Appointment setting is the process of scheduling meetings with prospective clients for sales calls. Top managers can equip their SDRs with quality templates to help effectively introduce the company to prospects, set more appointments, and increase hot leads in the business pipeline.
Appointment Setting Templates
Cold calling prospects to schedule meetings can be daunting, but SDRs can leverage scripts to streamline this process. Effective templates are built on possible scenarios between the caller and the prospect to prevent salespeople from being caught off guard. Top professionals tailor each script to their particular industry, client, and offerings for the best results.
The perfect appointment setting script contains an opening statement (O), a qualification question(Q), an appointment setting question (A), and a closing statement(C). Opening statements across these scripts are similar and focus on introducing yourself to the prospect. Examples are:
“Hello, this is [your name] from [your company]. How are you today?”
Or
“Hey there, I am [your name] from [your company]. Trust you’re having a good day?”
The rest of the script varies depending on the specific context and call intent.
Here are the five most common appointment setting scenarios:
- When you notice a vacancy or new hire
- When you’re unsure of the contact
- When your product deals with a common pain point
- When you’ve been referred
- When you need to be direct
When you notice a vacancy or new hire
This template is great for SDRs who have discovered through social media or other sources that a prospect is hiring or has recently filled a position.
[Opening]
[pause]
Q: “I am reaching out because I noticed that you just got hired as [role] at [company]. Congratulations, how’s it going?”
or
Q: “I noticed your company has an opening for [role]. Is there an issue with that [department], or is [prospect company] expanding business?”
[pause]
You can continue the conversation by introducing your products and services in response to their answers.
A: “I’d like to know the possibility of [prospect company] and [your company] working together. Can we set up a meeting to discuss [your product]? When is a good time for you?”
This script is effective for appointment setting because it provides a legitimate reason for the outreach and portrays you as a valuable entity to the prospect.
When you’re unsure of the contact
This script is ideal for SDRs who want to ensure they’re contacting the correct person at the prospect company. It is useful for B2B salespeople in enterprise, SaaS, and tech deals.
[opening]
[pause]
Q: “I’m onto [prospect’s company], right?”
[pause]
Q: “Great. I’m trying to reach the [role] for [prospect company]. I’ve checked your website and social media, but I’d like to make sure I have the right number.”
[pause]
You can schedule an appointment if you’ve successfully reached the decision-maker.
Q: “Nice to meet you. I wanted to speak about setting up a quick appointment to discuss [your product].”
This template holds a positive approach that benefits you: even if you don’t reach the right person, the rapport can help you get to the decision-maker.
When your product deals with a common pain point
This is an excellent template for B2B appointment setters and SaaS salespeople offering products or services that address major industry pain points.
[opening]
[pause]
Q: “I saw you work at [prospect company] and decided to contact you.
We help startups and established businesses in [industry] to deal with [pain point]. Our expertise has allowed us to [save/prevent/reduce] our client’s [pain point] by [percentage/data point/amount] in [period].”
[pause]
“How do you currently deal with [pain point]?”
Or
“If you don’t mind me asking, are you using any other solutions for [pain point]?”
Or
“Could you tell me about [prospect company] strategies for [pain point]?”
[pause]
A: “[Your company] has just what you need. Let’s set an appointment to talk about how [your product] deals with [pain point]. I’m looking at my calendar…”
Offering to assist your prospects to save money or reduce problems presents you as a helper instead of a pushy salesperson. It is easier to build trust on the foundation of the former.
When you’ve been referred
Appointment setters can use this template to leverage relationships and fix quick meetings. This script is useful when the mutual party has not made introductions, as it provides ice-breakers for potentially awkward situations.
[opening]
[pause]
Q: “I’m reaching out because [referrer] suggested that we should get in touch. Did [referrer] talk to you about [your company] or the possibility of working together?”
[pause]
Q: “Can you please tell me how you know [referrer]?”
If you both share a close relationship with the referrer, you can move the conversation in a light-hearted, informal direction. Otherwise, you can concentrate on fixing an appointment using facts from the dialogue.
When you need to be direct
This template is short and straightforward for booking appointments. It is a perfect script for salespeople who are limited by time or lack accurate information about their prospects.
[opening]
[pause]
Q: “I understand that [prospect company] might be looking for new solutions for [pain point], and I think [your company] and [prospect company] will make great partners.
I suggest we set up a time to discuss [mutual objectives] and understand how we can help each other. How about [time and date]?”
Many prospects appreciate direct SDRs and see it as respect for their time.
Tips for Using Appointment Setting Templates
Your sales team is unlikely to produce exceptional outcomes if they misuse their appointment setting templates. Here are a few tips to maximize these scripts’ benefits:
- Focus on setting the appointment
- Ask discovery questions
- Do quality research
- Always confirm appointment details
Focus on setting the appointment
Prospects may persuade SDRs to sell the product or send pricing details during an appointment setting call. Giving into these may derail the conversation and make scheduling a meeting difficult. Salespeople can use templates to focus on setting the appointment, warding off these distractions.
Ask discovery questions
SDRs who ask the right probing questions learn new things about their prospects and qualify them better for the sale/purchase. The script can help to drive the appointment but their responses give more context to their painpoints and can improve appointment setting success.
Do quality research
Researching your prospects before arranging a meeting is vital for your value proposition. What you know about each prospect helps position your product in the best possible way.
Combining your pre-call research with the script provides opportunities to personalize your outreach which allows you to set more appointments.
Always confirm appointment details
At the end of the call, you must have the following information:
- Date and time of the appointment
- Meeting participants
- Meeting agenda
- Meeting medium (virtual or physical)
These details should be accurate, as they are the essence of a successful appointment setting call. SDRs can forward them to AEs along with meeting notes in preparation for future conversations.
Practice your script
Regularly practice your script to ensure smooth and confident delivery on the appointment setting call. The more familiar you are with the script, the less likely you are to stumble or sound unnatural.
Test and review
Periodically review and update your script based on results from your appointment setting campaigns. Managers can hold meetings with their SDRs at intervals to get frontline feedback and identify areas for improvement.
Bottom Line
Appointment setting is critical for lead generation, and managers who maximize it can significantly improve their sales processes. Team leaders can encourage SDRs to use the templates and recommendations above to attract more prospects and increase revenue.
