Specifications from prospects are important. For example, if you're marketing SCM software, your prospects might have specifications regarding the features. Those in the commercial cleaning business might want to know what kind services that a certain business organization might require. However, are you aware that specifications also extend to appointment setting?
People popularly understand appointment setting as the final go signal for sales. The prospect has been qualified, information has been gathered, and now you've got a set date to meet. The first and second steps are usually emphasized and that's good. That's where your marketing efforts can tell you about a prospect's specifications and expectations. The third step though is still important.
It's not just a matter of setting a date. Don't underestimate the significance of the finer details. How are you going to meet? What will be the mode for the discussion?
You should know by now that there are many ways to meet with potential B2B clients. Certain forms however could be desired by your prospects for a number of reasons.
Webinar - Hosting webinars is preferable when your prospects are scattered too far across regions and even across countries. Such gaps mean nothing when you're using the internet as the venue to demonstrate or illustrate your company's products/services. This is why online-based B2B firms (e.g. cloud-based software vendors and online marketers) are usually the ones who employ this type of business meeting.
Phone Conference - If you've been using telemarketing to qualify prospects so far, some prospects would just end up sticking to the phone when it comes to talking about a purchase. Switching over to sales will be simple of course. You just need to dictate when you will make the call, how is it going to be, and whether it's enough that a follow-up is no longer necessary.
Live Meeting - Despite the advancements in online and even telephone communication, there will always be people who'd prefer to see your real face. Why? It's because your real face is supposed to represent a real business. It's one of the oldest but still most widely used means of confirming legitimacy.
Mixed - You could even combine several forms at once. These could be for prospects who want a multi-channel, multimedia approach in order to fully understand your products and services. The good news is if they're open to that many details, you should maximize that opportunity to engage with them as much as possible.
And believe it or not, these specifications go both ways. While it's ideal to be flexible towards your prospects and set appointments according to their specifications, there could be other reasons to negotiate for something else. Knowing your own specifications matters too. When you're outsourcing your lead generation or managing it in-house via marketing, your appointment specifications should be considered when they're still qualifying prospects. You don't want them to schedule meetings that you're still unfamiliar with or are somehow restricted from attending. Whether you use the appointment details to qualify or disqualify prospects, they need to be considered either way.
Sarah Barnes is a telemarketing expert with 11 years experience as a sales leads analyst for small and medium companies. Sarah invites you to visit http://www.121directmarketing.com/ for more information on pre-qualified sales leads and appointments.
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