In sales, you rely on appointments with prospects to close the deal. But people can be hesitant to meet with you. More often than not, this is because they live in a world overshadowed by technology, like spam and bots, that makes it hard to trust what’s behind their screen. The right appointment-setting tips will guide you through this digital pollution to earn this trust and succeed.
Video can help set you apart in our digital world. It’ll put you face to face with your prospects so that you stand out as a trustworthy person that people will want to meet with. Keep reading to learn how to get more appointments with video. These proven sales appointment-setting tips will help you get ideal prospects on your calendar, increase your hold rate, and get you well on your way to crushing your quota.
1. Make Your Inbound Lead Response More Personal
Inbound leads have already shown interest in what you have to offer. But now, it’s up to you to connect with them in a more meaningful way and gauge their level of interest. Video can help with this.
The key to a successful inbound lead response is personalization. Personalizing your video for your prospect will help you stand out in a crowded inbox. Adding elements like a first name or company will help them see that you value them as more than just a potential deal because you took the time to customize your response.
Try using the “T.U.N.E.D.” method to grab viewer attention in the first three seconds of your video:
• Team — Involve team members.
• Unexpected — Add something unique your prospect isn’t anticipating.
• Name — Showcase your prospect’s name using a whiteboard.
• Emotion — Show emotion with your facial expression.
• Detail — Add personal details like your prospect’s company logo.
(You can learn more on the T.U.N.E.D method here.)
Watch the video below to see how sales rep Brooke Hansen responds to an inbound lead. She personalizes her response by calling her prospect by name, addressing the inquiry, and asking how she can help.
Tip: Include a clear call to action with your calendar link on your inbound lead responses. That way, prospects can easily set an appointment with you. You do this easily with the BombBomb in-video Call to Action.
2.Change Up Your Outbound Outreach
You know making sales appointments is rarely as simple as a quick call or a short email. Outbound leads don’t know anything about you or your business. And because they don’t know you, they’re more likely to be hesitant to engage with you at all. You have to tell these prospects why they should be interested in what you have to say. Using video makes you relatable because it shows them that you’re a real person — just like they are.
When it comes to your cold outreach process, focus on building a relationship first by creating a face-to-face connection. With video, your prospect can see your emotion and hear your tone to sense that sincerity that you want to help them. Then, after you’ve established a relationship, go for your pitch. You can use video to build relationships first by…
Connecting on LinkedIn
When you connect with a prospect on LinkedIn, use video. Video allows them to put a face with your name in a professional space. And it also sets you apart from other connections as you try to find common ground and build rapport. Learn more here.
Introducing yourself through email
Anyone can send a plain-text email introduction. But a video email introduction can help you garner trust because it shows that you’re more than just a piece of tech clamoring for attention in an overcrowded inbox.
Asking questions
Above all, the best way to get sales appointments is to build meaningful relationships with a human-centered approach. To do this, use video to find out more about your prospect. Ask them something more personal about themselves and open the door for ongoing conversation.
Watch how sales expert Elyse Archer introduces herself to an outbound prospect. She puts a friendly face and voice with a name. She also begins establishing a relationship with a personal detail by mentioning some connections she and her prospect have in common.
3. Don’t Give Up, Follow Up
Even with the best sales appointment-setting tips, you’ll only get so far if you don’t follow up. In fact, according to HubSpot, 48% of salespeople never follow up after the first touch. Want to know how to get more appointments? Do what your competition isn’t by following up. (And then — follow up again.)
So how can you do this without seeming pushy? You see, everyone is comfortable communicating in their own way. Using multiple mediums will help you to meet your prospects wherever they’re most comfortable.
Instead of just following up after the first touch with plain-text email, try using a multichannel approach instead, like this:
1. Start by connecting on LinkedIn using video.
2. Then, send a plain-text email introducing yourself (and mention that you recently connected on LinkedIn).
3. After that, leave your prospect a voicemail.
4. Finally, send a video email. Make sure to mention the other ways you’ve reached out.
Check out how sales professional Zoe Hartsfield uses a similar framework to follow up and connect multiple sales touches in the video below.
Tip: Using a tracking tool can help you determine the best time to follow up with your ideal prospects. Real-time tracking allows you to see when a prospect opens your email or watches your video. The perfect time to reach out is while they’re engaged in your content because at that exact moment, you’re top of mind. This article can help you learn more.
4. Check In With Dead Leads
There can be many reasons a prospect doesn’t qualify during the discovery. For instance, maybe the time isn’t right, or maybe your product isn’t a good fit for their current needs. Whatever the case may be, using video to check in with dead leads down the road can help keep the line of communication open — just in case things have changed.
With video, checking in doesn’t seem pushy or overbearing. It clearly and quickly reminds people that you’re still around (without any added pressure or confusing information that can get lost in a plain-text email).
Watch the video below to see how sales rep Ryan Burhans connects with a dead lead. He keeps things short and straightforward. Being face to face also helps remind his former prospect that a real person is there to help should they ever need it.
5. Appointment Confirmations
The sales process doesn’t end after you’ve set an appointment. To close the deal, you have to make sure your prospects show up. You have to remind them why making sales appointments with you was a good idea in the first place. One way to do this is by sending an appointment confirmation video after they agree to meet with you.
Use this opportunity to briefly remind your prospect of the value that you can provide them. Tell them why they should meet with you and how you can help them. In addition, mention something personal that demonstrates that you’re researching them ahead of time and that you’ll come prepared.
Watch how sales consultant Keegen Otter sends an appointment confirmation in the video below. He makes it easy for his prospect to remember why they made the appointment to begin with. He uses a whiteboard to establish familiarity, lets them know what to expect, and because he’s using video, his genuine gratitude is easy to see and feel.
6. Send Appointment Reminders
You can follow all of these appointment-setting tips and get the perfect prospect on your calendar. But just because they’ve agreed to an appointment doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll come. In other words — people are busy. Sending appointment reminders a day ahead of time can go a long way towards getting them to attend.
The key to a good appointment reminder video is to briefly touch on the value of your meeting, express your excitement, and kindly remind them to attend. It’s also critical to keep the video itself short and include the important information about the appointment — like the time and place — in the email body. Watch how Angee Ferris of BombBomb does this in the video below.
Tip: Short on time? Prerecord an evergreen video for appointment reminders to send out 24 hours before any appointment. Learn how to do that here.
7. Follow Up After Appointments
All of these appointment-setting tips will help you set and hold more appointments, but following up is what brings you one step closer to closing the deal.
After you’ve successfully held an appointment, a follow-up video is one of the easiest (and best) videos you can send. You’ve already created a relationship with this person! You know their pain points, business goals, and possibly even something personal about them. Use this information to follow up.
Watch how account executive Jeremy Whitaker easily uses video to follow up after an appointment. He establishes familiarity, discusses his prospect’s pain points, and provides his prospect with something of value that gets him one step closer to closing the deal.
Bonus: Make Your Handoffs With Video
Once you’ve mastered these appointment-setting tips to set and hold more appointments with video, start introducing your prospects to their account executive with handoff videos like the one below.
Because you’ve used video to establish a relationship with your prospects, they feel like they know you on a personal level. Using video to help them establish that same connection with their account executive will help continue creating a positive customer experience end-to-end.
Increase Your Appointment-Setting and Hold Rate With Video
You have all the appointment-setting tips you need to start implementing video into the process. And BombBomb can help make it all seamless. You can try it free for 14 days here.
Want more in-depth guidance on how to use video to make your appointment-setting efforts more efficient? Watch our webinar below, “Appointment-Setting Strategies: How Personalization Can Help You Stand Out,” led by BombBomb National Speaker Alicia Berruti, Client Enablement Manager Kevin Andrews, and Senior Mid Market Business Development Representative Clarissa Gidcumb.
