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Part Two - Prospecting for More Sales

Written by: Lawrence Atkinson

Article Overview: In this series, we explore all the different avenues of prospecting necessary for a business to succeed. Think of your business as a a beautiful garden, and then consider all the things you need to do to keep that garden beautiful and growing, rather than dreary, dead or decaying. Need help with Prospecting? Feel free to get in touch with us via our website.

Part Two - Prospecting for More Sales

Part Two

So, how can you make sure that potential customers turn to you rather than your opposition? One thing you can do is put into operation a Prospecting Plan. It will not solve all your problems but it will give you a basis from which to build your own program for business growth.

The eight steps of your plan should be:

1. Build Communication Skills
2. Be Assertive
3. Be Excellent at Networking
4. Have a Good Client Contact System
5. Be Very Visible
6. Portray a Good Image
7. Maintain a Good Reputation
8. Be Good at Record Keeping

Communication Skills

Selling is a people business. You have to like people, and you have to show that you like them. Whether you're dealing with a large company or a smaller company, you are still dealing with people.

You have to learn to love your customer, after all it is the customer that puts bread on your table, provides a roof under which you live, and allows you to drive that expensive motor car. If we didn't have customers, we wouldn't have much.

If you are approachable and helpful, if people feel comfortable with you, then they will turn to you, rather than the other person, when the time comes to buy.

Communication Skills involve good listening and questioning skills, but that is a whole other topic and one which will not be covered in depth in this article.

Assertiveness

Being assertive does not mean being aggressive!

Make sure people know what you do for a living. If people don't know what you do for a living you're not giving them the chance to deal with you or to tell others what you do. It would be stupid to try aggressive selling on your social acquaintances.

What you do for a living is an important part of you. It inevitably comes up in conversation. One of the first questions people ask is: "What do you do for a living?"

So don't be shy. Don't hold back. Learn to develop your “Audio Logo” as I’ve heard it described. If an acquaintance is looking for the product or service you provide and doesn't contact you, you're obviously doing something wrong. Make sure people know what you have to offer, and be certain that you're the type of person they'll want to deal with.

Continued in Part Three

Related Articles
  Sales Prospecting Techniques
  Sales Prospecting for Sales Results
  Sales Prospecting
  Prospecting it is simple only DOING counts
  Sales Management, Prospecting, and a Sense of Urgency©

Article Tags: acquaintance, assertiveness, audio logo, business growth, communication skills, contact system, eight steps, good reputation, listening and questioning skills, networking, opposition, smaller company, social acquaintances, what do you do for a living



Related Forum Posts
Prime Means of Selling - Prospecting and Selling aren't the same. Prospecting is finding the few within a target group who are prime candidates for your service. I don't think everyone will agree on what "prime" means but I'd say if the prospects actively want what you're offering and have the ability to pay for what you're offering then they qualify as "prime".
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Patent information - I'm also interested in Part 2. Thanks.
Patent Process - Interesting to hear your experiences with the patent process - what's Part 2?


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