Ten Tips to Set Better Appointments
Appointment setting keeps businesses developing. If you set appointments for your business through cold calling, you know how vital it is. With the following tips, your cold call appointment setting could turn into cold hard cash for your business!
Greet the person and ask how their day is going.
When you meet someone, you greet them and ask how they are doing. This same rule applies to when you call. Extend the same courtesy to those you will potentially set appointments for. It's courtesy and good customer service to ask how they are. It builds a connection and conversation.
Ask the person if they have time to talk.
Too often those who set appointments rush into a sales spiel about the business. This can put the potential client off from wanting to talk to you. After you greet and ask the potential client on the other end of the line how they are, ask if they have time to talk. If they do, continue with your questions. If not, ask for a good time to call them back.
Treat the potential client with respect.
All too often, it happens. Potential clients are treated like children. No one likes a condescending tone. Treat your potential client with respect. It's a courtesy you can't afford to forget.
If they aren't interested, ask if they have time for a few more questions.
Use the time after a potential client says they aren't interested to ask if the potential client has time for a short survey. If they agree, ask them why they are not interested in your service. This may open a conversation that shows you what services the potential client needs and it can help shape your business to offer other services.
Offer multiple appointment times.
Offer the potential client a variety of days and times for an appointment. This guards against potential clients forgetting and not showing up or cancellations. Giving potential clients a choice, even if it is not open-ended, will make them feel in control.
Give them information they can look up.
Some potential clients may want to do some research on your company or business. If they ask, let them have the information they may need to research your company and services. Give them the website for your business. Holding back will put the potential client off and you can appear to be hiding something.
Avoid overselling.
Don't oversell your business or service when you try to book appointment calls. Too much information can overwhelm your potential client. Your appointment setting call books the appointment and starts a conversation. The appointment is where the sale can be introduced further and questions can be answered.
Confirm the details of the appointment.
Confirm the details your potential client gives you. You do not want to spell their name wrong. Worse, you do not want to get their contact information wrong and be unable to get ahold of them again. Look over the details twice and ask the potential client to verify them.
Send your client an email to verify the date and time are correct and thank them for their time as well.
Send out reminders.
Reminders remind your client of the booked appointment. Send your client email or text reminders, or give them a call to remind them the day of the appointment.
Give the potential client a warm send off.
Just as greeting a potential client makes them feel important, a warm goodbye makes them feel even more so. Tell them you appreciate the time they took out of their day to speak to you and thank them for it. Tell them to have a great day.
At Clients ARM, we know appointment setting can be a hassle and take time out of your day. That's why we offer it. We want your business to be the best it can be. We know you can make it that way. If you are looking to outsource appointment setting, consider Clients ARM. We have over 30 years of experience and use both old-fashioned customer service principles and innovative technology to help you serve your customers. What are you waiting for? Contact us today for your free consultation!
