B2B Appointment Setting: Get That Contact

Appointment setting, in its basic context, is a marketing tactic that is intended at increasing the chances of contact with the prospect. As the name implies, this practice is used in the B2B domain. B2B appointment setting is the final step that separates a lead and a customer, in most of the cases. The reason is that more often than not, it’s better if one can talk to the person who is the decision making authority in an organisation, rather than communicate via emails or phone calls.

It also opens doors for long term associations, and an increasing number of organisations that were driving great sales from internet or telemarketing are now outsourcing B2B appointment setting to ensure that they can leverage their existing business relationship and go the extra mile. The most general practice of sales generation in the B2B domain is via telemarketing, i.e., cold calling. This refers to the process which relies on the element of surprise, i.e., the person would not know when he/she is going to receive a call during the day. However, this has resulted in a lot of negative feedback, as prospects feel that their privacy is being invaded, since they are often interrupted in their schedule. This argument is all the more valid if the target audience is the upper management.

To tackle this situation, B2B appointment setting services are often outsourced to agencies that are experts in the same. This is also a better option since businesses don’t often have the time, resources or manpower to try and close sales. Hence, it’s better to let the experts do the job and pass on the appointments to the sales team, which can then focus on solidifying the proposition. The business, too, can devote its attention to improving the product or service, and in developing new offerings, resulting in a win-win solution for all.