Setting up sales appointments with tech buyers might seem daunting given that using any “tech”-based techniques might put them off, but there are still plenty of workarounds to gently nudge them through your sales pipeline.
Here are some ideas that can help you set sales appointments with CIOs, IT managers, and other tech buyers who are looking for what you have to offer.
(And get other tips for lead nurturing!)
Webinars
A webinar allows prospects to put a face to the product and see that you are willing to add value to it even if they have not bought the product yet. The webinar may be an introduction to the product with the offer to set an appointment to learn how they can access the full potential of the product.
This is a “win-win” situation.
It allows marketers to indirectly market their products and services to prospects during the webinar itself, instead of directly marketing it to them via email or social media.
The only marketing you need to do is to get them to join the webinar, and from there you can enact your sales pipeline for appointment setting.
Find out how our lead generation program can help you generate more attendees to your webinar events!
Digital Courses
A lot of B2B tech companies are now looking to use digital courses as a lead magnet to sell services to their prospects or book appointments.
By using a digital course – it doesn’t have to be paid – your company showcases that you are also in the information business. Once a prospect signs up, views your course, or engages with a video you have, you can then include them in your funnel.
With digital courses, they will have the opportunity to manage their time and have access to great information for their personal gain or to contribute back at work.
There are so many topics that can be shared over a number of short courses. In addition, anyone interested in a particular topic can pick and choose what it is that they want to learn. Someone may pick up a course on the recent research on technology investment or a basic course on how to install certain software.
Use Virtual Events
A virtual event is different from a webinar or a single session. A traditional webinar may have participants coming in to learn about specific topics from an invited expert speaker. A webinar highlights sharing of information. A virtual event though has aspects that you will be able to find if you attended an in-person event. For example, a virtual event will have speakers, but have features that allow virtual attendees to engage. They can ask questions and share their experiences. There may be online breakout rooms for attendees to meet and network with each other just like they would do at an in-person event.
A virtual event may last for several days, just like attending a conference. Even before the actual event, you can start to build momentum and excitement for it. Building the hype and brand awareness may attract others who have not heard of this event, and it being online will be able to attend.
Unless you are restricting yourself to a certain geographical location, it can be attended by people all over the globe. An event such as a customer summit can stage the environment for customers to really get to know the business’s values and goals. There can be an exchange of frequently answered questions. Businesses will also be able to take the concerns or feedback of customers to prepare for the next product or event.
There are other creative aspects that you can incorporate in a virtual event to make it feel more personal. Mail customers who registered a packet that they would have normally received. Set up an online merchandise store where they can buy an event t-shirt or other paraphernalia.
With the world opening up, you may also want to consider a hybrid virtual event. In this case, there may be attendees to show up physically to the event and there are a group of people who are still attending virtually. Media technology is important to balance this type of event to ensure that those attending in-person and online are both receiving maximum potential of the event.
When considering a webinar or virtual event, it is important to understand your goal. If you are looking for more opportunities to build engagement or network, a virtual event may be a better fit than a webinar.
Discover our Services: Event Marketing Management and Lead Generation
Market Yourself as an Influencer
As an influencer, you will be able to share your failures for them to avoid the same mistakes, and also offer your expertise in areas they have not yet developed.
This is great for inbound leads through avenues like LinkedIn.
What you can do is optimize your profile, get active by pushing posts out, and start connecting with relevant CIOs and IT managers!
Establishing rapport with potential buyers on any platform is a leverage that influencers can use. By engaging on a social media platform, such as podcasts, listeners will pick up your perspective, tips, and also recommend you to their friends. It is important to remember that influencing may take a while, so this will yield results after some time.
However, this opens an opportunity to even engage and actively participate on someone else’s platform that may already have a following. Those who have an interest in what you are saying or of similar perspectives will continually be drawn and open to hear what you have to say which could later lead to an invitation to an appointment.
Get a Third-Party to Help You Out
If you find yourself in need of appointment setting services, you can always hire a third-party to help you out.
Benefits of hiring a third-party is that they’re cheaper and cost-effective. For example, you will not need to hire employees. There are expert teams that are ready to assist with several years of experience which you can tap into.
They have systems in place that may be in line with other marketing systems that you are using. In addition, it also takes skill to know how to interact well with customers. Knowing how to respond and carry a conversation to keep an open line of communication and relationship is important to consider in human engagement.
There is no maintenance cost. You will not need to provide office space, set up additional communication lines, or other. The time and finances that you save here can be put into work that you feel requires more attention.
Indirectly Market to Other Members of Their Organization
Instead of marketing them directly at first, indirectly market to their teams.
You can run retargeting ads on Facebook, do brand awareness campaigns for their colleagues, so that they know about you before you reach out to them!
This is a complicated concept but the way it works is that you work on their team indirectly then target them afterwards. Teams that do the groundwork may easily see or catch on how a product can add value to their work. They can compare and contrast how their output can be improved with the product than without it.
This will be important to study for them to make recommendations for approval. Indirect marketing is not aggressive like direct sales, which if one is not careful can seem to be overpowering and pushy to potential customers. Through indirect marketing, nurturing a relationship becomes one of the main components. The benefit is that others will learn to trust what you are saying and follow you.
Custom Packages
There will be buyers looking to place orders for a large quantity of physical products. Perhaps you have the capacity to provide their need. In addition, having established your business, you can propose and offer customized packages to meet the needs of your consumers.
Not only can you offer the physical products, but buyers may also be interested to add your digital courses, individual or group coaching, and exclusive membership to your site.
The possibility of creating different kinds of products to meet the needs of your consumers where technology is considered can be further explored.
Other Tips That Can Help You Out
- Do your research. The context of a challenge pre-pandemic and post is different. While many managers may be looking for online solutions, perhaps there are other buyers who are also going to make an adjustment for an influx of customers who will frequent their stores especially that there are no further travel or mobility restrictions. The culture and budget of target consumers is also important to see if you can make a good fit.
- Be clear and concise. You may not be the only option that they are looking at. Be clear on what pain points you can address and how you can assist them to get out of it with an invitation to learn more once the appointment is set. Confidence in what you are sharing about will be remembered by the consumer.
- Be transparent. It is time to remove the awkward feeling for the prospect and for you on how to go about the conversation. Ask the consumer what their needs are and that you may have an offer for them to consider.
- Ask questions. Take hold of the conversation by asking questions for you to understand their perspective, need, and wants. It may come up that what they are looking for cannot be solved with your product; and with that information, you still have served well by referring them elsewhere, but with your contact information should they be in need of your expertise in the future.
As you can see there are plenty of quick ways to set sales appointments with CIOs, IT managers, and other tech buyers. You just need to navigate around their territory.
Contact us today and find out how we can help you out with your lead generation!
