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Sales is a contact
sport and prospecting for new business is the
name of the game! You will never meet a
salesperson that failed because they had too
many prospects to talk to. For the majority of
salespeople, finding new customers is without a
doubt the most difficult and stressful aspect of
the profession. Prospecting should be viewed
more as a mindset rather than merely as an
activity. It is something you need to be
constantly aware of because you never know where
your next prospect will be coming from. It
really doesn’t matter how competent you are or
how well you know your product line, if you
don’t have a qualified prospect in front of
you, you don’t have a sale.
1.
Prospecting for new business is similar
to working out. You know it is good for you and
it will produce positive results if you do it
routinely. Professional salespeople prospect
daily. It is important to block-off specific
time on your calendar for prospecting activities
such as phone calling and emailing. Treat your
prospecting time with the same respect as you
would any other important appointment,
otherwise, there is a tendency that it will slip
through the cracks. This is not the time to
check your emails, play solitaire on the
computer, make a personal phone call or chat
with your associates. Stay focused and take your
prospecting seriously. Set the tone by closing
your office door and have your incoming calls
held unless it is a call from a client or a
prospect.
2.
Be prepared, get organized and take good
notes. It is critical to have a computerized
contact system to record remarks and suspense
future contacts or appointments.
3.
Use a script - don’t shoot from the
hip. There is only one thing worse than
listening to a salesperson read a script over
the phone and that is to listen to a salesperson
without a script. Obviously, it is important to
not only have a script but to practice it until
it sounds smooth and natural. Set aside time to
role-play with an associate over the phone. By
taking turns presenting and critiquing you will
gain confidence, polish your script and be more
effective. When prospecting, avoid the
temptation to sell over the phone. Your
objective is to gather information and make the
appointment.
4.
Strike while the iron is hot! When
working with a new prospect, it is important to
make contact quickly. Prospects are perishable.
No matter how interested a prospect may appear,
don’t wait for them to call you. You are only
one of many competing interests for your
prospect’s time and money.
5.
Keep the high ground and avoid the
temptation to badmouth your competition. While
it is fair to make head-to-head comparisons, you
should avoid personal attacks. Attacking your
competition makes you look unprofessional and
petty. Emphasize the benefits of your product or
service by guiding your prospect through a
comparison of quality and price. Play to your
strengths and not the weakness of your
competition. Let your prospect draw their own
conclusions from a well-presented comparison.
6.
Rejection is a natural aspect of the
sales process so don't take it personally. Learn
from rejection, use it as a feedback mechanism
and look for ways to improve your presentation.
Salespeople who take rejection personally lack
perseverance and seldom make the sale. Sales is
a numbers game pure and simple. As a
professional baseball player, if you can average
four hits out of ten times at bat you are
heading for the Hall of Fame. Research indicates
that in sales you can expect your prospect to
say no five times before they buy. With this in
mind, realize that with every sales rejection
you receive, you are one step closer to making
the sale!
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