What is the difference between an appointment setter and a salesperson?
An appointment setter's job is to get a suitable person to agree to a meeting at a set time. A salesperson's job is to hold that meeting and turn it into an order. The setter works on the first conversation, and the salesperson works on everything after it.
What does a salesperson do that an appointment setter does not?
A salesperson handles the parts of selling that need product knowledge and authority to commit. The US Occupational Outlook Handbook describes sales representatives who sell to businesses as people who explain how products meet a customer's needs, answer questions on prices, availability and uses, negotiate prices and terms, prepare contracts and follow up after the sale.
An appointment setter does none of this. A setter does not quote, does not advise on which product fits, and does not agree terms. The setter's script covers who is calling, the reason for the call, and a time that suits both sides. If the prospect asks a detailed product question, the correct answer is that the salesperson will cover it in the meeting.
Whatever the job title, it helps to define the role by its end point: does the person stop once the meeting is booked, or carry on to a deal?
Do I need an appointment setter if I already have salespeople?
You need one if your salespeople have open diary space but too few meetings, and the reason is that nobody is making the calls. If their diaries are already full of meetings that do not convert, adding a setter will not help, because the problem is in the meeting or the offer.
A simple check is to count the hours each week your salespeople spend on outbound calls to people who have not yet agreed to meet. If it is close to zero, the meetings are coming only from referrals and inbound enquiries, and a setter adds a source of meetings on top of those.
There are three common ways to fill the role. You can have the owner or a salesperson call, which costs no extra salary but takes selling time. You can hire a full-time setter, which means salary, training and management. Or you can pay a service. Each has a different cost profile, so compare them on what you would pay for a comparable period of calling.
Do Do Not Call rules apply when a setter calls other businesses?
Often they do not, but this is general information. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) says that telemarketing calls or messages of a commercial nature that target other businesses are excluded from the Do Not Call provisions.
The detail sits in the PDPC Advisory Guidelines on the Do Not Call Provisions and the Personal Data Protection Act 2012. Whether a particular call falls inside or outside the rules depends on who is called and why, so for a specific campaign, ask a lawyer.
Whoever makes the calls, the list is yours, so the responsibility for checking it sits with you. Anyone who asks not to be called again should be removed from the list.
Where does Greetsby fit?
Greetsby does the appointment setter's part only. It calls the people on your own list and books meetings into your calendar. You approve the opening and the reason for the call before calls start. It books meetings only and does not give product advice, so the selling stays with your salespeople.
Each person on a new list gets up to 4 call attempts, on different days, between 9.30am and 6.00pm. Every call is recorded and you can play any of them. You receive a weekly report of calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. Before each meeting Greetsby sends a reminder, and it contacts no-shows to rebook at no extra cost.
You check your list against the Do Not Call Registry before sending it and confirm that you have when you upload it. Greetsby does not run the check for you. Anyone who asks not to be called again is not called again, and Greetsby passes that on to you.
Pricing is per batch of numbers called: 1,000 numbers cost S$1,800, 2,000 cost S$3,600 and 3,000 cost S$5,400, which is S$1.80 a number including up to 4 attempts. You pay before calls start, there is no contract and no monthly fee, and you decide after each batch whether to order another. Greetsby does not promise a number of meetings. The first batch shows what your own list produces.
Greetsby suits B2B sellers such as accounting firms, software vendors and cleaning firms. Financial advisory firms can use it, but the firm must appoint it. An individual representative cannot sign up on their own under MAS Notice FAA-N02. Questions go to hello@greetsby.com, and to start you pick a batch on the Get started page.
Questions
Is an appointment setter the same as a telemarketer?
The tasks overlap, because both make outbound calls. An appointment setter's goal is a booked meeting with a salesperson, not a sale on the call.
Does an appointment setter close sales?
No. The setter books the meeting and the salesperson holds it, handles questions on products and prices, and closes.
Can an individual insurance agent hire an appointment setting service?
Not on their own. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02 only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must sign up.
Do Do Not Call rules apply to calls to other businesses?
The PDPC says commercial calls that target other businesses are excluded from the Do Not Call provisions. Whether a specific call is covered depends on the facts, so ask a lawyer about your case.
Sources
- US Occupational Outlook Handbook: Wholesale and Manufacturing Sales Representatives
- PDPC: Do Not Call Registry (consumer information)
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.