Today’s snippet is taken from one of our last sessions where I talked about the prospecting system and why it’s important for each of us to have a system in place.
Here are some highlights of the discussion:
Get past the fear of failure: How to put a process in place and develop a system that works
- Have the who.
- Have a when.
- Know how.
WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER?
You’ve got to have an ideal customer who is the person that is the best fit for your company. One of the biggest prospecting woes is people fail to have the ideal customer. Know who you need to go after because you can’t just go after everyone.
Horizontal vs.Vertical Approach
Consider the horizontal approach and the vertical approach. For example, the horizontal approach is looking for HR directors and companies making x amount of money. The vertical approach is more of the industry so you get folks in the government sector or the financial sector, manufacturing or startups. That said, focus on a particular sector that you can focus on.
Multiple Industries
Identify three industries that you can serve pretty well. (Although I would recommend you start off with just one.) Spend one week focusing on one particular industry. And identify:
- Who are they?
- What industry are they in?
- What is the size of the company?
- Who are the key contacts you need to go after?
- What is their amount of revenue?
Account-Based Selling Approach
- Understand the key individuals in the company that say yes.
Focus on the account but you have to have a process consisting of multiple steps. There should be at least key 3 individuals in the company that you need to focus on because many companies have multiple people that say yes. Build relationships with them.
- The Dream 100 List
Now that you know who to go after, really hyper-market on this. You have to think like a marketer in order to be a good sales rep. Marketers have hyper-focused lists and they do these campaigns focused on these target markets.
In Chet Holmes’ book, The Ultimate Sales Machine, he says that you need to get a Dream List of 100 clients. These are the guys you need to focus on.
Quality versus Quantity
Focus on quality. Don’t go for vanity numbers. Nobody cares about them. Care about the numbers that really matter.
Episode Resources:
Chet Holmes’ book, The Ultimate Sales Machine
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