For any business, the key to growth is to keep increasing monthly revenue - and that takes work. Specifically, it requires the ability to continue making connections and creating opportunities with key decision-makers. That’s why telephone appointments can be such a critical part of strategy. But how do you increase the growth prospects for your business by booking more telephone appointments going forward?
● Start with the basics. Perhaps the most basic tip of all is to make sure that it’s simple for customers to book a telephone appointment themselves. Many organisations invest thousands in call lists and pursue prospects without ever putting an effective mechanism in place for appointment booking that is obvious and accessible.
● Sales is a numbers game. So, the more calls that you’re making, the higher the chances of booking in customer appointments. However, the quality of the calls also needs to be high in order to optimise that effort. So, make sure that the calls aren’t repetitive, that scripts aren’t being religiously used and that time is being spent on discovery before a call to find out more about the likes, dislikes and needs of the person being called. Focus on having a conversation, rather than making a sales pitch, and make sure you get the next steps booked in before anyone hangs up.
● Remember that you’re selling the appointment-only at this stage. It can be easy to forget that when you’re booking in telephone appointments you’re not actually selling the product. So, be concise and get straight to the point about why you’re calling, outline the problem and how you can help them solve it and be very clear about next steps so that there is no confusion over what the purpose of the call is.
● Use the right software. The tech that you use when it comes to telephone appointments can make all the difference - if it creates any obstacles or friction then all the hard work you’ve done to get the appointment booked in can be instantly lost. So, choose a tool that has the right integration so that no time is lost on scheduling and one that will automatically send a video conferencing link and add the appointment to everyone’s calendars.
● Use all the tools that you have to help get appointments booked in. That could include, for example, creating powerful emails that have an obvious booking button so that those who prefer to organise appointments via email can do this easily too.
● Focus on preventing no-shows. Up to 35% of scheduled appointments don’t happen but there are ways that you can avoid this. For example, using scheduling software makes a big difference, as most people who commit to an appointment in this way tend to turn up. Keep your appointment times short so that they don’t feel onerous and don’t forget to stay in touch with the prospect in the run up to the appointment so that it’s not forgotten.
There are lots of ways to book more telephone appointments to support greater growth for your organisation. Find out more by booking onto our Generating New Business by Telephone training course.