Wednesday, June 3, 2009

7 Steps to Successful Prospecting

By Kenrick Chatman

Prospecting is one of the most difficult stages of the sales process. It's also one of the most, if not the most, important parts of selling. You can be the best closer in the world but you will not generate sufficient sales if you lack qualified prospects. Since selling is ultimately a numbers game, more qualified prospects in your pipeline will result in more opportunities to present and generate new business. Below is a 7-step approach to successful prospecting.

1. Determine Your Niche Market: locate a niche where your product offerings will successfully fulfill your prospects' needs or problems. To gain the trust of your potential customers, you should become an expert in your target market.

2. Locate Your Potential Customers: create a directory of potential customers located in your marketplace. Potential sources you could utilize are the Internet, lead lists, library resources, and personal contacts.

3. Evaluate Your Potential Customers: screen your potential prospects based on having sufficient monetary resources, the authority to make a purchase decision, and a need for your product offering. During the first meeting, you may have to fully qualify your potential customers.

4. Create a Script: prepare a prospecting script to remain consistent and focused as you briefly emphasize the value you can provide by meeting your potential customers' needs. Include answers to common rebuttals or objections you expect to confront.

5. Identify Contact Medium: to convert your initial contact with prospects from "cold" to "warm", decide whether to use personal connections, referrals, and/or possibly mail.

6. Contact Your Prospects: utilize your prospecting script to ask your potential customers for the sale by establishing meetings to present your product offering.

7. Create a Plan and Execute It: develop daily, weekly, and monthly prospecting goals and dedicate time to meet these objectives to ensure you keep a pipeline filled with qualified potential customers.

By following this 7-step prospecting approach, you will develop a solid foundation to a lucrative, exciting, and rewarding sales career.

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