Prospecting For New Business

If you are in business, then you are in sales, and one of the real keys to success in any business is having enough customers to make your business successful.

Some salespeople and some business people just wait for the telephone to ring, an internet enquiry to come in, or someone to just walk into their business. But what if they don't? What if business slows down - maybe it's the economy, maybe more competition, whatever. Well you can just sit and wait hoping you'll get lucky, or you can make your own luck.

It's easy to forget that prospecting may be more important to sales and business success than any other single activity. Make contact with enough qualified prospects and increased sales are practically a sure thing.

10 habits for successful prospecting

Here are a few ideas that have worked, and continue to work. If you can stick to these prospecting rules, bigger and better sales are yours for the taking.

1. Make an appointment with yourself
   
   Schedule a time for prospecting so you won't put it off or skip it entirely. Some business people say "I can't call my clients" - well why not? I know some businesses who call past customers and invite them to a "special members only preview" or some other "special event".
   
   
2. Choose the time of day when you feel most motivated, then make an unbreakable appointment with yourself
   
   If you don't ever feel motivated - just do it anyway! Plan your appointments well in advance to keep other activities or meetings from impinging on your prospecting time.
   
   
3. Work backwards from the end result
   
   Calculate how many sales you need to make to meet your monthly sales goals, then figure out how many prospects you'll need to make those sales, and how much time you'll have to spend calling every week or day to find them. It's a numbers game.
   
   
4. Go for quantity as well as quality
   
   Squeeze as many calls as possible into your allotted prospecting time. If you call only the best prospects in your target market, you'll know that each of your calls will be a quality call, so you can focus on quantity instead. When one call ends, quickly make any notes you need to, then dial the next number. Set a specific number of calls as a goal for your prospecting time and challenge yourself to beat it.
   
   
5. Use a script and be brief
   
   I've had some salespeople tell me that using a script sounds unnatural and they are right. A poor script that has not been well practised will sound like it is a script. Practice is the real key to sounding natural. Famous actors use scripts don't they? They practice them until they sound natural and they then inject their own personality and confidence. And limit the length of each of your calls. Keep them brief. If you say too much on the phone your prospect will not need to see you!
   
   
6. Make a list
   
   Deciding who you want to call can be a project in itself, so don't wait until prospecting time to do it. Use what you know about your prospects to qualify them as carefully as you can before adding them to your list. Each name should meet specific criteria with regard to type of business, size of budget, buying schedule, etc. Save time by compiling a month's worth of names at a time.
   
   
7. Avoid interruptions
   
   You can't be a productive prospector if you're constantly interrupted. Keep your door shut and let your voice mail take care of incoming calls. Think ahead about the distractions that might arise during this time and take steps to prevent them. Being able to make call after call without interruption makes it easier to concentrate on learning from each one.
   
   
8. Prospect at odd hours
   
   Sometimes it's easier to reach prospects earlier or later than normal work hours. Calling at odd hours also helps your call stand out from the many others your prospects probably get in the course of a business day. When you have trouble reaching prospects between 9 and 5, try calling them at 8:30 am or 5:30pm. Be sure to vary your call times so that you don't keep missing them because they're in the same Monday morning meeting each week.
   
   
9. Get (and stay) organised
   
   Make a file for each of your prospects, and use it to record and store pertinent information on them, including the dates of your calls and what you discussed. Before you make a call, review your previous call and what you'd like to accomplish with this one.
   
   
10. Set a goal
    
    You'll be more motivated to stick to your calling schedule if you have a goal to reach. Figure out what motivates you and use prospecting as a means to that end. Write down your goal and review it often, and reward yourself for small achievements on the way to the big ones.

Wayne Berry CSP is CEO of Top Gun Business Academy and well-recognised speaker on Sales, Sales Management and Negotiating. He has produced a short video about prospecting http://www.wayneberry.com.au/workshops/prospecting. For further information Phone: +61 3 9521 0500 or visit www.wayneberry.com.au
First published: 12 June 2008.
Last updated: 12 June 2008.