Picture this: it’s Monday morning after a busy weekend. You sit down at your desk with a hot cup of joe, ready to get the week started. You open your laptop to respond to a list of emails and send time-sensitive documents to your boss. But, surprise—the office’s servers are down! Your boss is calling you, pressing you to get those files sent over ASAP. You’re now in trouble because they said they needed those documents first thing in the morning, and the situation is out of your control. What was initially supposed to be a smooth, productive morning has turned into utter chaos.
We’ve all been there—the servers are down, the network isn’t connecting, or worse, and you don’t have a reliable IT provider to tend to your issues when you need them most. When COVID-19 came into our world, IT services became more crucial to our day-to-day tasks than ever before.
In April 2021, an Atlanta-based IT company contacted us to help them reach out to businesses interested in making a switch in IT providers. The client had tried several outbound sales programs before, but none quite cut it for them. They had spent over $150,000 in the last four years on various B2B lead generation programs and ended up empty-handed every time. But Abstrakt is different. Our guarantee is backed by real-time data that proves our model works for IT companies and other niche industries.
The client decided to put all their eggs into our basket, and they haven’t looked back since. In less than four months, our sales team was able to provide a successful opportunity that gave them the quickest IT/MSP closing deal in the history of the company.
How’d we do it, you ask? Well, let’s dive deeper into the partnership, starting with implementation month.
May: Setting the Client up for Success
Before sales development representatives (SDRs) hop on the phones and make dials for new clients, the client must collaborate with implementation managers to develop a plan of action for their B2B appointment setting services. Each appointment setting partnership starts with a month of planning to ensure that clients get the opportunities they want for their business.
Throughout the implementation process, each IT client works with the implementation manager to identify the following components:
- Region: Our partnerships are based on specific regions. We do this to ensure each opportunity is easily accessible for the client and that we don’t partner with competitors in the same area. Our partnerships are exclusive, so businesses don’t have to worry about us working with competitors and creating conflicts of interest. This particular IT client wanted to target companies in five counties within the Atlanta metro.
- Key decision-makers: Key decision-makers (KDMs) are the individuals with whom SDRs aim to set appointments. KDMs are required for appointments because they have financial and decision-making power for a specific product or service. This client wanted to set appointments with IT decision makers or individuals who handle contracts, such as business owners and C-Level executives.
- Appointment qualifiers: Setting appointment qualifiers is essential to a successful B2B partnership. It gives clients the opportunities they want and ensures that SDRs aren’t setting appointments with little to no value. This client wanted to partner with organizations that have 5-200 workstations and are interested in discussing MSP partnerships, IT project work, or consulting services.
- Industries served: Some businesses have more success in particular industries than others, so we also consider the industries SDRs contact. This client had the most success with property management, law, insurance, chiropractic, and engineering companies, so they wanted to call on these industries in their region to get more business opportunities.
June 1: Building the Sales Pipeline
June 1 marked the kickoff of our B2B partnership with this IT client. During the first month of being live, SDRs focus on building the sales pipeline. Since no calls have been made to prospective businesses yet, it’s unlikely to score a great business opportunity this early.
It typically takes 90 days for IT clients to go from their first dial to their first appointment. These deals usually take longer to develop because businesses are cautious when it comes to their IT services—as they should be. Making a switch from one IT company to another is a hesitant process for prospects because their businesses handle a lot of sensitive information, including financial and customer personal information.
Within the first month of being live, the goal is to start building the sales pipeline and developing brand awareness. During the first month live on the phones, SDRs focus on the following:
- Prospecting and cleansing: Strategic prospecting is the key to a sustainable appointment setting program. SDRs are trained to call businesses and cleanse prospects. Cleansing prospects means that the SDRs gather the qualifying criteria of a prospective business. If a prospect in the sales pipeline doesn’t meet the client’s standards, it’s suspended from the sales pipeline and no longer called on for that client.
- Communicating with prospects: The channel of communication and the frequency of how often you contact prospective businesses play a significant role in the outcome of your B2B appointment setting efforts. Using platforms like Salesforce Sales Cloud allows SDRs to effectively communicate with prospects when the timing is best for them.
- Nurturing and qualifying leads: Following up with prospects is key to developing a sustainable sales pipeline. Most appointments set by SDRs come from businesses that were initially not interested in changing their current outsourced service provider. Routinely following up with prospects to identify pain points and develop a timeline ensures the SDRs sustain those relationships with KDMs.
- Creating top-of-mind awareness: B2B appointment setting ensures our clients have top-of-mind awareness with prospects. When issues arise with current providers, our client’s company should be the first business they think of when they’re looking to make a switch.
June 21: First Appointment Set
An SDR scheduled the client’s first appointment on June 21, only three weeks after their program went live. In just two phone calls, the SDR set up a meeting with the systems administrator of a local staffing solutions company that was looking to implement Office 365 for over 100 workstations.
The client attended the meeting with the prospective business, but unfortunately, the opportunity fell through. At the time, no technology support was needed for the prospect. However, both the client and the prospective business agreed to follow up in the future if things changed with their current provider. Although the initial meeting between the client and the prospective company didn’t result in a business deal, they were able to make a connection and now have the opportunity to build the relationship over time.
June 28: Second Appointment Set
On June 28, a second appointment was set for the IT client. In only one call, a prospect went from a cold lead to scheduling a meeting. An SDR called an engineering company and spoke with the office manager who is responsible for handling contracts. During this conversation, the SDR learned that the company had had an IT partner for a few years but that they weren’t thrilled with their services. The office manager explained that they had insufficient response times and required them to switch to a cloud-based platform when they weren’t interested in switching from their current solution.
The SDR took these pain points given by the prospect and used them to favor our IT client. They highlighted the client’s around-the-clock response time, so they don’t have to worry about not reaching a trusted IT support representative.
Our SDR also empathized with them about switching to a purely cloud-based model. While many IT providers are switching to cloud-based models, some businesses aren’t ready for it. In addition, changing to a cloud-based model can risk temporary network downtime, which many companies can’t afford. The SDR highlighted that our IT client wouldn’t require them to make changes if they’re not ready and that they’ll always do what’s in the best interest of their customers.
After adding value to the pain points of the prospect, the office manager agreed to set up an appointment with the IT client. During this meeting, the office manager wanted to learn more about pricing options and the services provided. In addition, the prospect also wanted to see the impact the client has had on other local businesses. The SDR suggested the client bring case studies so they could highlight their impact.
Sept. 22: 24-Month MSP Deal Closed
Between June and September, the SDR set nine more appointments for the client. While these appointments are still in the pitching and business development stages, one appointment had a proposal out—the second appointment that was set on June 28.
Our IT client and the prospective business met several times to discuss how they could form a partnership. The client submitted a proposal to the prospect highlighting the costs and services provided. After negotiations, they came to an agreement, and a business partnership was formed.
Since the SDR was able to contact the right business at the right time, the client and prospective business developed a 24-month contract for $595 of monthly recurring revenue (MRR) for MSP services. For the next two years, the client now has at least an additional $14,280 in revenue. Our sales expertise to schedule an appointment and the client’s ability to close the deal in such a quick turnaround make them the fastest IT/MSP client to close business with our B2B appointment setting program.
What Does the Client’s Future Look Like With Abstrakt?
If there’s one thing the client has seen from our process, it’s that it works. In under four months, the client went from a new partner unsure of how successful their results would be—given their previous experience with outsourced lead generation companies—to a loyal, lifetime partner.
Since the IT client has seen tremendous success in only their first four months of the program, they’re confident in what we have to provide for them. They’re already looking at additional markets to tap into and have referred our services to several other companies in the Atlanta region. If we’re able to provide such significant success to their business, why wouldn’t we be able to do the same for other companies in Atlanta?
In addition to the B2B appointment setting program, we offer services that help businesses optimize their digital presence. This IT client is also looking to implement video production services and add other marketing collateral to their lead generation program to increase branding and set themselves apart from competitors. These sales-focused videos are great additions to the program because they can be embedded into their website, social media platforms, and email marketing campaigns.
Ready, Set, Let’s Grow
As a leading B2B lead generation company, Abstrakt Marketing Group has growth at its core. We help companies like our IT client set appointments and close business.
Our four-step process is simple:
- Cleanse prospective businesses
- Introduce the company, creating top-of-mind awareness
- Nurture leads in the pipeline
- Set qualified appointments
We know you’re busy with running a successful business and keeping operations in check, which is why we want to take the weight of generating more revenue off your shoulders. From the mouth of our IT client: We’re not like other lead generation programs because our process works. And we know this is true because it’s the same process we use to grow our clientele.
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