When a salesperson prospects, he seeks out potential customers for his business using a variety of tools. Cold calling, referrals, directories and trade shows are among the common methods used to attract new customers. Prospecting not only has benefits, but it is a virtually necessity for salespeople and their companies to retain customers and grow revenue. Show
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The practice of sales prospecting is surrounded by confusion and misconceptions. Prospecting may sound simple enough, but ask a group of sales professionals about the best prospecting approaches and you’re bound to get several conflicting answers. What Is Sales Prospecting?Prospecting is the first stage of the sales process in which sellers search for potential buyers. The goal of prospecting is to create interest and then convert that interest into a sales meeting. Most sellers will tell you that creating conversations with prospects is critical to greater success in sales, but the dynamics of how to do it can be baffling. Unfortunately, when sellers seek to understand it better, they often find conflicting advice. Part of the issue is that different situations rightly call for different approaches, so not all advice is right for every situation. However, our research on Top Performance in Sales Prospecting clearly reveals that the best sales prospectors get results, including setting 2.7x more meetings, achieving their sales goals, and earning higher win rates. Here’s how to get started on the path to prospecting success. The Sales Prospecting ProcessProspecting GoalsFirst off, let's take a look at the 4 key strategies used by top performers in sales prospecting that we refer to as WAVE.
Note that I haven't said the goal of prospecting is to find someone currently looking to purchase a particular product or service. For most sellers, this isn’t what you want to do because it doesn't work. When prospecting, you'll find people who are already in the desire phase (someone interested in solving a particular problem or purchasing a known type of product or service) or the action phase (someone already in the process of searching for a solution to the problem). If your approach is only to look for these people, you're in for several rude awakenings:
But if you take the WAVE approach and attract the buyer to you, you can shape their understanding of the importance of solving a particular problem, and make the case for working with you. Here are 5 ways to get the prospecting process started.
Use these 13 tips for mastering email prospecting 6 Proven Sales Prospecting OffersDiscussions with our clients about value typically focus on the reasons buyers ultimately buy from you using the 4 Whys:
Watch this video for a refresher. If you want to impress buyers from the start and generate meetings from your sales prospecting efforts, you still need to answer the same questions, but not for "why buy," but why agree to a meeting with you. Here are six strategies that do just that. For each offer, we provide an example of an outreach email and point out where the 4 Whys appear in the messaging.
Sales Prospecting FactsThe world of sales is constantly changing, as is sales prospecting. Part of the reason there’s so much debate about prospecting is because most sellers don't dedicate enough time to it. As a result, outdated misconceptions can undermine your prospecting efforts. According to 488 buyers (who get prospected to all the time) and 489 sellers who outbound prospect, the following sales prospecting statements are true, going against established conceptions of how to prospect correctly. Read more about these findings in 5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked. >>
Improve Your Sales ProspectingAs you think about your own prospecting efforts, take these findings to heart. Forget what you may have been told in the past: buyers want to talk to you, cold prospecting works, and there's a huge opportunity for those sellers willing to invest the time and effort into prospecting. If you're looking to improve in each of these areas, our RAIN Sales Prospecting training program will give you the skills, tools, and templates you need to fill your pipeline, perfect your outreach messaging, and connect with buyers at higher rates. Fill Your Pipeline, Land More Meetings, and Master ProspectingGet step-by-step tools to make sales prospecting approachable in our new toolkit, available now for free. Download now. >> GET THE LATEST SALES TIPS, TOOLS, AND RESOURCES Subscribe today to get the latest on virtual selling, insight selling, strategic account management, sales conversations, and more straight to your inbox. Topics: Sales Prospecting Why prospecting is important for a salesperson?Prospecting is an important part of the sales process, as it helps you develop the pipeline of potential customers. Prospecting, done right, not only creates a pipeline of potential customers, it also helps to position you as a trusted advisor. And it helps you focus on the right accounts.
What are the reasons for prospecting?4 Reasons Why Prospecting is the Most Important Part of the Sales Process. I- Prospects Create Business Lifelines. ... . II- Your Prospects Provide Valuable Feedback for your Efforts. ... . III- Leave your Mark. ... . IV- A Prospects is also a Contact.. What is a prospect and why are they important?A prospect is a potential customer who has been qualified as fitting certain criteria. Prospects fit your target market, have the means to buy your product or services, and are authorized to make buying decisions.
What are the different factors that a salesman must look into before approaching the prospect?We recommend you build your lead qualification process around these five key characteristics:. Awareness of Need. In order to be truly qualified, a prospect must have a need that they are aware of. ... . Authority and Ability to Buy or Commit. ... . Sense of Urgency. ... . Trust in You and Your Organization. ... . Willingness to Listen.. |