Sales Planning and Sales Consulting Articles
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To keep your pipeline full sales consultant and sales planning specialist Alan McAnally offers 10 key tips for professional and effective prospecting.
- Prospect every day, even when you are busy with other immediate sales opportunities.
- Send a well though-out mailing to your prospect/suspect list in advance and avoid the dreaded brush off: " Send me some literature." Target them with a product/service on which they can concentrate.
- Qualify your initial prospect list yourself. Eliminate the obvious. Don't spend time on wasted calls.
- Organize your prospect list by geography, estimate business potential and other priority considerations.
- Get referrals and suggestions from your customers, clients or networking sources. These are often the best source of potential business.
- Rehearse what you're going to say when you speak with the prospect. Being prepared will strengthen the initial impression you make.
- Call when you might catch your prospects alone. The hours of 7 a.m. through 8:30 a.m. or 5: p.m. thorugh 6:30 p.m. can be surprisingly productive.
- Be persistent. Leave a brief voice mail or a note on the back of your business card when you can't connect. If not overdone, several messages can establish your name and your message in the prospect's mind.
- Make lots of contacts. "The numbers game" isn't always the answer, but if over time you make a large number of calls to identify new business, you will succeed.
- Most important of all, don't forget to LISTEN. The best salespeople listen and use information they gather to meet their customers' needs and close business.
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