the right time and know how to interpret the responses given.

Sincerely,
 
Michael Pedone
President/CEO
SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1
Online Sales Training for Outbound Sales Professionals

"SalesBuzz.com - Because Your Success Is Your Responsibility!"

Question from a LinkedIn User:

A sales person walks into my office today unannounced and...

This is a true story that happened today (2010/11/22)

Here’s what transpired:

Sales Person: Hi, I’m not here for (he waves his hand around to indicate he’s not here for an appointment or anything with our services… he obviously doesn’t have a clue as to what we do or who we are) I just wanted to stop by and let you know about this upcoming event where you can get a free night’s stay at (Name of Resort) plus two free dinner entrees and a free round of golf … (now he starts fumbling with his time share brochures and then asks me a question)

Sales Person: “Do you like golf?”

“No” I reply (I really don’t… I’d rather bike, swim, run or play tennis. But I digress)

I know where this office visit is going, and I don’t have time for it. Prospects NEVER have time for poorly trained sales people; in person or on the phone.

I tell the sales rep that I’m not the person to speak to and that the person he would need to discuss this with isn’t here but I’ll be more than happy to take the brochures and let them know he stopped by (I then reach out my hand for a brochure and thank them for stopping in as I show him the door, bringing his “show up and throw up” sales pitch to a screeching end)

One of my co-workers came out of their office laughing and said, “What did he want?”

To sell time-shares, I said.

“What could he have done differently to get a better result?”

“Simple” I responded… If I were that sales person, besides doing a little pre-call research on the company I was walking into, I would have walked in and asked:

“Who’s In Charge Of Employee Morale?”

After getting that answer, I would simply introduce myself, inform my prospect that:


Once I found the right person to speak with, piqued interest and gained permission to continue the discussion, I’d be in position for the next phase of the sales cycle in order to advance the meeting from there.

Morale to the story:

It’s NOT the economy’s fault why you can’t make sales quota when you keep making the same sales mistakes over and over again.

When a sales rep is fired up and willing to take responsibility for their own success, nothing will stand in their way. Including a poor economy.

If there was ever a better time to sharpen your sales skills in order to outsell your competition, it’s when times are tight and your competitors believe no one is buying.

Think about it… right now your “competition” is at an all time low! They don’t believe they can win right now.

They are making the same sales mistakes (and excuses) as everyone else and they are experiencing disastrous results. Don’t be like the guy above who at the end of the day will go home and say “No one is buying right now… times are tough, no one wants a time share” when his other half asks how his sales day went.

Yes, the economy is tough right now. It’s also exposing sales “weaknesses”. It’s exposing poor sales skills that were hidden during good times. Take responsibility and give yourself the best chance of success. Improve your skills now in order to reap huge rewards tomorrow.

And if you’re going to go down anyway, at least go down swinging.

Sincerely,
 
Michael Pedone
President/CEO
Online Sales Training Company - SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1

"SalesBuzz.com - Because Your Success Is Your Responsibility!"

Twitter: http://twitter.com/michaelpedone
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpedone
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SalesBuzzcom/160930763435

"How do you overcome the pricing objection in today's economy? How do you create the value when constantly undercut by competitors?"

This sales question was asked from a LinkedIN member of the Inside Sales Experts Group.

Here was my response:

The sales process is no different now then it was pre 2008 (before the economic down turn)

Contact prospects that you suspect will greatly benefit from your USP (unique selling proposition) and follow the proper sales process from there.

When the sales person and the prospect both see the advantages (profits) to your solution and the risks they will avoid by going with your solution compared to another, as long as you are speaking to the right person(s), price will become less of an issue.

It's more work this way, and I've sat next to many a sales reps in cubicles next to me who would routinely short cut this important step and then run into price objections etc.

But I've found that not taking short cuts, and having all my ducks in a row throughout the sales process lead me to have to worry less about losing a deal to an inferior competitor.

Now with all of that being said, sometimes the other side is simply trying to "negotiate" and is using the "economy" word to get a better deal. A better deal doesn't always mean a better "price". But that's a whole other discussion.

Sincerely,
 
Michael Pedone
President/CEO
Online Sales Training Company - SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1

"SalesBuzz.com - Because Your Success Is Your Responsibility!"

Twitter: http://twitter.com/michaelpedone
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpedone
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SalesBuzzcom/160930763435

Last weeks blog discussed why "Awareness" leads the start to transformation in sales. Following awareness, the next important ingredient a sales professional needs to have for sales success is:

Desire

Being aware that you may be standing in your own way of success is one thing. Not caring is a whole other issue. If you’re not making sales quota and don’t have the desire to get better, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you might not be in the right job or profession.

Take this as a sign that you are too comfortable in your own comfort zone.

It might help to read a book called “Who Moved My Cheese”. I found it extremely helpful at one point in my career. The book focuses on the fear most have of when a change happens and our resistance to make changes when we need to.

If you are aware that something needs to change and you have the desire to make it happen but fear is hindering your progress, you might be able to solve that problem in less than an hour by reading the book (or re-reading it if you've already read it once along time ago)

Next week I'll share the third key to sales success but in the mean time, remember this:

"You are Responsible for Your Own Success".

Sincerely,
 
Michael Pedone
President/CEO
SalesBuzz.com
(888) 264-0562 Ext. 1

PS... Don't forget, our next live online sales skills workshop series starts soon so sign up now!