Thoughtful Thursdays – Prospect more effectively…
…and sales will develop faster. It makes sense, but as always what sounds easy is not often easy to accomplish.
Today’s thought is about the task of prospecting and how one can work on improving the number of prospects generated. We are talking about new opportunities with new customers, not your existing customer base. The more new prospects you have on the go, the more likely sales will grow faster. In addition when one falls off the list, the less impact it will have on your sales projections.
Before beginning we talk about making improvements, let’s first consider where your prospects are coming from right now.
- Referrals
- Direct sales calls
- Ad campaigns
- Networking
- Other marketing activities
Through some analysis of the current situation, choose which of the sources where you want to improve prospect generation numbers. The analysis may be based on dollars or time spent against the number of prospects generated for any particular activity. In other words, are you getting the bang for your buck that you are expecting.
If it is referrals, does every one of your customers know that you are seeking referrals? If not, develop and action plan to let them know.
Use a focused approach when making direct calls rather than shotgun. This requires pre-call planning to identify prospects who are most likely to be interested in your products and/or services. Criteria might include their sales revenues, the industry, number of employees, location or financial health.
Are your ad campaigns reaching the intended audience with the necessary frequency. Review and analyze the current results.
When you network, be sure to let people you meet know what you are seeking. Do not assume they will connect the dots. Also be mindful that it may take several meetings and conversations before your name may be passed to a prospect.
It may be beneficial to consider adding an new prospecting approach to your toolkit.
No matter how you prospect, have a plan with objectives an measure the results. Tracking your top prospects and setting activity priorities accordingly will make the best use of your time and keep your sales cycle from lengthening unnecessarily.
Good selling,
Richard
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