B2B appointment setting allows companies to drive sales opportunities, identify buyer personas, increase sales efficiency, collect market data, and nurture leads.
Despite these benefits, not all companies are equipped to build appointment setting programs because of two main reasons:
1. Lack of Experience
An appointment setter is not someone who makes calls and answers questions; they’re highly-skilled sales and communication professionals. At the same time, they know how to engage leads in the products and services they represent.
These tasks may sound easy, but an appointment setter’s tasks are difficult in practice. They need to undergo extensive training to acquire the necessary skills for the job. SDR management is an additional concern. SDRs have specific skill sets and so do the managers who train and manage them day-to-day.
This is where the dilemma starts for most companies. Many of them lack employees with the skillset to train and build an SDR team. Some may have employees with potential, but they would need further training to be successful. Building an appointment setting department is also a significant investment.
2. High Start-Up Cost
The cost of building an internal appointment setting program includes more than employee salary and benefits. You also have to spend on their training and the necessary tools and equipment, among other hidden costs.
This can significantly increase a company’s overhead and would unfortunately take months or sometimes years to realize a return on investment. Many small businesses lack the luxury to wait and would miss the potential benefits of B2B appointment setting strategies.
When To Consider Outsourced Appointment Setting
Outsourcing is the best solution for companies unequipped to build their in-house appointment setting programs. This eliminates the problems of building one from the ground up, because appointment setting firms:
- Possess expertise using B2B appointment setting strategies
- Are equipped with the right tools and software
- Have access to a pool of trained SDRs
Outsourcing is the practice of hiring a third party to complete tasks that internal employees are unable to due to lack of time, expertise, or other limitations. It’s become a common practice in recent years, with 68% of U.S. companies, including small businesses, already outsourcing services.
| Pros of Outsourcing | Cons of Outsourcing |
|---|---|
| Access to trained and skilled appointment setters | Communication challenges |
| Save time | Lack of control |
| Cost-effective | Service delivery |
| Achieve revenue objectives | |
| Improve brand reputation | |
| Enhance Productivity |
Reasons to Outsource Your Appointment Setting Program
We’ve fleshed out the main benefits of outsourcing appointment setting below.
Access to Trained and Skilled Appointment Setting Reps
Appointment setting firms do the hard work for you. They find talented individuals and train them in the skills necessary to be successful appointment setters.
If your company belongs to a highly specialized niche like medicine or IT, a firm will find the best person for the job. In some cases, they provide extensive training to your campaign’s SDR team so they’re familiar with the products and services you offer.
Save Time
The time you’ll save by outsourcing appointment setting allows you to focus on more critical aspects of growing your business.
Appointment setting firms can also launch campaigns in a few weeks compared to starting an in-house appointment setting program. Because they already have the necessary foundation and human resources, they can immediately launch and customize the campaign to align with your goals.
Here’s a look at how an appointment setting firm like SalesRoads can launch your campaign in two weeks:
| Schedule | Milestone |
| Day 1 | 2-hour kickoff call |
| Day 2 | Playbook review |
| Day 8 | SDR training |
| Day 14 | Client & SDR role play |
| Day 15 | Campaign launch |
Cost-Effective
Outsourcing appointment setting allows businesses to reduce labor costs since they don’t have to pay for:
- Salary and benefits for full-time employees
- Training
- Appointment setting tools and software
- Equipment
Compared to these potential expenses, hiring an appointment setting firm is the most cost-effective option. With the right service provider, the investment will eventually return two-fold.
Achieve Revenue Objectives
Revenue fuels a business; without it, other business processes of an organization will be hindered. In the worst-case scenario, it can lead to a business declaring bankruptcy and closing its doors. This is why effective appointment setting an especially important strategy for small businesses..
By outsourcing appointment setting, businesses can attract new and higher quality leads, which in turn boosts their efforts in increasing their sales revenue.
Improve Brand Reputation
A positive brand reputation is essential for any company; it helps build customer loyalty and confidence in your brand and products. Improving brand reputation is a tedious and time-consuming task, but you can remove some of that burden if you outsource appointment setting tasks.
Appointment setting efforts allow your brand to reach clients more personally. It also showcases your professionalism and thus contributes to your positive public image. Thanks to this combination, when a prospect engages a knowledgeable SDR, you’ll not only gain a new sales prospect but also positive feedback, which benefits your company’s reputation.
Enhance Productivity
Companies that adopt outsourced appointment setting services can divert their resources to other business aspects that’ll lead to their long-term and short-term revenue objectives, allowing for greater growth and success.. They spend less time tracking down leads and scheduling meetings and can instead put their full effort into providing customers with the best presentation, increasing the chances of closing deals.
Reasons to Keep Your Appointment Setting Program In-House
No solution is perfect, however. Companies also face certain downsides when they outsource appointment setting.
Communication Challenges
Clear communication between all stakeholders is one of the keys to a successful appointment setting campaign. But when you outsource the task, your channels can experience disruptions.
Outsourcing appointment setting services usually entails remote communication. This increases the chances of missed messages, misinterpretation, and a general lack of understanding between stakeholders.
These limitations emphasize the importance of working with a reliable appointment setting firm to minimize the risk of miscommunication.
Lack of Control
Outsourcing generally means letting go of some (or all) control over the execution of certain tasks. You do have a say in the campaign’s direction and goals, but you ultimately have to trust the service provider’s methods.
Service Delivery
Working with the wrong appointment setting firm could result in subpar quality of service, which can have negative repercussions for you. One of the primary roles of appointment setters is to represent your organization, so, if the image they project is a poor one, it can hurt your company’s reputation.
Appointment Setting Outsourcing You Can Trust
Building an in-house appointment setting program isn’t for everyone. But smaller companies can still experience the benefits of appointment setting by outsourcing the task.
Decision-makers need to be extra careful though when choosing a firm to work with to realize the promised advantages of appointment setting. What makes an appointment setting firm trustworthy? Here are a few elements you should look for:
- Proven success with previous projects. It’s less risky working with appointment setting firms with extensive portfolios to back up their claims and promises.
- A pool of talented SDRs. Do they have an in-house SDR team, or do they utilize an outsourced SDR service?? If they have an in-house SDR team, how do they train them?
- Reasonable pricing. Outsourcing appointment setting is generally more affordable than building one from scratch but you need to be extra careful. Some providers are sneaky with their pricing and have many hidden charges. It’s best to request quotes from various firms to get a baseline on the fees for the services you need.
- Approachable and helpful customer service. You’re bound to have questions and recommendations over the course of your appointment setting campaign, so you should work with a service provider that responds quickly and clearly and accommodates new ideas.
If you’re ready to grow your business with the benefits of appointment setting, but find building an in-house program isn’t feasible, SalesRoads is here to help. Get in touch today to launch your custom appointment setting campaign and watch the leads roll in!
