To catch up on part 1 click here now…
Last month, we looked at how MSPs are throwing away an average of $50,238.64 in annual profits just by failing to implement systems and processes to make sure their inbound leads aren’t slipping through the cracks. Did you take action immediately after to ensure that you aren’t one of those MSPs letting cash fly out your window? I pray to the marketing gods that you did. This month, we’re going to tackle the next way that MSPs burn profits — failing to get your leads to schedule and actually show up to KEEP (or “sit”) the appointment.
I’m Going To Reveal One EASY Way To Boost Your Number Of SET And SAT Appointments
Quick poll — would you be more likely to book and show up for an appointment if …
- A) You had to fill out an online form, had no idea if anyone even saw your form submission request, had to wait a day for someone to email you to schedule a time, had to go through the annoying phone-tag game to find a time that worked for you both, and then hoped they put it on their calendar and remembered and were prepped for your meeting, or …
- B) You had the option on their website to select a time on a calendar that worked for you and received personalized reminders about that appointment that assured they were prepared to meet with you?
Option B (which I’m sure you chose) uses what we call an appointment booking software (ABS), an online calendar scheduling tool that allows users to self-schedule an appointment based on your set availability and ideally sends reminders of booked appointments to leads. Examples of ABS are AppointmentCore, Calendly, Microsoft Booking, and ScheduleOnce.
An ABS can increase the number of SET and SAT Appointments by 20% (some ABS companies like TimeTrade boast increased sales-meeting bookings of 30% as reported by their customers, but I think that’s a smidge inflated). How, you ask, does an ABS get you 20% more appointments booked?
Leads can instantly self-schedule. A lead can immediately select a date and time on a live webpage that fits with THEIR schedule. They choose the time that’s best for them and also works with your availability.
Leads can instantly self-schedule while they’re HOT. The ideal place for an ABS to be placed is immediately after the web form where they’ve filled out their information. They are interested RIGHT NOW in your services, so capture and SET that appointment NOW while they’re still focused on you.
Leads can instantly self-schedule, while they’re HOT, in the way they want to book. Surveys show that a good percentage of people wish to schedule appointments online compared to other means. Let them book with you how they want.
Leads can instantly self-schedule, while they’re HOT, in the way they want to book without wasting your time or your employees’ time. Everybody has been in that “pingpong scheduling game” before, with multiple emails back and forth, trying to find a time that works for both of you.
Leads can instantly self-schedule, while they’re HOT, in the way they want to book, without wasting your time or your employees’ time, and get reminders to show up prepared to be sold. Your ABS should ideally integrate with your CRM to kick off automated reminder emails, texts, and calls to “wow them” and prep them for your meeting. At the very least, reminders should be sent from the ABS.
Did I Mention That An ABS Is Incredibly INEXPENSIVE To Implement And Can Surge Profits?
AppointmentCore (the ABS we use internally at Technology Marketing Toolkit and what we recommend to MSPs, especially those who use Infusionsoft) is as low as $27/month! Some others are even free. (Check out ToolkitLive.com/appointment-core for a free trial for AppointmentCore.)
Take a look at how this significantly impacts your bottom line:
MSP Averages
- New Leads: 72 (6 per month)
- Appointments Sat: 35 (48% of leads end up in appointments)
- Proposals Generated: 24 (69% of appointments end up in a proposal)
- Closed Deals: 12 (50% of proposals are won)
- Average First Year: $25,119.32
Total Annual Payout: $301,431.84
Last month, we tackled new leads and how we can easily increase that number by 20% to increase our new leads to 86. If we can now increase the number of SET and SAT appointments by 20% JUST by using an ABS, then we can see just how much that can drastically increases your annual payout.
Increase Number Set And Sat Appointments By 20% (Rounded)
- New Leads: 86
- Appointments Sat: 58 (68% of leads)
- Proposals Generated: 40 (69%)
- Closed Deals: 20 (50%)
- Average First Year: $25,119.32
- Total Annual Payout: $502,386.40
Holy Toledo, Batman! Talk about a massive ROI on a $27/month spend!
6 Critical Things To Consider When Choosing An ABS
There are a few very important things to consider when choosing an ABS:
Does it integrate with your primary calendar(s)? You will need the ABS to reflect availability shown in your primary calendar (for most, this is Outlook) and to pass appointments over to your primary calendar. It needs to sync both ways.
Does it integrate with your CRM? This is a must. Once an appointment is booked, this needs to be automatically sent over to your CRM so the contact record custom fields are updated and put into an automated reminder sequence by applying tags.
Can it allow for multiple users on single calendars? As you grow your business, you will need multiple salespeople to be on a single calendar to allow for more appointments. Don’t choose a scheduling software that doesn’t allow for multiple users.
Does it allow for reschedules? Again, let’s cut back on the scheduling pingpong game and allow leads to self-reschedule as well.
Does it allow for an easy and enjoyable end-user experience? If it’s clunky, ugly, and hard to navigate, it will actually deter leads from setting appointments. Pro Tip: Have a high school kid try to set an appointment from their cellphone. Could they do it easily in minutes?
Does it have a free trial? Try before you buy to make sure it is what you need and does what you want. For a free trial of AppointmentCore, go to ToolkitLive.com/appointment-core.
Take 20 minutes RIGHT NOW and sign up for a trial for an ABS of your choosing and start reaping the benefits.
