Successful Appointment Setting in Today's Economy

Are you in business for yourself?  Are you a home business entrepreneur or marketing executive?   Is your business in sales or marketing?  In today's economy it is important to build trust with your prospects BEFORE they ever hear a presentation.  Sometimes that is hard to do if you have no way of communicating with them prior to your call with them.  But what if you interact with prospective clients BEFORE you present your service/product/opportunity?

How can you get them to come to you FIRST because they have a sense that you are on the up and up and you know what you are talking about?

Two important factors raise your success ratio:   One is your credibility and the other is your willingness to give before you get something.

The first step is to get them to see YOU as an expert or someone with credibility.  In order to keep their attention, give them free information right away.  It should be information that also showcases you as someone who can help them.  What they learn upfront determines how well you keep their interest, whether or not they keep their appointment and if they will choose your company.  It also makes sense from another perspective.  People feel good about their buying decisions if they believe they have researched and gathered information first.  It makes you look great if you are assisting them in that process.

You are responsible for creating an impression of you and who you are.   It is important that you develop your impression just the way you want to be perceived.  Once you have done that, you will be the person who has what they need.    You will be the person that helps them get what they want. 

The other factor is your willingness to give before you get something.  Before you 'take something' from a prospective client, they need to have a good reason for giving you want you want.  Obviously, if you are looking to promote your business and ask them to open an account, shop with your company, etc.; you are trying to get "something" from your prospect. In today's marketing world, you need to give something first.

There is a reason for this.  Unfortunately, the world is full of dishonest people.  Cheaters are trying to cheat people out of their money.   Scam artists and even people who think they have something legitimate to offer - are offering fake deals, goofy work from home opportunities, and all sorts of setups, scenarios, and schemes designed to pry people away from their cash. 

People are tired of the silly stuff.  They are tired of the fake offers, the false promises and the so called work from home jobs that are really just 'busy work' that won't make them any money.  Many times these people are at the end of a rope that you aren't aware of.  They may make a great customer for you IF you earn their trust and loyalty.  However, because they have been burned one too many times, it will be difficult to earn their belief in you.  You can usually recognize these people by their questions. Many marketers have gradually come to realize that the key to getting your prospective clients to listen to you and hear you out isn't just getting an appointment.      If you are in a business that requires you to set appointments first you may hear questions/comments like this:

'Give me the Readers Digest version right now or I'm not making an appointment.'

'I need to hear a little more detail BEFORE I meet with you'

'If this is going to cost me anything, I'm not interested'

'Send me the information by mail or email and I'll call you back if I like what I see'

Gone are the days when the prospective customer just waited for your call or visit so YOU could inform him or her how things worked.  Nowadays, your prospects are Googling you, your company, services, and products in a matter of seconds right after you set the appointment.  If they don't find the information they are seeking or if they do not like the information they find, the odds of their not keeping that appointment go up substantially.

How can you get your foot in the door to gain trust and image credibility? 

Focus on your willingness to GIVE something before you get their business or even their interest.  The question you may be asking is WHAT do YOU have to give?  What do you have to offer?

The answer to that question will depend upon what your field is.  Some questions to help you get to thinking on what you can give others:

What does your company do? Who do they serve?  How do they help others?  What free advice do you possess that would be of benefit to someone?  Can you offer a free report?  Can you give away a free sample in return for listening to a free tele-seminar?   What free information can you pass on that will be helpful to someone with an appointment already?  (Hint: It should be free advice but just enough to intrigue them further so they will anticipate your meeting)

What life experience do you have that would help build your image as a credible person?  How can you use that life experience to give back before you get?

Do you need assistance developing your credible image? Ideas on how to express and convey what you, personally, have to offer?  Krissy can help you develop your business impression and show you what "freebies" you already have to offer.

*You may reprint this article in newsletters, ezines, websites, etc.  if you include the author's information.