Tweet

Having Trouble Reaching a Specific Prospect — How to Reach That Hard-to-Reach Prospect in One Try

Written by: Alan Boyer

Article Overview: Been Struggling to Get Your Networking Right? Or Have you been trying to reach someone that has been just out of reach? Here's some tips on eliminating those problems.

Having Trouble Reaching a Specific Prospect — How to Reach That Hard-to-Reach Prospect in One Try

Wouldn’t it be easier if you were referred to your hard-to-reach prospect instead of becoming one of those dreaded cold calls? If you could get an introduction to that person from someone that you both know and trust what are your chances of getting that appointment? Pretty high, maybe on the first call…right?

Law of 6 Degrees of Separation

“You can reach literally anyone in the entire world through 5-6 steps.”

Let's look at that concept:


Step 1 – 100 people -- Most people know at least 100 people.
Step 2 – 10,000 people -- If those 100 people also know 100 people, then you can reach 10,000 people just by asking everyone you know to ask for you.
Step 3 – 1,000,000 people
You get the point. You are increasing your reach by 100 times at each level.
Step 4 –100 million people
Step 5 – 10 billion people. And keep in mind there are only approximately 6 billion people in the entire world.
The Right Way and the Wrong Way of Networking “So what?” you say. You’ve heard this story before and networking never worked for before. Well….then you were doing it wrong!

Have you been going to networking events and getting nowhere fast? No one seemed to be buying anything.

A networking event is not the place to sell, it is the place to build a network of people that beg for your help and where you help them connect through your extensive network that you continually develop.

Stop seling and start networking building. The way to do that is to offer help to others to reach those they'd like to reach. Of course you need to develop your 30-second elevator speech to the point that everyone you meet with will be compelled to ask you "how in the world do you do that" and then you'll be able to ask them who do they know who just might need that. However.....this is the MOST IMPORTANT part...you aren't tere to sell...you are there to help everyone you meet connect with THEIR MOST IMPORTANT prospect. If you do this over and over you will become the most important person in their network, and....of course they'll refer you.

So, back to our original idea, that you could find someone that knows that very important, and very hard to reach prospect.

Frankly, just ask your 100 people who knows your “most important person” and then ask them to ask for you. If this 100 people trust you and believe in you, they will reach 10,000 people for you.

Virtual Networking

Now, here’s a suggestion that will explode your reach. There are online virtual networks that let you see those principles I mentioned working in real time. Some online virtual networks are a waste of time and others really work. One of those is http://www.linkedin.com

I’ve been able to go on LinkedIn, type in a name, or title, or industry of someone I’ve been dying to meet and find them, or someone like them. And, since this is a network of networkers open to the networking principle, guess what? They’ll take your call, or your request to connect. When I work this network I’ve gotten as many appointments a week as I could handle, 15-20 appointments a week with THE PEOPLE I’d like to meet with. Some have been amazingly powerful and visible people that others would die to meet.

Build your tier 1 LinkedIn network, and the next time you are networking face to face (at the chamber, BNI, or other networking group) you can share connections. And, even if you don't have the information on the tip of your tongue when networking face to face just suggest that you are sure that you may have someone in your network and then go to LinkedIn and find that person for them. You will be a hero and they will refer you.

Also, LinkedIn allows you to send an invitation to the network. Right after a live networking event invite everyone you meet with to LinkedIn and show them how big of a network you have built. Once someone is on your LinkedInd virtual network you can see all of the people they have, or will have in their network.

Networking with the RIGHT People

One key concept is to network with the right people. If your networking with people who couldn’t possibly know directly the people you’d like to reach, yes you would eventually be able to reach them through several steps of your networking, but by raising your tier 1 and tier 2 levels to the economic level, or power socializing level of your targets you’ll be reaching your target in 1-2 steps.

I once asked a contact if he knew someone who would be interested in helping one of my clients develop an Asian distribution system. He seemed to be someone who should know someone that does that, but I didn’t expect him to be the one. His response was that he was a partner with the ex-ambassador to China and they both own a large Asian distribution company. The stories go on and on like this.

Simple Steps

So, here’s the bottom line on how to reach your hard-to-reach prospect:


Ask your current network
Join a virtual network….ask that network.
Build your network (virtual or live)…and keep asking.
Make sure you are networking with others that know someone like your prospect
This isn’t bull….you can literally reach almost anyone you want on the first call….well, maybe not the president of the United States!

Related Articles
  8 Strategies for Bypassing Voice Mail
  Eight Steps to Nailing a Sales Call
  When They Do Not Buy
  Sales Prospecting - Know the Color of Their Underwear!
  How to Find the Compelling Reasons Behind Seth Godin's Intangibles

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Re: Hiring introverts vs. extroverts - [quote="Evan":37xmbjab]It's generally hard to be a good salesperson if you are an introvert.[/quote:37xmbjab] Evan, I was thinking about the same right? Then I was put in charge of training sales teams and found out interesting traits among the successful ones. Often times, the extroverts talk "too much" and kill a sale. They attempt to overcome every objection by giving answers while NOT understanding they are not hearing true objections. When objections are answered but the buyers aren't proceeding for transaction, they're not telling you the real objection. When that happens, there is a psychological shift occurs that the more you appear needy to sell as a salesperon, the less attractive your sales team becomes because people like to be facilitated instead of being sold. So the hybrid of both characteristics will serve best in sales. The tone of your voice, posture, attitude, all work well... and you want to look confident, mature, calm and not attached to the end result of the transaction. It's like saying.... Mr. Prospect, I certainly would love to welcome you as a customer, but even if you don't proceed, it wouldn't be my loss... but saying this through your tone of voice, look on your face and everything else instead of in words. And some extroverts ones have hard time expressing these messages through unspoken communications, seeking approval for their answers to customers objections by speaking too much. Interesting isn't it? Warmest Regards, Takuya
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!
Re: Random Acts of Kindness - Pass it on! - Reach and touch somebody's hand. I love this site, it will make this world a better place
Re: Ryerson Angel Network Expands its Reach to Help Young Ent... - thanks for sharing very good information on Ryerson Angel Network Expands its Reach to Help Young Ent...........that will be so helpful......
Re: How did we Live before Electricity - You are right Tim, we are spoiled today with the convenience products we have available.Trouble is once you get used to having these things, it becomes very difficult to imagine life without them. Our ancestors never had them in the first place, so they accepted what they had as they never knew anything different. MichelleJ


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Designing Employee-Enhancing Training Programs

The new marketing question. Will they follow?

How to Handle the “I Am Not Interested” Objection

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.