Is Appointment Setting Legitimate? Expert Shares 3 Years of Experience
Appointment setting often gets a bad rap as one of those questionable "gigs" that promises big money for little effort. However, as someone who has worked in the appointment setting industry for over 3 years, I can tell you that it is very much a legitimate job.
When done right, an appointment setting role can be engaging and lucrative. However, it does require effort and the right skills to be successful. In this post, I‘ll share what exactly appointment setters do, is it really a "real" job, how much money you can make, the pros and cons of the role, and tips to thrive based on my experience.
What Does an Appointment Setter Do?
An appointment setter is responsible for initiating contacts and setting up appointments between potential customers (leads) and sales teams. Typically, we focus on high-ticket services or products like coaching programs, software platforms, large consulting projects, etc.
On a day-to-day basis, the role involves a lot of outreach through email and social media platforms like LinkedIn. Our goal is to engage leads through personalized messaging, qualify them based on needs and budget, and then book those that are interested onto a call with a sales rep.
It‘s a numbers game – the more qualified appointments you can book, the better. Top performers aim to schedule 3-5 new appointments per day.
So in summary, appointment setters act as the critical link between sales teams and new potential customers. We help convert cold outreach and interest into hot leads and scheduled appointments.
Is Appointment Setting A Legitimate Job?
Given the nature of the work, some people assume appointment setting is some shady scam. However, it is very much a real job that requires effort and skill to do well.
Successful appointment setters need to master communication, persuasion, and qualifying skills. It‘s often repetitive and challenging work, contacting dozens of prospects every day and facing constant rejection.
Legitimate companies rely heavily on capable appointment setters to hit their sales targets. The best setters have a direct impact on revenue and growth. Top performers are well-compensated.
So in short – yes, it is absolutely a real job. Those that put in the effort can find financial success in it.
What Is The Earning Potential?
As with most sales roles, what you earn is closely tied to performance. There are primarily two pay structures:
- Base Salary + Commission
Some companies pay a modest base salary ($30-40k) plus commission on booked appointments that convert into won deals. Commissions typically pay out 10-25% of the total deal value. High performers can comfortably earn 6 figures.
- Pure Commission
Other appointment setting gigs are pure commission-only, paying a set bounty (e.g. $100) per booked appointment. In these roles pay is 100% correlated with results. Top performers can again make $100k+, but the income volatility is higher.
Besides the pay structure, earnings also come down to other factors like offer price point and conversion rates. But needless to say – the earning potential as an appointment setter runs high. Just know that there is higher risk with commission-only roles.
The Pros and Cons of Appointment Setting Jobs
Pros:
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Work flexibility: Most roles allow remote work or flex schedules. You usually set your own hours.
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Unlimited earning potential: As outlined above, if you have the skills and work ethic, you can make well over $100k as a top performer.
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Less "office politics": You are usually judged on performance alone, not who you know or office politics.
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Faster career growth: Prove yourself as a top setter, and you can quickly get promoted to leadership roles. Ambitious entrepreneurs can also branch out and start their own agencies.
Cons:
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Inconsistent income: You likely won‘t make much starting out. Income fluctuates week-to-week and is 100% correlated with your results.
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Stress and rejection: Having to make dozens of cold calls and pitches every day facing constant rejection wears people down over time if strategies are not in place.
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Can be mundane work: The repetitive nature of outreach and data entry isn‘t very exciting long-term for some people.
So in summary – appointment setting allows for lots of flexibility, high pay for top performers but comes with higher volatility and stress as well. It‘s not for everyone but offers opportunities those willing to put in the effort.
Keys to Succeeding as an Appointment Setter
While appointment setting jobs have upsides, you do need to employ the right strategies and put in real effort to thrive. Here are five must-have skills:
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Communication abilities – You need to craft compelling messaging and be smooth on sales calls.
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Qualifying expertise – Identify real buyer needs and weed out tire kickers.
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Persuasion prowess – Overcome objections, build rapport quickly, close effectively.
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Resiliency – You‘ll face constant rejection. Build mental toughness.
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Work ethic – Treat it like running your own business. And outwork others.
Beyond abilities, there are also technical appointment setting best practices around optimizing outreach processes, improving conversion metrics and more. But at its core – results come down to effort and skills applied consistently.
My 3 Year Appointment Setting Journey
After college, I knew I wanted a more entrepreneurial career path that allowed me to control my schedule and earning potential. I explored a bunch of online jobs before discovering and trying out appointment setting.
My First Year – Building Core Skills
That first year was mostly about trial and error and building foundational skills. I made every mistake possible – from poorly qualifying leads to not personalizing outreach.
But over time and through sheer effort (50-60 cold calls daily), I improved my closing percentages. I focused intensely on feedback from sales reps I set appointments with to improve.
The biggest lessons from my first year were:
- Income volatility is high. Some weeks I made $2000, others almost nothing. Managing finances through fluctuations was important.
Getting into a consistent daily outreach rhythm and tracking metrics religiously were key. - Meeting the minimum threshold for scheduled appointments daily removed income variability concerns.
Second Year – Doubling Down and Getting Promoted
Coming off my first year, I felt I had a good handle on the fundamentals. So in year two I got laser-focused on ramping production. Within six months I was scheduling 8-10 appointments per week, twice the company requirement.
The increased results got me noticed, and I was offered a hybrid appointment setter/junior sales role supporting a new product line. My base salary increased by 20%, commissions stepped up, and I got exciting new responsibilities.
The biggest lessons from my second year were:
- Saying "no" more. Only booking highly qualified appointments and declining time wasters improved conversion rates.
- Leveraging multi-channel outreach across LinkedIn, email, and cold calling was critical to scale lead generation.
- Beginning to specialize and carve out a niche made me an invaluable domain expert.
Third Year and Beyond – Leveraging Expertise
Now in my third year, I‘ve 10x‘ed my starting income. I lead a small team of five appointment setters while still directly supporting niche sales reps focused on the high-tech market.
My domain expertise in the tech space combined with salesmanship allows me to selectively work with influential execs and book premium appointments. I focus purely on Fortune 500 type prospects for selected offers due to experience.
At this stage, I cherry pick the projects and teams I want to contribute to while coaching up junior setters to build their skills like I did. I still grind daily but on my terms – usually 25-30 booked appointments monthly.
The key lessons I want to reinforce are:
- Specialization brought more leads than I could handle and the flexibility to pick ideal roles.
- Mastery in qualifying, communication and closing continues opening incremental opportunities.
- Appointment setting excellence over the long-run leads to career capital and compounding rewards.
In summary, I‘ve built up sought-after expertise that gives me control over how much I work and earn. But it took consistent effort over years to get here.
Advice for Those Considering Appointment Setting Roles
First, know that appointment setting is undoubtedly legitimate professional work. But it takes real effort and skills development to thrive.
When evaluating roles, watch out for sketchy commission-only gigs with no base salary. While possible to succeed in them, they carry additional risk. Ideal set up for beginners involves a modest base salary plus commissions.
Be mentally prepared for income fluctuations and rejection rates upwards of 90% even for good setters. Consider part-time work initially to smooth earnings until you build skills.
Commit to self-improvement every week. Seek out mentorship from top billers in your company. Study sales frameworks on the side. Carefully analyze metrics daily to make incremental gains.
With deliberate and focused efforts over 12-18 months, top performers can realistically earn $75-100k+. But it takes patience and persistence. Not a get-rich-quick scheme by any means.
The Final Word
So there you have it – the real truth from my three years of experience on what appointment setting jobs entail, whether they are legitimate, earning potential, ups and downs, success strategies and more.
While often misconstrued as dodgy sales gigs, appointment setting is essential professional services work. When done right, ethical companies rely heavily on capable appointment setters to drive revenue. Master communicators and relationship builders can thrive financially.
But mediocrity also gets brutally exposed due to the metrics-driven nature of the job. If you have the perseverance and work ethic to get really good over time, appointment setting offers an exciting and lucrative career path.
I‘m happy to answer any other questions you may have on my experience! Leave a comment below, and I‘ll respond.