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Are sales people asking for appointments for the right reasons?

     Sales calls -- appointments -- in-person or on the phone are the single most quantifiable and controllable metric for sales success.  Lets face it; more appointments equals more sales.  In order to get them, more of them, with the buyers and influencers who matter, it helps if sales people ask for them for the right reasons. 

      Your prospects are busy.  They have been functioning in their business lives just fine without you.  So why do prospects want to agree to an appointment with you?  Will they meet you to help you? No!  To get 'updated?'  No.  To learn about your property?  Not likely, unless they already think they are interested.  And maybe they are interested but busy; why not have the meeting later?  Anytime you approach a client or prospect you should view your request from their point of view.

     There is a simple formula for asking for an appointment.  If the sales person can answer these questions, they can formulate a suscinct appointment request that will get results:

     Why you?

     Why me?

     Why now?

     The opening of the appointment request (it's often a voice mail, followed up with an email) must begin with a clear statement of the sales person's knowledge of the prospect, ideally identifying a business situation, concern or need.  The more on-point that statement is, the more the prospect will think to themselves "that sales person understands me and what I need, they might be worth listening to."

     Then comes 'why me.'  This statement follows directly on the 'why you' statement of the sales person's understanding of the prospects needs, and basically says 'because I have the solution' to your need.

     And of course, prospects are busy.  So it is critical that sales people make the case for having the meeting as soon as reasonable.  'Why now? demands that sales people think clearly about a timing reason that will motivate the prospect to raise this good idea above the many others competing for their time and attention, and accept an appointment.

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