WHAT TOP SELLERS KNOW AND DO

AND YOU CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO

6 WAYS TO GET
MORE SALES
APPOINTMENTS
Tibor Shanto
Renbor Sales Solutions, Inc.

http://www.sellbetter.ca

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IN SALES, NOTHING HAPPENS
WITHOUT THE APPOINTMENT
One can make a case that any
phase of the sales cycle is key to
success, but it would be hard to
argue that for the vast majority,
nothing happens without
appointments.
No matter how good one
sells, it can’t happen alone, you
need prospects, and that all
starts with the appointment.
In this booklet, we will be
putting a focus on some key
aspects of getting appointments
and prospecting.
Yes, there is more to
prospecting than cold calling or
appointments, and we will be
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discussing many of these
another time.
But this booklet will be
about five proven methods to
help improve your
appointment setting
skills and numbers.
SHIFT YOUR
Some of this will
CALL HOURS
be straight forward,
some with a new spin,
but put into practice they
will get you in front of more of
the right people, right prospects the morning is best, first thing
you want to sell to.
PART 1. SHIFT YOUR COLD
CALLING HOURS
Many people suggest that
you do your cold calling first
thing in the morning. Theory
being that you “get it out of the
way” first thing, and then go on
about your day doing what you
do best and like to do: sell.
The reality is that you
need to shift your
prospecting calls to
when your target
audience is more likely
to be available. For some
services like ours first thing in
being 7:00 to 8:00 – 8:30 a.m.
However if your target is a
plant manager, service manager,
traffic manager, VP ops, you are
not likely to find them in their
office in the morning, mid-day is
probably a better time.
With a bit of research and
keeping track, you can typically
learn when is a likely time not
only to find your target by their
phone, but also in a position to
listen to your approach, and
respond in a way that serves
your mutual needs. A little
preparation, segmentation and
planning goes a long way.
Please be clear, we are not
excusing you from making calls
at all times, just encouraging
you to call targets at a time that
will yield best results for you.
PART 2. USE VOICE MAIL TO GET
MORE APPOINTMENTS
A lot of people don’t believe
in leaving voice mail, and that’s
alright – but if you do, you will
invitably get more sales
appointments.
There are a couple of
dynamics at play. A lot of reps
say “I never get a call back”; “No
one ever returns voice mails”.
Not true, I get return calls
from 5 out of 10 messages I
leave. But you can even benefit
from the ones that do not call
back.
Studies have shown that it
may take anywhere from 4 to 7
approaches for someone to
respond or deal with a new
matter. Other studies have
shown that most sales people
give up after three attempts at
reaching someone (usually with
a manager saying “move on” in
the background).
Now if you do not leave a
message and let’s say you’re one
of the keeners who tries 4 times,
as far as the prospect goes you’re
still at zero.
They have no way of knowing a voice mail is to get a return call
not the appointment. Once you
that you called, because you
didn’t leave a message or
are talking to the prospect, you
can go for the appointment. So
“calling card” telling her you
get the call back first, and then
want to talk to her.
go for the next step.
You also don’t want to be at
COMING UP
the other end of the spectrum,
wasting your time dialing
someone dozens of times, not
leaving a message and - when
finally connecting - letting built USING VOICE MAIL
up frustration out on the TO GET MORE
prospect. As if it was their fault
APPOINTMENTS
that you called and called and
called and never a message.
(PAGE 4)
Another thing to consider is
that a vast majority of reps - PREPARE FOR YOUR
even those who do not leave COLD CALLS AND
messages - still listen to the DRAMATICALLY
entire outbound voice mail
IMPROVE YOUR
message. Why not take a few
more seconds and leave a
RESULTS (PAGE 5)
message?
It’s a no brainer. On the one LEVERAGE WHAT
hand, even if they don’t call back YOUR PROSPECTS
within 72 hours, you are on the
ARE TELLING YOU
prospects radar. Maybe at the
fringe - but still better than the (PAGE 6)
superstars who don’t leave
messages.
USING EMAIL TO
On the other hand, you do
have a a 50-50 shot of getting a
CONNECT WITH
call back and a potential YOUR PROSPECTS
conversation leading to more (PAGE 7)
appointments.
Plain and simple, the goal of
INACTION IS NOT AN
OPTION; JUST DO
IT! (PAGE 8)

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PART 3. PREPARING YOUR COLD
CALLS WILL HELP YOU IMPROVE
YOUR RESULTS
This is probably the most
straight forward installment in
this series, but when adopted, it
is the one with the greatest
return.
Since most sales people do
not like to prospect to begin
with, they like preparing for the
activity even less. But at the end,
anything worth doing is worth
doing right, and in sales and
prospecting that means taking
the time to prepare.
With prospecting,
preparation is just as vital as at
any point in the cycle. This goes
from a simple thing like having a proposal, and as such can deal
complete calling list ready,
including name, title, number,
potential value statements,
references, potential voice mail
message, but most importantly
the ability to anticipate and deal you are calling can dramatically
with objections.
While these may seem
obvious, many sales people do
not take the time to be ready,
and as a result get distracted,
rejected and dejected.
I fully believe that it is not work you will have to do, and
rejection that turns people off on the less dreaded cold calls you
cold calling, but the knowledge
that they have not prepared,
especially to avoid and handle
objections, and therefore failure I would caution that you
is inevitable. have to be realistic to not
confuse “preparation” with
Most reps, who have a
“deep research” for each
proper process for prospecting,
appointment setting call, that
have similar success ratios as
would be a waste of time at this
they do with closing, roughly 1
stage. If your numbers are
in 5, yet you never hear sales
12-6-1, (12 dials to reach 6
pros say that they have a fear of
decision makers resulting in one
rejection when it come to
appointment), and you spend 5
proposals or closing.
minutes researching each call,
Why? because they have that’s 2 hours of research for 1
properly prepared for the appointment, not a good use of
time.
Recycling is another key;
most reps do not have an active
PREPARATION
IS VITAL lead management process. But
in these days of climate change,
it is important that you recycle
your leads and use the right ones
for long term value. We
with the results.
recommend a process of Touch
Having the items listed > Contact > Engage. An
above, having an understanding approach designed to managing
of how to relate to the person your leads, an organic
replenishment plan.
increase the resulting
Recycling leads, ensures that
appointments.
you benefit from the fact that
As with any of the things today’s dud is tomorrow’s cash
discussed in this booklet, the cow, understanding that more is
better you are at getting the not best, just a start, you still
right number of appointments to need a means of brining new
drive your business, the less leads in to you base.
Remember that you need
prospects to sell, and that means
will have to make.
cold calling leads.

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PART 4. LEVERAGE WHAT YOUR
PROSPECTS ARE TELLING YOU
As you are working with
clients, or calling prospects, you your adventures trying to gain
are in a position to glean a lot of new prospects and
useful information that is
current and relevant to a given
sector or type of buyer. Why not what you hear and use it on the
use that information right away next target in the same vertical,
to generate more appointments. region what have you.
While not every call turns in
to an appointment, and not
every appointment or client
meeting turns in to a sale,
they still can add value to
your “above the funnel”
success. You can leverage
each conversation into
valuable and usable
information and action.
Each person you meet
with in a B2B situation is
likely to have at least two
things of value, usually
three. They generally have
customers, they have
suppliers and they know others you can call people in the same
in their business.
It is easy to convert these in
to referrals. Add one simple
question to your sales routine:
“Who else do you know that
would find value in the kind of
discussion we just had?”
Very different than asking
who else they know you might
be able to sell to. Jargon, buzz the impact ………would have on
words and trends, all things that you company” (project,
can be gleaned and leveraged in initiative, tax, cost of fuel, the
elections, what-have-you).
People really respond when
opportunities. Even if you have
you tell them you were thinking
no luck with one prospect, take
about their issues and how you
can help rather than just as an
order.
You can also call new
As you build your knowledge
prospects and lead with
of trends and other things
something current and
relevant, distinguishing you
from the horde of reps
whose initial prospecting
call is generic with little or
no relevance for the
prospect.
The more folks you engage
with based on their points
of interest, the more you
increase your probabilities
and resulting
appointments.
related to a particular sector, Remember, leads are
recyclable, so leverage them over
sector that you have tried in the and over, sometimes it will lead
past, and demonstrate the to an opportunity with that
interest you have in their sector, specific lead, other times with
how you are keeping up with others, but you need to work
developments and why they and rework each lead in multiple
should rethink meeting with angels and directions, a good
you. lead has many lives and lots of
value to be leveraged beyond the
This especially works if you
obvious.
present it to them in the context
“I was thinking about you and

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PART 5. USING EMAIL TO enough, you’re dead in the water comes with its own upside/
CONNECT WITH YOUR PROSPECTS right there.
As you have read the
previous pages of this booklet,
you may get the view that I only
see the phone as a means to
getting appointments, and that
is certainly not the case. In
today’s business environment it
is important that you use all
methods available to connect
with potential prospects and
these days, this includes e-mail.
But as with any professional
endeavor, there will be
necessary aspect of the drill that
are not meant to be fun, yet
those who excel understand that
they have to incorporate it into
their game.
In light of the fact that no
matter how we get to a lead,
phone or e-mail, we are certainly
an interruption and therefore
must keep that top of mind. The
target is likely trying to juggle a
host of things and is not really
looking to add more to their day, fact that their phone is likely to
especially a sales pitch.
The downside to e-mail, like
voice mail, is that it is
impersonal and easy enough for
the recipient to deal with (read
erase or delete), without even
having to deal with the content
or sender. So unless you have a
message that is compelling
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downside.
Now compelling does not
mean a long verbose work that
competes with Tolstoy or Puzu,
it means something that will get
the person to respond. With e-
mail, just as with voice mail, the
goal is to get a response and
convert that response to an
appointment. Where many fail is
that they try to get the
appointment through e-mail or
voice mail, which is not easy.
GETTING A RESPONSE TO EMAIL
Use a strong reference
that is CURRENT,
RELEVANT to the target
and has to be ETHICAL
Getting the person to respond is
easier, and once they respond
and you are talking to them
directly you can go for the
appointment.
Adding the challenge is the
be the same utensil as their e-
mail that is a BlackBerry. This is
both good and bad. The good
thing is that they take it
everywhere, and look at it
consistently; even in the middle
of meetings they called. On the
other hand it does generally lead
to an instant response, which
Upside, if the response is
positive, they tend to hit that
reply button; and the
conversation begins. Downside,
if the response they formulate is
negative, they just delete the
message and you have to figure
out why. Which is not the worst,
as you just try again either by
phone or other method.
The further challenge is that
you have to articulate a message
that will not only cause them
NOT delete it; but you also want
them to respond right away.
And you have to do all of this in
a 2 inch by 2 ½ inch space, the
BlackBerry Arena. A strong
subject line and a clear succinct
message with a specific goal of
getting a positive response or at
least not getting deleted.
This can be achieved by
using a strong reference,
perhaps a third party of mutual
interest, perhaps a competitor. A
useful quote from their
executive or someone of specific
interest to them. What ever
reference you use, it has to be
current, relevant to the target
and has to be ethical. The
subject line needs to be a call to
action that relates to the
message.
 For e-mail, it would be Got the response that 9:30 necessary aspect of the drill that
similar, a call to action in the does not work, but he was able are not meant to be fun, yet
subject line, something brief and to talk at 8:30. those who excel understand that
to the point in the body, ending they have to incorporate it into
That’s a response, no delete.
with the repeat of the call to their game.
action. If they do delete, you can
The best way to minimize the
always write again or call, just
For example, I recently grief is to improve your skills,
don’t give up to soon, remember
prospected a senior person at master it and thereby have to
it takes 5 to 7 touch points for
one of the banks. He was quoted spend less time at it while still
you to even register on their
in the daily paper about an achieving the levels required to
radar, don’t be like the reps who
initiative his bank had aimed at be consistently successful.
give up after two or three tries.
small business, let’s call the
People do not like to cold call
initiative Growing Biz. PART 6. INACTION IS NOT AN
OPTION for fear of rejection. Strange,
Subject Line: because most reps have a closing
Just Do It!
to initial meeting ratio that is
Growing Biz call the week of
We’re not being cheeky; the very much in line with their
August 11
number one reason for lack of contact to appointment ratio,
Body: appointments is lack of action that is leads to prospect
taken, lack of effort. It’s conversion; generally around
Dear Mister Executive,
something most reps don’t like one in four or five.
I am Tibor Shanto Principal to do, so they find any number
Yet you never hear reps say
with Renbor Sales Solutions, of reasons not to do it.
over the last three years we have they are afraid to engage with
A sales manager at wireless prospects or submit proposals
helped XYZ Bank (with link to
company captured it very well because they may get rejected.
case study) set more
when he said “there is always a
appointments with Canada’s Whether it’s about sending a
battery that needs to be driven
small business owners. proposal or prospecting,
across town just when its time to
I read about The Growing Biz prospect”. bottom-line is you should just
do it!
program, and am writing to set
Sometime the greatest
up a call to discuss how we may
creativity shown by sales people What’s in your pipeline?
help you and ABC Bank reach
is demonstrated in the way in
your objective.
which they avoid making the
How is Tuesday August 12 at appointment setting calls.
9:30 am?
But as with any professional
endeavor, there will be

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About Tibor Shanto

Tibor
Shanto
has
over
20
years
of
sales,
executive,
leadership
and
sales
operations
experience
in

:inancial,
information,
content
management
and
professional
service
industries.

Prior
to
Renbor,
Tibor
Shanto
spent
10
years
with
Dow
Jones,
including
5
with
its
subsidiary
Factiva.

After
opening
their
Canadian
of:ice
and
building
a
solid
team
and
revenue
base
with
double
digit

CAGR,
Mr.
Shanto
was
appointed
Sales
Director
for
Canada
and
The
Central
USA;
before
leaving
he

also
headed
their
Global
Client
Solutions
organization.

As
Principal
of
Renbor
Sales
Solutions
Inc.,
Tibor
works
with
leading
corporations
in
Canada,
USA

and
the
UK,
helping
these
organizations
realize
sustained
revenue
attainment
through
improvement

in
sales
strategy
and
execution.

Contact
Information:

http://www.sellbetter.ca/blog
Phone:
(800)
661‐8760
Twitter:
@Renbor

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