Prospecting Sucks

What is prospecting? Simply put, it means contacting people who have never heard of what we’re selling in order to get them to buy.

But why do I have to do this? Prospecting provides us the opportunity to introduce our product or service into a new territory, dramatically increasing its market reach. And it also provides us with the potential for new business relationships and sales leads.

Ok, so how does it work? Prospecting is accomplished by following a system of guidelines and standards that are set by your supervisor. But the most frequent method is through telemarketing.

Ok, so how do I prospect? You need a list of people to contact in order to provide them with information and/or sell them something. These lists come from a variety of places such as:

The Internet or other online database (search engines, websites)

Your supervisor (specially targeted prospects)

Call Logs (past contacts and calls made)

Sales manager (sales quotas, market territory needs)

Newspapers/Magazines (advertising needs) Etc. Etc. Etc.

Once you have a list of names, your next step is to reach out to them. Depending on how large your company is and how many people you want to contact, this will take place in one of two ways:

Contacts Telemarketing (C.T.)

This method involves calling (or sending email) people on a list that was provided by your supervisor or obtained using the Internet. It may also involve calling a prospect’s spouse or children if they live in their house. Keep in mind that the list provided by your supervisor should contain everyone who has ever heard of what it is you’re selling and where it is sold, including all family members for the people who own businesses. However, this does not include friends or family of your supervisor.

Thank you for taking my call. My name is Vince and I’m from (Company Name). Did you know that (Company Name) has … ?

If they do, tell them how you can help them with that issue. If they have no idea what it is you are selling, tell them what it is you are selling and then ask if they have any needs regarding the product or service that you’re selling. After completing a C.T. call, you will need to fill out a form and submit it to your supervisor so that they can evaluate your performance.

Telephone (T.T.)

This method involves calling people in the evenings or on weekends and leaving a message on their answering machines. Usually you will ask them to call you back, but if not, leave a message with their name, phone number, and the name of the company that they heard about from you. If they don’t call back within 24-48 hours (depending on company policy), repeat the process until someone does call back or another method of contacting them is obtained.

Thank you for taking my call on (date). My name is Vince and I’m with (Company Name). We serve the entire state of (State*). Have you ever considered … ?

If they do, they will then be asked to fill out a form and submit it to their supervisor so that you can again be evaluated for your performance. However, if you are having difficulty contacting these people or if they do not have a phone, then try other methods.

Email (E.M.)

This method involves sending an email to prospective customers and asking them to contact you back by providing their name, phone number, and company name. If they don’t reply, repeat the process until they do or another method of contacting them is obtained.

Dear Customer,

My name is Vince and I am with (Company Name). We serve the entire state of (State*). Have you ever considered … ? Thank you for taking my time to consider my email. I look forward to hearing from you very soon. Sincerely,

(Your Name) (Your Title) (Company Name) (* State is optional.) Etc. Etc. Etc.

If this method proves ineffective then try other methods until someone contacts you back or another method of contacting them is obtained.

And if they contact you back, good for you; you’re selling. (Go into the third step of the sales process.) If they don’t, repeat the process until someone does.

All hope is not lost if your call goes unanswered. Do not give up! If at any time your supervisor contacts you and tells you to cancel or reschedule a call because a client is on their way to their business, then do so immediately before they arrive. This will insure that any potential leads are maintained during this time and that it will be easier for you to get back to them after they have left.

So What?

The point of this article is to tell you that prospecting sucks. It is a tedious, time consuming, and exhausting process that takes much more time than it should. The quality of the leads received, however, will have a significant impact on your bottom line. In addition to saving you time, it is also good business practice not to give up on leads after the first one or two times. Just remember that it’s all about making sales and we only make sales when we sell! Let’s review:

Step 1: Be creative in identifying potential prospects by researching your market area and identifying what they need so that you can sell them something to help them solve their problem.

Step 2: You need a list of people to contact in order to provide them with information and/or sell them something. This can come from the Internet or other online database (search engines, websites), your supervisor, call logs, sales managers, newspapers/magazines, etc., etc., etc. options.

Step 3: Depending on how large your company is and how many people you want to contact, this will take place in one of two ways: Contacts (C.T.) or Telephone (T.T.). If a phone call is not possible then try an email; if an email is not possible then try another method until something works.

Conclusion

Yes, prospecting sucks. The best way to look at it is that you’re looking for a needle in a haystack. The fact that you’re seeking out potential leads is not an issue; all companies need leads, so be creative and find a way to make it easy for them to contact you or sell you something. In conclusion, remember that prospecting is the process of finding people who may be interested in what we are selling; simple as that!

-Vince Jones

Comments? Feedback? Please email feedback@prospectinginstitute.com

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