Prospecting: Not A Wild Goose Chase... Its A HUNT

Prospecting for future customers can be fun if you approach it the right way. It is not a wild goose chase; it is a wild goose HUNT.

Cold prospecting requires you to start from nothing and end up with the name and contact information of the person who can say "yes" to you. If you are in a situation where you have to use cold prospecting as a way to generate sales, you should go in fully prepared. Your goose hunting gear includes both research and creativity.

In order to sell your product to a business, you must first find out who the real decision maker is. This is the fun part.

You should start your research on the internet. It is amazing how much you can find out about a person or a company with Google. Typically, if the business is public, you will find all the information that you need to know on their annual reports. If the company is not a public one, or you simply are not having much luck with their financial statements, then you should look for company press releases. As a matter of fact, before you start all of this digging, try their homepage. Between all of these different methods you will come up with a name and some form of contact information.

Contact information does not need to include their direct phone line (good luck getting that). There are four acceptable means of contacting your future customers ? email, snail mail, fax, and telephone. Gather as much information as you can.

In order to gather enough information you will also need to be creative. This part is more fun than the first part. There are no bounds when trying to engage your future customer and trying to reach the coveted next step ? the appointment. Don't shy away because you feel that your methods might be 'unprofessional.' Salespeople worry too much about professionalism.

Instead, you should try and have fun. By having fun and being creative you will not only enjoy yourself, you will get your future customer to smile. Now that is something that your competition was certainly NOT able to do.

The best way to get your creative juices flowing is to write down what your objective is. Your objective could be to get the email address of the decision maker. With that in mind, think about all the different ways to get an email address. Start by calling and asking for it. If it sounds too simple, then you obviously have not tried it before.

No luck calling, then stop in. If you expertly prepare for a cold call visit, you'll be able to have a hand delivered note to the decision maker accompanying your information. You do not just want to leave you information; you want to get to know the gatekeeper on a first name basis, and ask him/her for the decision maker's business card. This will go smoothly due to the fact that you are already walking in the door with their name. (You should also try and see the decision maker right then on the spot.)

Now you have their business card and you are on a first name basis with the gatekeeper. You are now prepared to expertly engage the decision maker and move on to the next step ? getting the appointment.

When you are prospecting you need to have the guts to try something new. What do you have to lose? You didn't even know their name before. Have some fun and be creative. If you sound like a salesperson, then you are doing something wrong and chances are you aren't having any fun.

Tom Richard is the author of Smart Sales People Don't Advertise: 10 Ways To Outsmart Your Competition With Guerilla Marketing To view this book, or to join Tom's weekly ezine, visit http://www.tomrichard.com/

---

Unleash Your Inner Sales Superstar & Win More Business Right Now!

It's a rainy afternoon on a typical mid week afternoon... Read More

Psychology of Converting a Prospect to Money

If you want a truly successful business, you need to... Read More

How To Attract Buyers Using The Right Sales Terminology

It is always important that you use the right terms... Read More

5 Ways to Increase Business Sales by Contacting Your Existing Customers

One of the best ways to increase your sales and... Read More

Its All in the Questions

Contrary to many of the books on how to be... Read More

Elearning Is Dead - Long Live Blended Learning!

There is little doubt that eLearning has not achieved the... Read More

How To Get Clients To Take Immediate Action

Are you tired of excuses? Looking for a persuasion technique... Read More

The Power of Confidence

My experience has taught me that people want to buy... Read More

Successful Sales People Know Which Differentiators Matter

Know where to focus. Not everyone evaluates product solutions with... Read More

Do You Want To Sell More? Then Stop Trying To Be Everything To Everybody!

I know you've heard this a thousand times, but from... Read More

The Top 10 Powerful Tools for Growing Sales Through Creating Connection

Your mission as a business owner is to develop a... Read More

How to Boost Your Sales Letter Conversion Rate

Emotion and reason mix very well together to make excellent... Read More

Get Leverage & Increase Your Sales Results Immediately!

Have you ever started something and not completed it? Or... Read More

Secrets That Lead To Failure In Sales

Let's be realistic nobody really wants to be labeled a... Read More

The Canned Sales Pitch Myth

Canned or scripted sales approaches are rarely successful, because one... Read More

Selling Yourself - Its Not About You

I recently found myself suffering from a lousy cold; all... Read More

Nine Common Mistakes Salespeople Make

1. They talk instead of LISTEN. Too many salespeople monopolize... Read More

4 Reasons Why the Sale is Not Made

When sales are down, a salesperson must begin to take... Read More

Quick Tips On Handling Rejection

Looking for a way to handle rejection?Edward W. Smith, motivational... Read More

Make More Sales By Creating How To Use It Product Updates

Do you have any idea what your customers have experienced... Read More

Bite Your Tongue

Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More

4 Easy Ways to Boost Your Sales

Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales... Read More

Change Takes Time

I am writing this at the Philadelphia Airport on my... Read More

Prep Your Customer

When I first moved to Seattle, I worked for 9... Read More

Smart Discounting: The Right Way To Discount Your Products

If a store had a great discount in the middle... Read More

Why Salespeople Dont Take Risks

Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More

Boost Your Sales With These Proven Responses

When five years ago I was faced with having to... Read More

Really WINNING Over Customers

Three qualities are needed to sell anything in life. They... Read More

Four Ways To Increase Your Sales Fast... In 2-4 Weeks?

You built a very good web site...You have a great... Read More

The Golden Week of Selling

Have you ever heard of the Golden Hour? I live... Read More

Are You Risking The Relationship for the Sale -- And Then Losing the Sale Anyway?

Losing a sale can be disheartening, especially if you lose... Read More

Customers Do Not Know How To Ask Good Questions ? That Is Your Job

Customers will ask you a question and you'll proceed to... Read More

Date Your Customer!

Yes, you heard me right; I said "Date your clients!"... Read More