Quick answer
How do you book sales appointments over the phone?
Appointment setting by phone works when you sell the meeting, not your product. Jenny Cartwright's five step call uses an opening that shows you know the prospect, an interest-grabbing benefit, no more than three questions, a summary of their need, then a choice of two times. Confirm by email and reconfirm the day before.
Why you are selling the appointment, not your product
The most useful idea in appointment setting is also the simplest: on this call you are selling the appointment, not your product or service. Your only goal is a confirmed time in the diary with the right person, so that the real selling happens when they are ready to listen. Knowing that takes the pressure off, for you and for the prospect.
It also tells you what to leave out. Long product explanations, price lists and brochures give the prospect enough information to decide over the phone, and the easiest decision is 'no thanks'. Keep the call brief, keep it about them, and leave them curious enough to want the meeting. Do that consistently and you finish each calling session with a diary that looks full and a pipeline you can count on.
The five steps of an appointment setting call
Open with something you know about them
Start with a referral, a recent change in their business or something you have seen, for example 'I saw your advertisement and understand you're looking for good salespeople, is that correct?'
Give an interest-grabbing statement
Offer a way, idea, product, service or opportunity that gives them a major benefit. One sentence, about them, not your company's history.
Ask no more than three questions
Lead in with 'In order to know exactly how we can help you right now, may I ask you...' and ask open questions that uncover a problem you can solve.
Repeat back what you heard
Summarise their need in their own words, so they hear that you listened, and get their agreement that it is worth solving.
Close with a choice of times
Ask 'When would be a good time for you next week, Monday or Tuesday?' A choice of two avoids a yes or no answer.
Steps one and two are where most calls are won or lost, and cold call openings that grab interest covers them in depth. If you need to get through reception first, start with how to get past the gatekeeper. For step three, choose from the sales questions to ask on the phone. Before any calling session, check you are working within telemarketing rules in Australia.
A B2B appointment setting script you can adapt
Here is the five step structure as a script for a business that sells commercial cleaning to office managers. Swap in your own benefit and questions. Treat it as a template to practise until it sounds like you, rather than something to read word for word.
YouGood morning Alex, it's Sam Taylor from [company]. I noticed your team has just moved into the new building on [street], is that right?
ProspectThat's right, a couple of weeks ago.
YouWe help offices like yours keep the workplace spotless without the manager having to chase the cleaners every week. In order to know exactly how we can help you right now, may I ask how you're finding the cleaning in the new space?
ProspectHonestly, it's patchy. Some days it's fine, some days the kitchen is a mess.
YouWhat happens on the days it's a mess?
ProspectI get the complaints, and I've had to tidy up myself before a client visit.
YouSo the inconsistency is landing on you, and it's awkward when clients come in. Is that right?
ProspectPretty much.
YouIt would be worthwhile meeting so that I can look at the space and show you how we schedule and check our work, so it's one less thing on your plate. When would suit you next week, Tuesday morning or Thursday afternoon?
ProspectThursday afternoon works.
YouGreat, Thursday at 2pm. I'll send a calendar invitation with my mobile number in case anything changes. Is there anyone else who should be there?
Notice that the reason to meet is tied to the problem the prospect described, not to 'saying hi'. That single change does more to prevent no-shows than any reminder system.
What to say when they already have a supplier
'We're happy with our current supplier' is one of the most common replies on a B2B appointment call. Don't argue with it. Ask for a small amount of time and make the reason about being useful: 'I would like to drop by for six or seven minutes so you know who I am and what we can do for you.'
Six or seven minutes sounds specific and easy to give. You can offer the same thing as a short video call, which some decision makers find easier to fit in. Either way, you become the business they think of when their current supplier lets them down. For other replies, see how to handle objections.
Why do some sales appointments not show up?
When booked prospects don't turn up, the cause usually lies in the original call, not on the day. Three situations come up again and again:
- No real reason to meet. Callers offered appointments for a salesperson to 'say hi and drop off some samples'. Prospects felt free to cancel, because samples could simply be left at reception.
- No pain and no reminder. Prospects booked into a teleconference didn't join. The caller hadn't uncovered a problem worth solving, there was no confirmation the day before and no number to call to reschedule.
- All about the seller. A caller asked for 15 minutes to talk about their IT services without first learning anything about the prospect. The whole call was about the company, not what the prospect would gain.
In each case the prospect had nothing to lose by missing the meeting. Fix that on the call and most no-shows disappear.
Ten ways to make sure your appointments show up
- Identify five benefits prospects gain from your product or service.
- Turn each benefit into a question that uncovers the problem, such as 'How much time do you spend on...?'
- Ask open questions starting with what, why, where, which, how, when or who.
- Repeat the prospect's concerns back and get agreement that they have a problem worth solving.
- Give a clear reason for the meeting: 'It would be worthwhile meeting so that we can...'.
- Explain why the timing matters and why it is important that the right people attend.
- Ask for the appointment with a choice: 'When would be good, Monday or Wednesday?'
- Send a confirmation email or calendar invitation straight away, with your number for rescheduling.
- Reconfirm by email or text message the day before.
- Don't send a pile of information beforehand. Keep the prospect curious about what they will learn at the meeting.
For video appointments, put the meeting link and a one line agenda in the invitation, and repeat that agenda in your reminder. A prospect who can see what they will get from the meeting is far more likely to join it.
Your course content was excellent and relevant. A few weeks after the course I had a sales trip planned. Using the techniques I had learned in your course, I was able to head off to Canberra with a diary full of appointments with qualified prospects. My script now sits by the phone and I look it over before every call. Thanks again.
How to hand appointments over to a sales rep
In many B2B teams one person books the meetings and another runs them. The handover is where good appointments go cold, so give the rep a short note for every booking:
- The prospect's name, role and anyone else attending
- Their problem, written in their own words
- Why they agreed to meet, including the 'so that' reason you gave
- Anything you promised, such as a sample, a site visit or a price comparison
The rep can then open the meeting with the prospect's own problem, so the prospect feels remembered and the time feels well spent. Ask reps to tell the caller which appointments were well qualified, so the scripts keep improving. If you need a script built for your team, the telesales script writing service can usually deliver one within 3 days, or start with Jenny's free eBook, How to Make a Professional Telephone Sales Call.
Want callers who book qualified appointments that actually happen, so your sales reps spend their week selling instead of chasing? Jenny trains appointment setters onsite anywhere in Australia or live online.
Ask about appointment setting trainingFrequently asked questions
Should you send information before a sales appointment?
Keep it to a confirmation and a short agenda. Brochures, price lists or long proposals sent before the meeting give the prospect enough to decide without you, and the easiest decision is to cancel. A one line agenda that reminds them what they will gain is enough. Save the detail for the appointment, where you can match it to their needs and answer questions as they come up.
What should an appointment confirmation include?
Send it straight after the call as a calendar invitation or email. Include the day, time and place or video link, who will attend, a one line reason for the meeting in the prospect's own words, and your direct number in case they need to reschedule. Then reconfirm by email or text the day before. A clear way to reschedule turns many would-be no-shows into moved appointments.
How do you rebook a prospect who missed the appointment?
Call the same day, stay friendly and assume something urgent came up. Try 'I know how busy things get, so I wanted to find a time that suits you better.' Remind them of the problem they told you about, then offer a choice of two new times. If they avoid rebooking, ask what has changed since you spoke, because the original need may have shifted.
Is a video call as good as a face to face sales appointment?
A video call can work as well as a face to face meeting when the prospect is far away or short of time, and it saves travel for both of you. Give it the same care: a clear reason, a calendar invitation with the link, a reminder the day before and the right decision makers attending. Face to face still suits sales where seeing the site or the product matters.
Can one person set appointments for a whole sales team?
Yes. Many businesses have one caller booking appointments for several sales reps. It works when the caller qualifies properly and hands over detailed notes: the prospect's role, their problem in their own words, why they agreed to meet and who else will attend. The rep then opens the meeting with that problem, so the prospect feels heard and the appointment feels worth keeping.