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How to Get a Prospect's Attention with Good Sales & Marketing

Written by: Bill Tamminga

Article Overview: Starting a business relationship is one of the most difficult tasks in sales, but it's not rocket science. The key to prospecting successfully is twofold. First, you need to know what potential clients are looking for. Second, you need to know what low-cost platforms can be used to deliver it.

How to Get a Prospect's Attention with Good Sales & Marketing

Starting a business relationship is one of the most difficult tasks in sales, but it's not rocket science. The key to prospecting successfully is twofold. First, you need to know what potential clients are looking for. Second, you need to know what low-cost platforms can be used to deliver it.

What Clients Want From Salespeople

Horsesmouth and Financial Research Corp. conducted a study last year and asked financial advisors what they were looking for in a good wholesaler. While this study was conducted for the financial industry, the information they found applies to any company that emphasizes consultative selling. Here is a list of the top 16 traits advisors are looking for.

Takes a solution-oriented approach to me and my clients rather than pushing product.
Understands how I do business.
Offers ideas based on what's working for other advisors.
Offers ideas on how to market business more effectively.
Offers ideas on how to run practice more efficiently and productively
Able to explain how his firm manages money differently from competitors.
Provides compelling materials to use with clients.
Offers ideas on how to use his firm's products in complementary way.
Offers ideas for penetrating niche markets.
Offers insights on broader marketplace.
Understands competing peer products.
Doesn't hide issues that could cast his firm in less favorable light.
Able to explain how his firm's products would affect risk-return balance.
Anticipates issues that may create client anxiety and helps me be better prepared to handle inquiries.
Provides investment and/or market research.
Understands how my firm's recommended list and platforms work.

If you create a free offer that applies to any or all of those issues, you will have set yourself apart from your competition and prospects will begin to take notice.
Ideas for Free Services

What platforms are top salespeople and business owners using as a free service to potential clients? Targeted newsletters have always been popular, but there are more tools you can use. New technologies have made it easier to provide value-added services than ever before. In addition to newsletters, here are two more low cost, cutting-edge ways to introduce prospects to your business. Each of these technologies is customizable to your specific needs.

Teleconferencing - Teleconferencing is a simple way to get your ideas across in a group setting without all the prep work and expense that goes along with event planning. You can even set up a call with freeconference.com for free.
Video Conferencing - A step up from teleconferencing with enhanced video features. It will cost a little more, but WebEx.com still provides a quality video conferencing service at a low price point.

During the session, focus on the issues that matter to your prospects. Limit your meeting to 15-20 minutes and see what kind of response you get over time. Networking in the right places and inviting prospects to your free events can pay dividends over time. The key point is to always have something to invite a prospect to.
Where to Network

How can you position yourself in front of targeted prospects? Where can they be found? No doubt that some prospects will need to be sought out individually - call by call, meeting by meeting. But there are certain places where high-end sales pros, business owners, and executives meet in groups outside of the office. Following are six of the top places to look:

Chambers of Commerce
Rotary Clubs
LION's Clubs
Sales, marketing, and leadership association meetings
BNI - for several (but not all) states
Service organizations/non-profit volunteer groups

Of course, none of these meetings are all about you and some will provide better connections than others. Check each of them out. If you are going to attend, be sure to participate in the programs and you will make quality connections in a relatively short period of time.
Take Action

Your prospects have stated what they want. Make an effort to deliver it to them. Don't go on another networking event or sales call without having something to invite people to. When prospects do join, deliver the goods. Show them that you can help them make more money and find solutions to their problems. That is the way to set yourself apart and get a prospect's attention.

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Article Tags: anxiety, business offers, business owners, business relationship, consultative selling, favorable light, financial advisors, horsesmouth, inquiries, insights, market research, niche markets, oriented approach, platforms, prospects, return balance, risk return, rocket science, top salespeople, wholesaler



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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...
Advertisement that sales - Plan your marketing programme. It should include commitment to capital resources. If you run a small business, you aren't likely to have a generous enough advertising budget that will allow you to run costly branding or campaign ads. Every advertisement you run must convey to your prospect a solid offer and attractive reasons to act quickly, and result in increased sales and an enhanced image of your company. Good advertising always pays its own way through increased sales and profits, improved cost-effectiveness, reduced selling costs and shortened selling cycles. A useful formula that will help you increase the effectiveness of your advertising efforts is A-I-D-A, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. When creating an advertisement, always remind yourself that it should: (1) capture your prospects' Attention, (2) arouse their Interest in your offer, (3) create their Desire for your product or service, and (4) provide a powerful spur to Action, that is, turn your prospect into buyers. Remember, bad advertising is an unproductive expense, and good advertising is an investment in future profits!
Re: Finance is the primary requirement of business - [quote="rauljoseph":36x8dadn]Finance is very important in a business. It is all about managing the business' money and other assets. Finance includes the study and analysis of processes, financial institutions, markets and instruments that are involved in the transfer of money or anything that has a monetary value among consumers, businesses and government.[/quote:36x8dadn] Good point. I'll just add that if I was going into business for myself and could only have one skill it would be Sales & Marketing. You need to be able to create customers first and foremost. Finance is more of a support function for entrepreneurs.
Simple way to avoid Cold Calling - Gary, A chiropractor I work with hates cold calling (me too!) and he uses a technique to warm people up to using his services - it's so simple! In Sales your dealing with 3 pools of people: 1. Strangers 2. Prospects 3. Returning Customers You need to move people from one pool to the next. We'll concentrate on #1 and #2 as it's most relevant to your question. My Clients does the following (you just have to tailor it to your situation - be creative). My Client (we'll call him Bob) Bob leverages his time and resources to only get people that need his offer (pain relief) to put their hand up. Dealing with Strangers can get expensive and they don't like to be told what to do as they have no trust or relationship built with him. So to get Strangers to put their hands up he writes up an offer with a free report on a particular pain relief - let's say lower back pain (note: he can simply just change lower back pain to neck pain and have a new report). and uses multiple marketing vehicles to promote the Free report - magazines, newspaper, forums, postcards, private clinics etc. The only people picking up this information are the very people Bob would like as customers as they have Lower back pain. Bob's Free report ends with him stating his services and includes a Free in-house Consultation with no obligation. You'd be surprised at how easily Bob converts Strangers into Prospects. Note: They become prospects when they ask for the Free Guide and in exchange provide their contact details. This gives Bob unlimited opportunity to contact them for the Free in-house consultation with no obligation to continue using him. At this stage Bob's ability to close the sale lies in his office providing good customer service, Bob's ability to help the prospect and provide value at the free in-house consultation. Notice, he hasn't had to pick up the phone to COLD-CALL his Stranger pool or his Prospect pool. Hope that example helps to increase your prospecting!


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