Any sales organization will tell you the most important phase in the sales cycle is the close. However, the only way to get to a close is build a strong pipeline. Lead development can be an arduous process, requiring lots of up-front research. Even when you create a target list, you still need to convince a decision maker for their time to discuss your service or product offering. By outsourcing this appointment setting process, you allow your sales team to focus directly on closing which in turn can substantially increase your revenue and lower your cost per sale.
If you were to hire someone in-house to help set appointments for your sales team, you have to take into account the overhead costs. While their salary may only be a few dollars an hour, you have to consider many other costs, such as, but not limited to:
- Office space
- Office supplies
- Computer/technology/telecom expenses
- Sick days and paid time off
- Insurance
- Time out of your day to train, manage, coach and maintain that employee
- Retirement/ 401K
- Tracking employee results
- Reporting
- Weekly calibration calls
- Custom Scripting team
- Quality assurance monitoring
Outsourced appointment setters have one job – ensuring you are landing meetings with prospects that fit your ideal customer profile. They are trained to be an extension of your sales team understanding your brand, business models, and messaging, and have the knowledge and techniques to ensure you are getting in front of qualified prospects. This includes updating your contact information, getting past the gate keeper, and staying on the radar of prospective clients.
Furthermore, outsourced appointment setting teams take care of those overhead costs. So, while they might be charging you an hourly or project rate that could be comparable to the salary you were offering your in-house employee, you now do not have to worry about the costs that go into managing your own employee. An outsource appointment setting firm will typically have several employees working on your account and are responsible for training and dealing with attrition. A study has shown “31% of the total cost of turnover is lost productivity and customer impact costs. However, only 18% of the cost is the actual cost of recruitment.”
Teaming up with appointment setting professionals can show your prospective clients that you are organized in your business process, which will drive clients to choose your company. Appointment setters are trained to be efficient and empathetic during the appointment setting process. They will inform the caller what steps need to be taken to get ready for your appointment. They make sure to confirm the caller’s contact information for accuracy and legitimacy by repeating the caller’s name, number, email, phone number etc. Appointment setters will also send invites through outlook to make sure your perspective client has a reminder on their calendar reducing the number of no shows. Customers are more likely to purchase from a business that provides an organized and efficient business process.
It is proven to be beneficial and cost effective to outsource appointment setting considering the fact that you are building your pipeline with pre-qualified leads. You are saving money on technology and freeing up your sales team to focus more on sales by letting the professionals do the heavy lifting by booking quality appointments for your business. This will increase your revenue and save your bottom line. If you are looking to widen your customer base, understand your customer’s needs, and increase your footprint in the market place, appointment setting professionals can give you a great return on your investment.
