3 Differences Between Lead Generation and Appointment Setting

What Is Appointment Setting?

Appointment setting is a strategy to bring in new prospects by setting a date on the calendar for your sales team to discuss your product and potentially make a sale. All of this can be done by an outsourced company, so all your sales team has to do is look at their calendar and show up for the appointment.

How Do You Become an Appointment Setter?

These people are important to the sales process and usually possess excellent conversation and people skills. Usually, a high school diploma and experience with customers is required. If you’re looking for an appointment setter, make sure the company or person you hire is well-qualified to do the job.

Why Is Appointment Setting Important?

Outsourcing appointment setting for your team provides a variety of benefits—for example, freeing up time for you team to focus on more important tasks, driving revenue and increasing warm leads. Increasing the number of appointments you have scheduled can also drive positive attention for your business and improve brand recognition. Instead of managing the hassle and time of hiring and training a new in-house sales team member, outsourcing your appointment setting can save your business time and money.

What Is B2B Appointment Setting?

Typically the last step in the lead generation process, an appointment setter will find an appropriate time for an interested prospect to meet with a closing sales representative. During the meeting, the sales rep will provide an in-depth sales pitch to the prospect and ultimately aim to finalize the deal. Outsourcing your B2B appointment setting tasks allows your sales reps to spend more time and energy focusing on qualified leads, driving more revenue and sales for your business.

What Are the Most Important Things to Focus on to Be Successful in B2B Appointment Setting?

Appointment setters play a crucial role in the lead generation process, so they’ll need to hone the right skills in order to have the most success. And what are the most important things to focus on to be successful in B2B appointment setting? Here are some key tips to keep in mind:

• Identify and set appointments with key decision makers
• Keep your script flexible
• Ask relevant questions
• Practice active listening techniques
• Always demonstrate how your service or product provides valuable solutions to the prospect’s problems
• Stay focused on your goals
• Always be open to feedback and keep learning

For businesses who are ready to supercharge growth and revenue, working with an outsourcing partner to take care of certain steps in your sales and lead generation process can provide many benefits. For example, hiring experts to focus on lead generation allows your in-house team to get warmer leads and focus on results, driving more effective and efficient sales.

But what is the difference between lead generation and appointment setting? Check out our guide below to learn more about the ins and outs of these various styles of driving new business.

How Does Appointment Generation Work?

First, the appointment setter gets in touch with key decision-makers to qualify the lead. They usually do this by cold-calling or by following up on warm leads.

Once they’re in contact with the lead, they make sure they are a good fit for the product or service, and that they have the authority to make the final decision. Then they set an appointment for the sales representative to deliver the pitch.

What is Lead Generation?

Before we talk about the differences between lead generation and appointment setting, it’s important to understand the differences between a prospect and a lead. A lead is a person or business that has voluntarily given out their contact information to the business and could be a potential business opportunity. A prospect is a person or individual who has actually spoken with a salesperson or appointment setter and has shown interest in making a purchase.

This means that prospects are further along in the sales funnel than leads. They’ve engaged in two-way communication, while leads have only had one-way communication.

What Is the Difference Between Lead Generation and Appointment Setting?

Lead generation and appointment setting have many similarities, but they have a few key differences that you’ll want to take a look at before deciding which one is right for your business. The two marketing methods differ in the following ways.

1. Goal

The goal of appointment setting is to get your business in front of many new clients so you can create new partnerships or make sales. On the other hand, the goal of lead generation is to find new potential clients who might be interested in your product or service. Lead generation does not include booking appointments. Instead, it usually involves cold calls, networking, and referrals to build a list of potential clients.

2. Strategy

Both appointment setting and lead generation involve talking to potential clients, but appointment setting takes it a step further by putting a date on the calendar and establishing the time you will be in contact with the prospect. Lead generation is more about finding new potential clients, then passing the information on to the business to decide what their next move will be.

3. Process

Appointment setting is a very clear-cut solution. The appointments show up on your calendar, and the sales team calls, emails, or meets with the prospect on the appointed date. Lead generation is also quite a simple process, but the final result is more open-ended. You will receive information about a potential client, but there will not be an appointment set on the calendar.

4. Influence

Both lead generation and appointment generation have their own pros and cons. Lead generation is a great way to create a bigger pipeline or close a few quick deals and engage new customers, while appointment setting is a long-term solution that can foster stronger prospects over time.

What Is the Difference Between Marketing and Prospecting?

With all this talk of bringing in leads and prospects, you may now be wondering: What is the difference between marketing and prospecting? There are many similarities, but prospecting is usually about nurturing individual relationships, while marketing is about sending out a mass message to a target audience.

Deciding What’s Right for Your Business

Now that you know about the differences between lead generation and appointment setting, which one is right for you? Only you can decide the answer to that question, so think about your goals and do thorough research before you choose the best fit for your needs.