3 Differences Between Lead Generation and Appointment Setting

In our last discussion, we covered lead generation and its importance in the overall sales process. Feel free to click here to read the complete article. If you recall, lead generation is one of the very first steps in the sales process, and without it, you won’t have prospects to pitch to. 

Even if you have the most effective closing strategy, you won’t be able to use it without leads. In short, lead generation is absolutely essential to your business’s success. Another component that sometimes gets confused with lead generation is appointment setting.

The confusion is certainly understandable; after all, if you’re setting appointments, aren’t you also generating leads for your sales team? To answer this question, we need to pinpoint the key differences between lead generation and appointment setting .

We invite you to join our discussion below as we explain how these two components differ and what that means to your overall sales strategy. If you’d like to contact us to further discuss generating leads for your company, be sure to stick around until the end for more information.

As we discussed in our previous article, lead generation is the process of attracting clients to your business, with the end result being closing the sale. Here, clients are your leads, and your marketing efforts help generate those leads. 

Just like it sounds, appointment setting is the process of scheduling meetings between your prospective clients and your sales team. Think of this like a warm handoff, where you do the legwork to set up the meeting, and your sales team takes it from there.

Appointment setting can be a highly lucrative method if handled correctly by all parties involved. A successful appointment setter is a master of conversation and uses a friendly and personable tone to recommend scheduling a meeting to discuss their company’s products or services further.

Moreover, appointment setters typically have a very good understanding of their company’s products or services, which is necessary in securing a sales discussion. As such, organizations will often outsource appointment setting to a reputable firm. At ASPEN Media, we can assist you in your company’s efforts to gain new clients.

In addition to conventional appointment setting, there’s also B2B appointment setting. This is often regarded as the final step in lead generation. Here, the prospective client has already shown enough interest in a product or service and has been sufficiently qualified by the sales team. Thus, they are ready to meet with the company’s lead closer to finalize the sale.

As you’ve likely surmised at this point, lead generation and appointment setting share some similarities. However, there are also some notable differences that can help you determine which strategy is better suited to your sales model.

Difference #1: Goals

The primary goal of lead generation is to build a list of prospects who have shown interest in your brand. No appointments are scheduled in this stage, as you are simply amassing as many leads as possible.

The goal of appointment setting is to make a sale or create a partnership. At this point, the client has already been qualified enough to where they are accepting of meeting with the sales team.

Difference #2: Strategies

Lead generation starts and stops with obtaining the lead and handing it over to the company. The appointment setting goes beyond compiling a list of prospects by scheduling a meeting with the sales team.

Difference #3: Procedures

When the sales team sees that the appointment setter has scheduled a meeting on their calendar, they will follow through by communicating with the client and attempting to close the sale. But in lead generation, there can be a number of different outcomes which may or may not end in setting up a meeting.

If you have a strong sales team, an appointment setting is likely the better fit for your business. The good news is that you don’t need a team solely devoted to lead generation or appointment setting. You can hire an outsourcing firm to handle both of these components.

At ASPEN Media, we help our clients build lasting relationships and can provide the tools and resources you need to increase your leads and set appointments.

At ASPEN Media , we excel at meeting our clients’ needs by offering a wide range of services, including outbound , inbound , and back-office services. We strive to build long-term relationships with our clients and develop beneficial cross-referrals. Contact us today at 303-786-9500 to discuss how we can benefit your business. You may also fill out our contact form to get started.

The information in this blog post is for reference only and not legal advice. As such, you should not decide whether to contact a lawyer based on the information in this blog post. Moreover, there is no lawyer-client relationship resulting from this blog post, nor should any such relationship be implied. If you need legal counsel, please consult a lawyer licensed to practice in your jurisdiction.

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