Setting an appointment with a company is hard enough, but when you have to coordinate with someone who may only know a few details about what you have to offer, the prospect becomes even more difficult. It is even more challenging to consider the different obstacles that may hinder that company from calling you back and replying to your emails.
Indeed, the communication that happens within a B2B setting isn’t your average run-of-the-mill business meeting. You have to know who you are coordinating with, and you have to analyze every step just to gain their attention.
For the most part, companies are always willing to expand their reach, and contact potential clients or partners as doing that will enable them to network and get a glimpse of opportunities that they may not have encountered before. However, there are still those who value the privacy and confidentiality of their company and their assets, much so that you may have a hard time convincing them even to have a cup of coffee for business discussions.
In such a case, you should note the following tips and tricks that may assist you in successfully setting an appointment with a valuable potential client. While these may not all work, depending on the type of company you are hoping to coordinate with, you may still be able to achieve progress in requesting a moment of their time for a short discussion.
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Targeting the Right Individual
Don’t just try to set an appointment with a random employee of the company. Instead, you should do your best to coordinate with a decision-maker, someone who runs the office and gets things done. By choosing to focus at the top of their hierarchy, you may be able to talk with someone who has the time to listen to you.
Keep in mind that lower-level employees tend to have less time to talk to other people in and out of the office. Unless it’s a part of their job description, you will not be able to convince them to make time for you. However, a person on the higher ladder may have enough time to listen to your proposal and decide whether or not what you have to offer is suitable for their company.
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Doing Your Research
You have the freedom to know more about the person you are planning to talk to. Don’t just immediately jump on the wagon to ask for their time, as you should also consider knowing more about their position, responsibilities, and views on specific issues.
By doing that, you will have an idea of their pressure points, weaknesses, parts of their personality that you may touch on at a moment’s notice to convince them about what you have to offer. Knowing more about the individual will enable you to manage their expectations and funnel them towards a particular decision in the end that may work in your favor.
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Preparing Your Proposal
This is as crucial as the appointment itself. How will you convince the potential client if you do not even have any concise proposal that they may analyze afterward? You may prepare a presentation, a short pitch, a compilation of what you have to offer, anything that may show the other end that you are serious about making an appointment with them.
The B2B setting is home to people that people in the field do not have time to waste. Whatever they have in front of them will be the meat of the content that they have to deal with. In short, your potential client will not sit around waiting for an explanation—they would want a summary of which company you’re from and why you are asking for their time. All of that can be included within your well-made paperwork.
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Setting a Reminder for the Appointment
If you did not succeed at first, you are always free to try again. Perseverance is a good sign of hard work and determination, and so is your patience to land that long-awaited appointment. Potential clients have an eye for hard workers like you, and if they see that you are resilient in asking for their time, they might give you a chance on that merit alone.
Of course, it doesn’t always work that way, but given that you are serious about showing your proposal, they may have no other choice but to set that appointment with you. If they have a secretary, feel free to leave a message or send another email asking about their possible free time in the coming days or weeks. You do not have to force it, as simple messages will always suffice.
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Planning Out the Possible Flow of the Appointment
This will be a part of your preparation. Once you’ve been given a chance to meet with them, you should not be too nervous about presenting the proposal. After all, you’ve waited a long time for this opportunity. Do not waste it! Envision how the meeting will play out. Even if you do not personally know the individual you will meet with, remember the things you’ve learned about them from the second pointer.
You’ve done your research; now it’s time to apply what you’ve learned. Their pressure points, their weaknesses, the things that may convince them to avail what your company may offer their industry. Try to make a mental script of your answers to their possible questions, plan it all out, from the way that you will react towards their inquiries up to the movements that may catch them off guard. Trying to convince someone isn’t just a matter of using appropriate words—it is also a matter of gestures and body language.
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Summarizing What Your Proposal Is All About
Understandably, your potential client may not have enough time to listen to the full extent of your proposal. In such a case, you may need to prepare a summary of its contents. This doesn’t mean that you will compress all of the discussion points, much so that the important details will be lost in translation. You only have to eliminate wordings that will lengthen the whole document and stick to terms that may bring out the whole meaning of what you are trying to convey.
Aside from the fact that you will be able to present a concise proposal, your potential client will also be thanking you for not wasting their time and giving them a direct view of who you are, who you are working for, and what your company has to offer.
Conclusion
It may not be easy to set an appointment with another company, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t manageable. You can make many preparations to acquire that long-awaited appointment and set up a concise presentation for the potential client. While the process isn’t remarkably comparable to a conference request, you may still consider it as a way to hone your skills and perseverance.
Don’t give up. Continue to follow up on your request and prepare a good summary of your proposal. After all, nothing is ever simple in a B2B setting.
If you’re planning to hire an appointment setter to handle your proposals for you, CrewBloom has you covered. Our specialties in disrupting outsourcing and connecting top-tier affordable professionals with remote sales are something we pride in. Contact us today for more information about our services.
