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7 Power-Packed Prospecting
Pointers
by Bill Brooks
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He that questioneth much shall learn much, said Francis Bacon. Nowhere in sales
is that statement truer than in the prospecting phase of selling. As part of that
strategy, let 's examine a basic but important principle of value-based selling:
In a crowded marketplace, all other things being equal, the one
with
the most information, who applies it most effectively, wins.
Translating that statement into a prospecting principle that you
can use in your sales career gives us what can be called:
Power-Packed Prospecting Principle I:
The most productive sentence in the salesperson s vocabulary always ends with a question
mark!
Good prospecting is a matter of developing a solid game plan that
works well for you, then following that game plan to the letter.
The Prospecting Pointers
We have tested lots of ideas for Power-Packed Prospecting with leading salespeople
in all fields. These seven are our gems we have collected through more than 25 years
of experience in sales training and consulting.
Although you may be an established sales professional, you ll
probably find several of them useful. In fact, I guarantee it:
1.Treat prospecting as the lifeblood of your sales career.
Not the clichéd definition, but what I call Power-Packed Prospecting:
Focus on quality. It is the only way you can spend most of your
prime time with qualified prospects. It is also the only way you can have enough
hours in a week to be successful.
Focus on quantity. Your success depends on having enough solid
sales leads.
Focus on consistency. A steady supply of qualified prospects can
enable you to avoid slumps and plateaus, eliminate call reluctance and procrastination,
and keep you from pressuring current customers.
Do it now. Increasing your prospecting effectiveness is the fastest
single way to boost your sales and income.
2. Treat prospecting as your most valuable time management
tool. Remember that you are always looking for ways to better leverage your
time:
Use it to avoid wasting prime time on people who are not qualified
to say yes.
Use it to ensure that you will always have enough qualified prospects
to keep you productively busy.
Avoid time wasting through sloppy or haphazard prospecting.
3. Take an organized approach. Never keep leads
on scraps of paper or post-it notes. Use a contact management program. Whichever
platform you choose, select one that ensures you will never:
Lose or forget about valuable leads.
Be late on promised follow-up calls and visits.
Waste time looking for lost information.
Improperly value your prospect inventory.
Fail to do mailings and other footwork due to a disorganized prospect
list.
Become a compulsive procrastinator when it comes to developing
your prospect inventory.
4. Remain alert for suspects who have the potential to
become qualified prospects: In today s fast-paced society, people s needs
may change rapidly and radically, giving you prospects where you had never thought
to look.
Develop a prospecting mindset that automatically asks, Is this
person a prospect?
Assume all suspects are prospects until proven otherwise.
Keep looking for new places to find prospects.
Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with everyone who
can give you leads or open doors for you.
Take full advantage of every effort by your organization to generate
leads. Maintain close alignment with your marketing department.
Make it your policy always to secure referrals from satisfied
customers.
5. Stay in constant touch with active prospects through
phone calls, periodic mailings, and personal contacts. Keep in mind the
ěTop of the Consciousness Principleî which states that:
The only certain way to ensure your customers think of you first
is through frequent, repetitious contact.
Others are always competing for a finite amount of your prospect
s attention and dollars.
You never know when your prospect s motivation to buy will suddenly,
dramatically increase.
You need to be sure that he or she thinks of you or your product
first when they evaluate how to fulfill their business needs.
6. Rework your suspect inventory regularly to try to upgrade
suspects to the status of qualified prospects. A good filing system will
help tremendously:
Learn to use the telephone in a professional, pleasant, and business-like
manner. Then use it regularly.
Constantly search for people who can give you a referral for every
suspect on your list. Or, better still, will they make a contact for you?
Look everywhere for the slightest clue that the suspect s buying
status might be changing.
7. Continually upgrade your prospecting system and strategies:
For a steady flow of fresh ideas, you should read books, journals,
magazines and business news, listen to CD s, invest in CD Roms, watch videos, attend
seminars, and talk to other successful salespeople.
Above all, keep a positive attitude about prospecting. Make a
game out of it.
The key to a successful sale is knowing how to open. And it all
starts with an organized, systematic approach to prospecting. After all, without
an adequate supply of prospects who would you sell your product or service to, anyway?
Bill Brooks is CEO of The Brooks
Group, an international sales training and business growth firm based in Greensboro
NC. For more information visit www.thebrooksgroup.com.
If you would like to receive The Brooks Group's free e-mail monthly sales or sales
management newsletter e-mail: Barbara@thebrooksgroup.com
or call The Brooks Group at 800-633-7762
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