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I hang up as soon as I hear the 2 second automatic dialer-induced dead air followed by," Can I speak to the person responsible for...."

Or the even worse, "Hi, how are you today?......."

Or the worse than that, "I'm just doing a survey, this isn't a sales call...."
Wanna bet?

It's hard to understand businesses that risk their reputation by trusting it to telemarketing outfits like this. The problem tends to be with businesses that view appointment setting as a commodity, as if lead generation companies can be compared, valued or priced like tins of sardines.

If a company hopes to gain new quality business through outsourced appointment setting, they need to step out of the commodity mind-frame. It begins with briefing directly the people who will be making the calls. There should never be a 'cold call. ' Research on the prospect should be carried out prior to phoning so when asked, "What do you know about my company?" there can be a quick and intelligent response.

The strength of any team are the players on the field. In the case of setting sales appointments, professional consultants need to be well paid, have b2b experience and acumen, and the ability to engage senior decision makers. They also need to be discerning, so that only well qualified sales appointments are arranged.

These are some of the ways Achieving Quality Leads differentiates its approach to lead generation, to breakout of the commodity conundrum. AQL created an integrated CRM and telephony system that permits clients to remotely view all data and download all calls made in their name, 24 hours a day. It requires confidence that the consultants setting appointments are representing the client as they would represent themselves.

Before accepting a telemarketing service ask if they meet these standards, then ask if you want to settle for anything less.

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