What makes a booked meeting qualified?
A qualified meeting is one where the person who turns up works at a company you want to sell to, can take part in the buying decision, and has agreed to talk about the subject you asked to discuss. Those three points are the minimum to write down before any calls are made.
BANT is a lead-qualification framework for B2B sales that stands for budget, authority, need and timing. TechTarget's definition describes authority as how much influence the prospect has over the purchase, and notes that B2B purchase decisions are made by a committee, so a contact may recommend a product without being able to approve it. Choose the criteria that matter most for your business and write them down, such as company size, job title and a stated reason to meet.
What should I agree before the calls start?
Agree the criteria in writing, in terms the caller can apply during a short call. For example: companies with 10 to 200 staff, contact is an owner, director or finance manager, and the contact has agreed to a 30 minute meeting. Vague criteria such as 'decision maker' or 'interested' are hard to check afterwards.
Also agree the opening and the reason for the call. If the caller says one thing and your salesperson says another at the meeting, the prospect will feel misled, and the meeting will look unqualified even if the person was a good fit.
Remember that the list shapes the result as much as the caller does. If the list holds companies outside your criteria, no calling service can turn those into qualified meetings. Clean the list first, and remove anyone you already work with.
What evidence should an appointment-setting company give me?
Ask for three things: recordings of the calls, a regular report, and a named person who answers for the campaign. Recordings let you hear what was said, including the calls that did not book. Calls that ended badly tell you as much as the ones that worked.
The report should show at least calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. The gap between booked and held is the figure to watch. If many booked meetings do not happen, the prospects may have agreed only to be polite.
If a provider cannot show you recordings or a breakdown of calls, you cannot check their work, and you would be relying on their word alone.
How do I check each meeting myself?
Check the calendar entry first: the contact's name, job title, company and the reason given for the meeting. Compare these with your criteria. Then listen to the recording of the call that produced the booking. It takes a few minutes, and it is worth doing for the first 10 to 20 meetings of any campaign.
After the meetings are held, have your salespeople mark each one as qualified, not a fit, or no-show, with a one-line reason. Review the marks after the first batch. If most of the 'not a fit' reasons are about the company, the list needs changing. If they are about the person, the criteria or the opening need tightening.
Do Do Not Call rules affect whether a meeting is valid?
They affect whether the call should have been made at all. Numbers are checked against the Do Not Call Registry at dnc.gov.sg, and the PDPC's page on checking numbers refers to a 21-day validity period for a check.
This is general information. For the rules that apply to your own list and your own calls, read the PDPC's guidance on the Do Not Call Provisions and check with a lawyer for a specific case.
How does Greetsby support this?
Greetsby calls the people on your list and books meetings into your calendar. You approve the opening and the reason for the call before calls start, and Greetsby books meetings only. It does not give product advice.
Every call is recorded, including those that did not book, and you can play any call on your list. A named Greetsby caller is responsible for your campaign and is reachable during working hours. The weekly report shows calls made, people reached, meetings booked and meetings held. Greetsby sends a reminder before each meeting and contacts no-shows to rebook, at no extra cost.
Greetsby does not guarantee a number of meetings. A first batch of 1,000 numbers costs S$1,800 (S$1.80 a number, up to 4 attempts each) and shows what your own list produces. There is no contract, and you decide afterwards whether to order another batch. Questions go to hello@greetsby.com.
Questions
What is a reasonable way to define a qualified meeting?
Write down two or three checks the caller can confirm in one call, such as company size, the contact's job title and agreement to a meeting of a set length. Judge every booked meeting against that same list.
How does Greetsby charge?
Greetsby charges per number called: S$1.80 a number, covering up to 4 attempts each, paid before calls start for the batch you choose. Because the price does not depend on a booking, you agree the criteria and check the recordings yourself.
Can I listen to the calls?
With Greetsby, yes. Every call is recorded, including those that did not book, and you can play any call on your list.
Can an individual insurance agent or financial adviser representative hire Greetsby?
No. Under MAS Notice FAA-N02, only the financial adviser firm may appoint an introducer, so the firm must sign up.
Sources
- TechTarget: BANT (budget, authority, need and timing) definition
- PDPC: Check numbers against the Do Not Call (DNC) Registry
General information for businesses in Singapore, not legal advice.