Prospecting For Business
Prospecting For Business
To cope with the troughs and grow the business beyond a certain point entails making contact with people you don't currently know and persuading enough of them to buy from you.
This is often where it starts to become uncomfortable because the core ability of your key people is to devise and provide the products, services or solutions, not sell them 'cold'. Consequently the idea of prospecting for new business can be a bit daunting and there's a tendency to use the need to meet the demands of existing customers as a reason for not having time to undertake prospecting activities as well.
That's understandable but let's be honest, unless you...
a) Have so much profitable work via referrals both currently and lined up well into the foreseeable future.
b) Are a networker par excellence, known throughout your industry, with people coming to you begging to do business with you.
c) Or are deliberately winding the company down.
...Your company will need to undertake prospecting activities if you want to grow the business. In fact it will probably need to undertake prospecting just to stand still. One reason for this is that there will be times when you lose business through no fault of your own.
Think about it:
A project you've geared up resources to work on progresses so far then gets indefinitely halted; a contract that you've had for several years suddenly isn't renewed; a competitor comes up with a superior or cheaper alternative; the list is potentially endless.
How well placed is your business to weather one or more of these hits? Is your prospecting activity like a well-oiled machine that you can rev up or slow down according to the needs of the business at any given time? Or is it more like a knee jerk reaction to external influences and events?
You need a plan, a scaleable routine and an approach that works for your company, in your industry and your marketplace. And you need the research, contact marketing and sales skills to enable you to:
1) Accurately 'read' what your market wants.
2) Convincingly communicate how your offer meets those requirements better than any of your competitors'.
At some point you're going to have to get to grips with mastering the use of a tool that many people have a real problem with in terms of sales and marketing activities...
Use of the telephone in prospecting:
The telephone itself is just a tool, albeit a potentially very powerful one. And, like any other powerful tool, it can be used by those who don't know what they're doing and cause a lot of damage. Equally, used carefully and intelligently it can produce spectacular results.
Some people dread prospecting via the telephone - so much so that they’d rather not engage in this activity at all or else hive it off and pay someone to make outbound telephone sales calls on their behalf.
A peculiar thing about this attitude is that, as you can see from the above comments, those same people who hate making these prospecting calls will usually, more or less quite happily:
a) Deal with an inbound telephone enquiry.
b) Attend a new business meeting on behalf of their company.
c) Give a presentation.
d) Man an exhibition stand.
e) Introduce themselves to someone they’ve never met before at a networking event or party.
So, tell me please: What’s the main difference and why this big problem with proactively using the telephone to help effect a sale? Learn to do it well and you’ll be streets ahead of the competition.
Happy prospecting!
Prospecting For Business - To learn more about this author, visit Linda Mattacks's Website.
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Many small companies start out by selling their products, services or solutions to existing contacts, and continue to grow the business by referrals. That's fine but in most cases there will be peaks and troughs and referrals alone won't be enough to enable the company to reach its full potential.
To cope with the troughs and grow the business beyond a certain point entails making contact with people you don't currently know and persuading enough of them to buy from you.
This is often where it starts to become uncomfortable because the core ability of your key people is to devise and provide the products, services or solutions, not sell them 'cold'. Consequently the idea of prospecting for new business can be a bit daunting and there's a tendency to use the need to meet the demands of existing customers as a reason for not having time to undertake prospecting activities as well.
That's understandable but let's be honest, unless you...
a) Have so much profitable work via referrals both currently and lined up well into the foreseeable future.
b) Are a networker par excellence, known throughout your industry, with people coming to you begging to do business with you.
c) Or are deliberately winding the company down.
...Your company will need to undertake prospecting activities if you want to grow the business. In fact it will probably need to undertake prospecting just to stand still. One reason for this is that there will be times when you lose business through no fault of your own.
Think about it:
A project you've geared up resources to work on progresses so far then gets indefinitely halted; a contract that you've had for several years suddenly isn't renewed; a competitor comes up with a superior or cheaper alternative; the list is potentially endless.
How well placed is your business to weather one or more of these hits? Is your prospecting activity like a well-oiled machine that you can rev up or slow down according to the needs of the business at any given time? Or is it more like a knee jerk reaction to external influences and events?
You need a plan, a scaleable routine and an approach that works for your company, in your industry and your marketplace. And you need the research, contact marketing and sales skills to enable you to:
1) Accurately 'read' what your market wants.
2) Convincingly communicate how your offer meets those requirements better than any of your competitors'.
At some point you're going to have to get to grips with mastering the use of a tool that many people have a real problem with in terms of sales and marketing activities...
Use of the telephone in prospecting:
The telephone itself is just a tool, albeit a potentially very powerful one. And, like any other powerful tool, it can be used by those who don't know what they're doing and cause a lot of damage. Equally, used carefully and intelligently it can produce spectacular results.
Some people dread prospecting via the telephone - so much so that they’d rather not engage in this activity at all or else hive it off and pay someone to make outbound telephone sales calls on their behalf.
A peculiar thing about this attitude is that, as you can see from the above comments, those same people who hate making these prospecting calls will usually, more or less quite happily:
a) Deal with an inbound telephone enquiry.
b) Attend a new business meeting on behalf of their company.
c) Give a presentation.
d) Man an exhibition stand.
e) Introduce themselves to someone they’ve never met before at a networking event or party.
So, tell me please: What’s the main difference and why this big problem with proactively using the telephone to help effect a sale? Learn to do it well and you’ll be streets ahead of the competition.
Happy prospecting!
Prospecting For Business - To learn more about this author, visit Linda Mattacks's Website.
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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