Prospecting in sales (hunting)

This is really a new series where we look at prospecting, or finding new clients. It’s 20 times harder to get a new customer than retain an existing customer, it’s hard work, very few people are any good at it. But here are the main ways to find new customers. Outsold can help with all of these.

Prospecting in Sales (hunting)

• Prospecting – Creating a list of prospects and contacts

• Cold calling – on the phone calling prospects

• Warm calling – making a call to a known person

• Hunting – very specifically target an individual

• Social media stalking

• Canvassing – Door to door introductions

• ‘Plus one’ whenever you do a presentation invite the neighbors

• Meet the neighbors – drop in to your local businesses

• Networking – Talking to friends and family/ co-working space/ any shoulder rubbing

• Referrals – Recommendation from past client

• Reviews – Online experience gauge

• Success story – Writing a one page story about past work

• Conferences – Industry specific networking

• Partnering – Complimentary businesses sharing leads/ market intelligence

• Expertise – Speeches, industry promotion

• Inquiries – Potential customers that have expressed some interest – like website, inbound call

• Lead generation – cold calling to make introductions or meetings

• Seminars – an educational session

• Drinks – Coffee or alcohol with your prospects

• Introductions – finding two people that can deal with each other, or asking a friend to introduce you

• Lunch and learn – meet with a group of people that will potentially use or advocate your service and sell to them in an educational way

• Advocacy – Teaching your prospect how to sell your product to their management on your behalf

• Philanthropy – raising revenue for a cause

• Gifts – many negotiations need gifts, otherwise called bribes

• Education – teach people about your product or service

• Multi level marketing – recruit your friends to sell on your behalf

• Email campaigns (sales) – cold expressions of interest/ cold appointment requests

• Add-ons – land and expand, sell a small thing then sell more, tip of the spear

• Industry expert – Having a niche

• Region expert – have a geographic patch, Be the grass-mowing guy in your neighborhood, the local area lawyer