Capturing and maintaining leads is essential to any business, but for smaller companies, the approach to appointment setting is going to look a lot different than that of larger companies.

Often SMBs have less purchasing power and less resources, so it’s important to maximize what they do have.

Likely SMBs will not be going after the larger enterprise leads which means the pool of potential smaller leads becomes a lot bigger. However, you need to make sure you are using every second of your sales power.

Now that you know what you are going after, what’s the plan?

Appointment Setting and Reminding for SMBs

Simplify communication -

There is no need for sales reps to over complicate a potential lead. If you are targeting smaller businesses, you will likely be talking with the owner directly, cutting down a lot of the extra red tape.

This also lets you talk directly with the decision maker to simplify the appointment setting process.

Don’t waste time -

With staffing issues becoming more common, many businesses are looking for ways to increase their sales power.

Having salespeople on the phone all day is not always the best solution to capturing as many leads as possible. Texting is the way to go.

We have seen the data. Around 89% if customers say they would rather interact with a business via text message than over the phone.

Plus, this will also cut down on the time your salespeople have to spend making a call, leaving a voicemail, waiting for a call back, and hoping it gets done fast.

If you are texting back and forth with customers, you can maximize your sales power. Your reps can see the leads come in and respond to it in seconds. You can also set up automated text responses for after-hours to make sure your leads stick around to set up an appointment.

Qualify your leads -

As an SMB, you also want to make sure these leads are legitimate. With a texting platform, your reps can weed out the bad leads, and keep the good ones. Having a texting system in place will also cut down on the amount of time wasted on bad leads.

Form a relationship -

Since SMB leads are often smaller shops, it’s important to establish a friendly relationship with the company you are trying to sell. This will not only help with the sale, but also help you learn more about what the customer is looking for.

The beauty of texting customers is that you are likely to get a response back quickly. We found that 95% of all texts are read within 3 minutes.

This means that you can send them a text at any time, and its not disruptive like a phone call. Your customer can read it and respond back in minutes with any questions or concerns.

Keep the appointment -

Once you have established a relationship with the buyer, its easier to keep the appointment.

With texting, you can send you reminders at any point. You can even send out automated reminders after-hours.

This cuts down on phone time, and with the simple friendly reminders, the customer is less likely to cancel.

You don’t need to hound your customer about the appointment, but its important to remind them in a simple, convenient way.

Now that you have a little more information about appointment setting, don’t be afraid to try new things to set appointments. The key is to make it simple for both the employee and the customer.

Texting, not calling, is the wave of the future. Customers are asking for it, and it will help your smaller company compete for those extra sales.

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