3 Strategies To Build A Better List
Get prospecting right and the rest of the sales process will take care of itself. It’s true – There’s very little that can positive impact the sale more than prospecting. If you master the art of identifying and finding the right prospect, the rest of your sales process will just fall into place.
Can it really be that easy? Well yes and no. Prospecting is crucial to the success of your overall sales process. While you still have to be good at the other pieces of the sales process (rapport building, discovery, listening etc..) the better you are at prospecting the easier the rest of the sale will be.
Why? Because Get prospecting right and the rest of the sales process will take care of itself. It’s true – There’s very little that can positive impact the sale more than prospecting. If you master the art of identifying and finding the right prospect, the rest of your sales process will just fall into place.
But for many salespeople, prospecting can seem like a waste of time. And endless stream of researching, looking for and trying to put together a list of people to call on – the dreaded prospect list. And we get it, if you are just randomly adding people to your list without any thought or research as to why then you’re right – prospecting will be a waste of time.
However, if you think about it from the return on investment point of view you will see why prospecting is so important. Sales calls are the most expensive investment you will ever make. They take time, energy and resources without any guarantee of return.
So, wouldn’t it make sense, wouldn’t it be logical to invest the time on choosing the best people to call on? The better you understand who will buy from you, the better you will be able to identify the right prospect. The better prospect you choose, the more likely you will close the deal.
Yes, it is that simple!
3 Strategies To Build A Better List
- Know Your Avatar – first you need to know your avatar. Your type that is. Here’s a news flash – not everyone wants to do business with you. Here’s another news flash – you don’t want to do business with everyone. And you know what we mean – we all have those customers, those clients that drive us crazy. In fact, a trip to the dentist sounds like a better idea then spending one more minute calling on them.
The better you understand your type, the better you know your ideal customer, the better you can choose your prospects. Here’s a strategy. Write down your top 10 clients – those clients you love, they love you, they buy your products, they pay your price. When you write these clients down you will start to see themes.
They may be in the same industry, they may hold the same position, they may be in the same age range, have similarities in their career, be family-oriented, or all share a similar vision for their companies. Whatever they are, the more themes you can recognize, the more you can use this information to choose better prospects.
2. Find Out Where They Live – once you know who your prospects are, what they love, what similarities they share, the better you can identify where they hang out, what they do, and where they live so to speak. This will give you a chance to go to these places, and connect and meet your prospects in a nice, easy and relaxing way. Allowing you to meet your potential prospects before they become your actual prospects.
3. Give It Time – remember prospecting is about meeting “potential” clients. Those people that you have identified that would make a good customer. And winning a customer for the long-term takes time. So, don’t be too anxious to move from the “getting to know you phase” to the talking business phase. Let the relationship build, and trust that if you do that right the business will come.
Prospecting is the foundation of any good sale. Focus your time and energy on getting the prospecting right, and your chance of opening more doors and closing more sales will dramatically improve.
Would love to know your thoughts, hear your ideas for better prospecting!
High energy and highly interactive, Business Growth Strategist Meridith Elliott Powell’s keynotes, workshops and innovative coaching programs help leaders and business owners learn the new rules of success today, including how today’s economy has changed, how that has changed today’s customers and employees, and specifically how that impacts your business.
