Appointment Setting Tips ' Outsource A Ninja

When you look at appointment setting and then the ninja art of espionage, you would be very surprised at the similarities. Like ninjas, appointment setters gather information and there are times when they need to deliver secret messages to prospects.

Appointment Setting ' The Art Of Finding Allies

Imagine yourself in a feudal setting. (There is even no need to consider minor details like historical dates or location.) You are a feudal lord who seeks to make allies in a certain region instead of resorting to pure conflict. You and your subordinates have a way of knowing what people want, getting on their right side, and even point their minds to helping you achieve the greater good.

Unfortunately, you also know that sending an ambassador with a full entourage is nothing short of putting a target on your head. Your enemies are watching your every move? What do you do? That is where ninjas come in handy.

The above scenario has many parallels with IT leads and appointment setting. You know what your market wants, you know you can gain their favor, and also show them greater possibilities. On the other hand, you also have competitors who are watching your every move. Naturally, if they hear you are in pursuit of a particular prospect, they will try to cut you off and approach them as well. These leads are part of your trade secrets after all.

So how do you keep those things a secret? You outsource appointment setters who operate like ninjas. Now while historical ninjas have done a lot worst than send secret messages, they possess one popularized trait that your marketing agents should emulate: subtlety.

Instead of a formal and highly publicized IT appointment setting process, they approach prospects directly, individually, and with minimized fanfare. Even today, many tools are already used to that end such as:

• Email ' These are marketers who can craft a well-tailored message to an equally well-targeted list. The message will only reach those they have strongly determined to take an interest in what you have to say:
• Telemarketing ' A phone call has anonymity without the shady stigmas attached. A live conversation with a prospect can be highly secure and records of it are kept under lock and key.
• Social Media ' Another tool for gathering information and appointment setting is social media. Plenty of B2B networking sites like LinkedIn have company profiles that are quite informative. With regards to the market as whole, think of it like scouting the territory of your potential allies.

Better yet, there are also appointment setters out there who are capable of integrating all three without risk of overhead. Together, they can disguise and blend in among the locals and know what's what. Done right, this puts them completely under your competitor's radar. Meanwhile, you get to learn everything, send prospects secret messages that catch their interest, and finally meet with them without giving yourself away. Outsource a ninja the next time you want to generate IT sales leads!