Definition
Appointment setting is the part of outbound sales that turns a cold prospect into a booked meeting. The appointment setter doesn't try to close the deal. Their job is to start the conversation, check that the prospect is a reasonable fit, and get a meeting on the calendar with the person who will sell.
How It Works
The appointment setter works through a list of prospects by phone. When they reach someone, they open the call, ask one or two questions to check fit, and then ask for a short meeting, ideally offering two specific times. Once the prospect agrees, the setter sends a calendar invite and a short note to the seller with what they learned on the call.
A good setter measures success by meetings that actually happen and are worth having, not just meetings booked. A common mistake is rewarding the setter only for meetings booked. That pushes them to book anyone who says yes.
Count meetings that actually take place, and ask the seller to flag meetings that were a poor fit, so the setter learns what a good one looks like..