Whether we like it or not every small business needs an action plan for prospecting new clients.
If you’re a one-man-band, or just aren’t big enough to have a dedicated sales person, it’s probably left up to you to do the cold calling.
It’s a fact that most new business doesn’t fall in your lap and most prospects aren’t sitting there just waiting for your call. So what can you do to develop a system that’s painless and takes the “energy trap” out of the sales process?
First: Build up a prospect list. A database of who you could target, their contact details and what potential value they could have for your business. Then prioritise this from most important to least important.
Second: Prepare a document that details your competitive advantage (why they should buy from you), the benefits of your product/service and, if possible, some testimonials from people that enjoyed a long association with you. You can have this document layed-up nicely as a presentation document, or you could just have the knowledge in your head. But, do make sure you’ve given it enough thought so that you sound positive and confident when speaking to your prospects.
Third: Set up a meeting and visit the prospects. Outline up front what the agenda is for the meeting (to introduce yourself and share with them the benefits of dealing with you) and then make sure you are early for the appointment! Determine your objective for this call, remember it takes between 5-7 points of contact for someone to switch to you, so make sure you have thought through each point of contact carefully.
Fourth: Follow up with a thank you note and action anything coming out of the meeting quickly and efficiently.
On average “they say” that sales is purely a numbers game. See 10 people you’ll get 1 Yes! So it’s not a field for the feint hearted. Stick to it, do the numbers and check your conversion ratio. If you aren’t converting at this level either your prospect list is not needing what you offer, your offer isn’t right or your sales approach is lacking.
Remember to do a post-mortem on your call cycle conversions regularly to ensure you aren’t wasting time and effort in unprofitable markets. Complete a marketing plan with a strong personal selling element in order to set sales objectives, action plans and measurable performance criteria.
