We are into IT Services andB2B Lead Generation
When it comes to generating leads for a B2B company, appointment setting becomes an integral part of the process. Garnering customers through various lead generation strategies involves a number of steps. From identifying the leads to nurturing them and using strategic marketing techniques, garnering appointments with decision makers of companies is not an easy task at all.
In this article we will be diving deep into the process of appointment setting and how you can achieve this.
In the simplest sense, appointment setting refers to the establishment of a direct line of speech between the seller and a prospective buyer. For a B2B brand this usually involves C-suite officials of companies such as CEOs, CFOs, and other upper level management individuals.
When a company hires a B2B lead generation agency, they should always ensure that it provides appointment setting as part of their service package. And here is a step by step breakdown of how appointments are generated in the B2B world.
Every company has a unique approach, business persona, and target market. The first step towards gaining successful appointment setting is identifying the correct client base of the company in question. A common mistake that a lot of B2B lead agencies make is they dive right into email marketing or account-based marketing. As a result, they develop a huge number of potential leads that are not relevant to the company at all.
Rather, the first step for a successful appointment setting campaign should involve sitting down with the client and understanding their unique needs. This will ensure that the right kinds of leads are generated, and the wrong kinds are filtered out. It is important to keep in mind that the latter aspect is as important as the former when appointment setting are in question. Since this is a lengthy process unlike regular marketing, one should not waste their time on nurturing leads that are not valuable to them.
As stated before, appointment setting require the development of high profile B2B contact data. So, the entire process needs to be highly mindful of selecting high profile accounts that will add value to the client’s roster. This is where account-based marketing comes into play. Once you have identified the profiles that you need to target, each one of them needs to be treated as a separate account with unique marketing requirements.
Keep in mind that marketing a brand to the upper management of a company is not the same as general lead-based marketing. A different set of tactics based on the necessities of each account need to be used to ensure that you are marketing to people who would want to have a direct line of speech with you. This doesn’t involve basic marketing processes such as cold calling, and they will rarely be successful in ensuring appointment setting.
Making sure that your approach towards treating individual leads caters to their pain points is highly useful when it comes to appointment setting. The people you are marketing to are decision makers within their organizations. So, they will only accept your appointment if they believe that you are catering to their individual organizational needs. If they sense that your sales development plan is something vague then your leads will fall through.
At the same time, there are many lead generation agencies that prepare plans for appointment setting based on patterns. This can come in handy, since C-suite officials most of the time are bound to think alike. Most organizations are profit oriented and want to garner maximum benefit from the business tie- ups they make with B2B companies. So, lead based agencies develop their appointment setting plans by performing trial and error methods that finally lead to sure-shot methods for marketing to C-suite individuals.
Outbound marketing is the use of constant marketing through various means to the same prospecting services in order to gain their attention. This is highly useful when it comes to perfecting appointment setting. You can’t expect to send one generic email to an organization and get a response. Rather, a constant flurry of personalized marketing messages via platforms that the target organization prefers is what will lead to success.
Personalized email marketing that concentrate on landing pages and making the marketing message as clear as possible is one of the best outbound marketing methods. You can also try to use social media to your advantage but at the same time ensure that you are not diluting your message to reach more people. Always keep in mind that you are targeting individuals and their organizations at the same time, so your message needs to cater to both.
So, now you have identified your targets, understood their individual needs, and reached out to them via outbound marketing method. Chances are that you have finally received a response. But this does not mean that you have gained at appointment from your client. They are definitely a lead in your pipeline, but you need to nurture them to convert.
We believe in a case-based approach when it comes to the lead nurturing stage of appointment setting. A constant supply of value propositions and individual based marketing offers is what will ensure that they fold into your B2B deal. As an organization reaching out to another, ensure that they understand your value and how you will guarantee it. This can not be done through a singular message, rather you require a potential time frame that allows you to cover all the necessary pain points and cater to them.
This is the last phase, and how you convert a potential C-suite lead to an active appointment will be largely dependent on your sales team. As before, a personalized message is highly important to ensure that your marketing pays off and the individual at the receiving end feels catered to enough. And since you will be performing multiple appointment setting-based lead generation campaigns at the same time, it is important to compare them against each other at every stage. This ensures that you can apply winning strategies from one campaign onto another.
While it is commendable to try and develop your own lead marketing team who will perform your appointment setting, it is a time tested process and can often lead to missed opportunities. There are many lead generation agencies out there that specialize in appointment setting services. If you wish to save both time and money while generating leads, then we highly recommend hiring an agency that assures you guaranteed appointments.
Appointment setting is a time-tested practice that is quite difficult to master for many. Reach out to LeadShuttle for all your appointment setting requirements, and we assure you that we will find you the right resources for your needs. We possess decades of cumulative experience in the field of appointment setting, and with our help you too can take a step forward towards the industry leader position.
