Prospecting – Now is the Time!

There are many reasons why we market…but, bottom line, it is for filling our sales pipeline with prospective clients.

Getting our calendar full of appointments with leads that will say “Yep!” to our products or services.

Marketing and prospecting can do this – so what is the difference?

Both require you to know who you are trying to attract, where they are, what they like, how they want to receive information, and how you can get in front of them.

Both require you to be crystal clear on your messaging, the value you provide, and confident in how you communicate it.

But prospecting, unlike marketing, is when we zero in on and intentionally go out seeking a particular client.  It is less about attracting them TO us and rather going out and actively seeking actual conversations with targeted individuals.

Marketing is 1:Many

Prospecting is 1:1

To most entrepreneurs and professionals marketing seems elusive yet they still spend a good amount of their time and energy on it…because it is easier, less risky, less having to put yourself ‘out there on the line’ then prospecting. 

You are waiting for the phone to ring instead of picking it up and making that call – you know, the one where you ASK for the appointment or the sale.

Don’t get me wrong, you need both.  You certainly don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. Just like a financial portfolio – you need to diversify your marketing and lead generation strategies.

Marketing will provide the credibility, the brand awareness, and many other aspects required to have a strong business and have sales increase.  Prospecting enables you to move the needle faster and more efficiently.

Prospecting can create sales conversations with the EXACT people you need to speak with…because you hand-picked them!

Make no mistake about it, prospecting takes courage, it takes proactive and intentional actions, it takes dedicated time and energy to make it happen. 

So how can you get started? How can you optimize your prospecting strategy?

First, realize that the purpose of prospecting is not to verbally vomit value all over them – it is to get a meeting, a conversation, a time to move them down the sales process.

Take the time to create a prospecting list full of people from the following areas:

• Lost opportunities – people that told you NO
• Past Prospects – those conversations that fizzled out
• Past Clients – don’t underestimate or overlook the power of past clients.  This is a mistake many business owners make. It costs little to no money, is easier and has fewer barriers then it does to obtain a new client.
• Existing Clients (upsell, cross sell other products/service/gain referrals)
• Strategic Business Alliances
• Networking Contacts that provide products/services that your clients will also need
• Networking Contacts that may have started a new position/new company or had a life change
• Your Big Fish – those ideal high value prospects (use LinkedIn to find them)

Do your research…but don’t get sucked in! Get 5in5…take 5 minutes to find 5 facts about each person/company on your list. No more, no less. You don’t need to spend hours on each person and find all the facts, obscure information, and historical data. You just need to find a few pieces of information that is relevant to the relationship you wish to create with the prospect.

Design your multi-media, multi-touch plan to communicate with the list. Include digital, in person, the telephone, and even the good-ole Postal Service…stuff in the mailbox is hard to ignore!

Then do it!

Here are a few ideas for conversation starters:

• Provide some new insights/perspectives on the industry
• Check-Up to make sure still meeting expectations/needs (great for current clients)
• Have a what would you like to Start/Stop/Continue Conversation
• Case studies that will pique interest
• Capabilities/Capacity Assessment
• Give them a first step, a quick win
• Demonstration (not presentation)

Here is the key – for each meeting be sure to find out 2 things: (1) Why they are exploring the option; (2) and Why now?

Then convey one thing – Why Choose You! 

Be sure to do this with tact. Ask great questions that showcase your expertise yet allows them to do most of the talking. If you concentrate on being more like an investigator during the meeting then you have the ability to follow-up with more detailed and tailored content, proposals, and more.

Always keep the purpose in mind – to move them to the next step…with YOU.

Have fun Prospecting 😊