Prospecting for future customers can be fun if you approach it the right way. It is not a wild goose chase; it is a wild goose HUNT.
Cold prospecting requires you to start from nothing and end up with the name and contact information of the person who can say "yes" to you. If you are in a situation where you have to use cold prospecting as a way to generate sales, you should go in fully prepared. Your goose hunting gear includes both research and creativity.
In order to sell your product to a business, you must first find out who the real decision maker is. This is the fun part.
You should start your research on the internet. It is amazing how much you can find out about a person or a company with Google. Typically, if the business is public, you will find all the information that you need to know on their annual reports. If the company is not a public one, or you simply are not having much luck with their financial statements, then you should look for company press releases. As a matter of fact, before you start all of this digging, try their homepage. Between all of these different methods you will come up with a name and some form of contact information.
Contact information does not need to include their direct phone line (good luck getting that). There are four acceptable means of contacting your future customers ? email, snail mail, fax, and telephone. Gather as much information as you can.
In order to gather enough information you will also need to be creative. This part is more fun than the first part. There are no bounds when trying to engage your future customer and trying to reach the coveted next step ? the appointment. Don't shy away because you feel that your methods might be 'unprofessional.' Salespeople worry too much about professionalism.
Instead, you should try and have fun. By having fun and being creative you will not only enjoy yourself, you will get your future customer to smile. Now that is something that your competition was certainly NOT able to do.
The best way to get your creative juices flowing is to write down what your objective is. Your objective could be to get the email address of the decision maker. With that in mind, think about all the different ways to get an email address. Start by calling and asking for it. If it sounds too simple, then you obviously have not tried it before.
No luck calling, then stop in. If you expertly prepare for a cold call visit, you'll be able to have a hand delivered note to the decision maker accompanying your information. You do not just want to leave you information; you want to get to know the gatekeeper on a first name basis, and ask him/her for the decision maker's business card. This will go smoothly due to the fact that you are already walking in the door with their name. (You should also try and see the decision maker right then on the spot.)
Now you have their business card and you are on a first name basis with the gatekeeper. You are now prepared to expertly engage the decision maker and move on to the next step ? getting the appointment.
When you are prospecting you need to have the guts to try something new. What do you have to lose? You didn't even know their name before. Have some fun and be creative. If you sound like a salesperson, then you are doing something wrong and chances are you aren't having any fun.
Tom Richard is the author of Smart Sales People Don't Advertise: 10 Ways To Outsmart Your Competition With Guerilla Marketing To view this book, or to join Tom's weekly ezine, visit http://www.tomrichard.com/
Do you find yourself making these kinds of assumptions?- "I... Read More
Step 1: Get Ready - Create a foundation you can... Read More
1. Multiply your marketing and advertising efforts on the Internet.... Read More
From a customer's perception, it's easy for a salesperson to... Read More
Assumptions can kill a sale. In my sales training workshops,... Read More
In studies conducted by Motivational Systems of West Orange, New... Read More
I recently found myself suffering from a lousy cold; all... Read More
How do you persuade someone to do what you want... Read More
A study done by the Association of Sales Executives revealed... Read More
I put together this little article because, although basic, we... Read More
Have you ever found a lead on a scrap of... Read More
The reason why you have a job in sales is... Read More
There's an old saying, "Don't air your dirty laundry".If you're... Read More
How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More
Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More
Facilitating the buying process can be very straightforward and fairly... Read More
What are values? Values are filters that everyone uses to... Read More
An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way... Read More
7 Phrases You Can't Say in Sales (Because They Will... Read More
1. They talk instead of LISTEN. Too many salespeople monopolize... Read More
Prospect - "So now that I've told you what we... Read More
A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as... Read More
Three year old Kara was throwing a tantrum. She didn't... Read More
Pareto's Principle {the 80/20 rule) is vividly illustrated in the... Read More
I know you've heard this a thousand times, but from... Read More
Here is a question I recently received from a young... Read More
Imagine you've just thrown a rock into a pond. SPLASH!... Read More
Ever thought to yourself, "If only my team members would... Read More
Did you know that there are specific psychological triggers you... Read More
Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More
I'm constantly amazed how otherwise smart marketeers become deaf, dumb... Read More
Cold calling may now be outdated. People have become defensive... Read More
1. Sign-up to win web site awards. When you win,... Read More
One of the best ways to increase your sales and... Read More
You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or... Read More
Marketing and sales co-exist and work in tandem beautifully if... Read More
Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of... Read More
Many home business owners lament they don't have enough cash... Read More
One of the quickest ways to loose a sale is... Read More
As a trainer, you will be able to see a... Read More
It is always important that you use the right terms... Read More
In our culture it is basically un-American for a prospective... Read More
It has been said that a customer makes a decision... Read More
1. They talk instead of LISTEN. Too many salespeople monopolize... Read More
Here's the thing... you still have to make every marketing... Read More
Some years ago I read and interesting story that illustrated... Read More
When I researched the field of using personality inventories to... Read More
Implement these smart sales marketing secrets and you'll be capable... Read More
There's loads of material about making money available on the... Read More
First and foremost are you thinking Strategically? "Do you have... Read More
From surveys and experience, we've noticed many setting excellent goals... Read More
You could just send out your brochure to potential customers... Read More
During the introduction of the "Stop Selling!" philosophy, we typically... Read More
I know you've heard this a thousand times, but from... Read More
Here's a surefire method to guarantee you achieve the best... Read More
In sales we do tend to become focused upon our... Read More
Using cartoons can help brand your marketing and drive home... Read More
Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More
If you knew a few sure fire ideas that have... Read More
1. Dependability was chosen as the most important.2. Integrity was... Read More
One essential criteria of being a successful salesperson is the... Read More
There are a number of sales closing strategies that you... Read More
Mortgage leads are like a box of chocolates, you never... Read More
If you want a truly successful business, you need to... Read More
You built a very good web site...You have a great... Read More
There is a car commercial running were a husband is... Read More
Sales Training |