No matter how advanced technology becomes, there is never a time when engaging with prospects on a personal level will become obsolete. However, this engagement needs to be highly-focused and strategic to be successful.

Many B2B marketers today are under the impression that engaging with prospects in an effort to set appointments can be accomplished through either digital means or on a more personal level such as a phone call. These same marketers also believe that it is strictly an either/or approach. The truth is, the best way to connect with prospects is by using both methods.

While identifying qualified leads and prospects is accomplished through segmentation, even the most similar prospects will be unique to some degree. Pinpointing these differences will allow you to reach a great deal of leads, while making each of these leads feel like you care specifically about them.

In the past, automated prospecting was unheard of. Instead a sales professional did the prospecting. This is thankfully no longer the case. After all, the time and manpower it took to qualify leads was enormous. The downside, however, to this increased automation is the fact that when a lead is further down the sales funnel it is more difficult to engage them on a more personal level because companies do not have the staff available, or properly trained, to do so.

Setting appointments is the bridge between automated lead qualification and sales conversions. This process is not just a matter of asking for an appointment, it is the ability to show the value in such an appointment. It is explaining what your company has to offer. It is opening the door enough so the prospect is enticed to discover what else you have to offer. By piquing their curiosity and knowing just how to request a meeting, you are helping to cement the success of your sales team when it is time for them to step in and take over.

It is for these reasons that so many companies have made the decision to outsource appointment setting tasks. In most cases, B2B prospects are not going to convert until they talk to a person. But  instead of spending the time and money required to hire and train these specialized employees, outsourcing allows companies to reap the benefits of highly-trained appointment setters while concentrating on conversions.