How to Hire B2C Appointment Setters
One of the hardest things about selling your product or service is finding potential buyers. Prospecting for customers can be an emotionally draining and time-consuming task. By hiring part-time, business-to-consumer (B2C) appointment setters to contact consumers for you, you can free up your time and put more of your energy into presenting your product or service to your potential customers.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Create a job description. Clearly define the expectations and responsibilities of your ideal appointment setters. This should include their work schedule and hours, descriptions of a qualified appointment and performance and behavioral expectations.
-
2
Develop a compensation plan. Decide whether you want to pay your appointment setters a flat salary, hourly wage, bonus, commissions or a combination. Check your local job boards and papers to see what kind of compensation your competition is offering. Your ideal compensation plan should be slightly higher than the local industry standard. It should also include some type of bonus or commission incentives.
-
-
3
Write your job ad. Keep it engaging, simple and realistic. If you’re going to advertise in newspapers, remember that you’ll pay by the line. So keep out the fluff unless your budget is unlimited. Be as clear as possible about what you want. Getting a bunch of phone calls and resumes from unqualified applicants is nothing but a huge waste of your time.
-
4
Post your job ad. Because your appointment setters will call consumers directly, they will probably be calling from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights. That’s when most people are home. So your ideal candidate is either a student or someone looking for a supplemental part-time job. Consequently, you’ll want to post your ad in newspapers and websites that cater to this demographic. Schools are also a great place to post your ad.
-
5
Screen the resumes. Read the cover letters and resumes carefully. Sloppy grammar often translates to a sloppy work ethic. Look for candidates with experience in cold-calling consumers. Also look for candidates who have experience in your industry even if they haven’t done any actual appointment setting. When in doubt, you can perform a quick preinterview screening over the phone.
-
6
Interview your best applicants. Determine what style of interview works best for your personality and industry. Popular interview styles include behavioral, relational, hypothetical and stress. Write down all of your questions in an interview guide. Practice your interviewing technique with colleagues, friends or family members. Practice until you have it down pat. During the interview, you want to focus on your candidate, not about what you should do or say next.
-
7
Perform background checks. If the interview went well, you’ll want to verify their resume. With the applicant’s permission, contact their past employers, schools and any other references they submitted on their resume, cover letter or job application. Depending on your industry, you may want to perform a criminal and credit history background check.
-
8
Once you’ve successfully identified a candidate who meets your needs, offer them the job. Do it in person whenever possible.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
A well-written job ad speaks only to applicants who have the skill set you want.
Today’s job applicants are well rehearsed in the art of passing an interview. Craft your interview guide to uncover the hidden truth about your applicant.
Finding the right balance of wage and commissions can help you attract a higher level of talent.
Obey all fair labor laws, regulations and guidelines.
Comply with all state and federal telemarketing regulations.
