Ten Tips for Setting Appointments Over the Phone

 

1. Be absolutely clear on WHY you are making the call. What will happen? Which questions will you ask? How will you want the prospect to feel?

2. Smile, relax and be yourself. Be polite (no matter what) and always be professional.

3. Gain interest from your prospect by being interesting. Scripts help

4. Listen, really listen. Many sales people are so focussed on what they are about to say they miss vital information, feedback and buying signals.

5. Develop a strong appointment setting script, practice it, refine it, make it relevant and find out which words are the most effective.

6. Get to the point quickly. Business people are busy; they don’t have time for a drawling, unstructured explanation of why you are calling.

7. If not now when? If the prospect is unavailable or says “no” to an appointment, is it now, later or never? Why not now? When is a good time?

8. Carefully check the details for each appointment – right time, right place, right date, and right meeting attendees? Remind the prospect they can make changes by calling you back – this gives you credibility.

9. Be persistent. Once you sit down to make appointments stick to it. Use the all of the allocated time and avoid procrastinating. Sales is often only about the “numbers”.

10. Maintain a positive mental attitude. Henry Ford said: “whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right either way”. Learn something from every call.

source:http://talkingmediasales.com