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(By Pat Bryson) Great salespeople are always looking for higher revenue. Much of the time, that starts with adding new prospects to our sales funnel. One thing’s for sure, if they don’t go INTO our funnel, they won’t come out as orders.
As we are already a quarter into the new year, this basic piece of knowledge is where we should begin a successful sales system. We MUST put enough new prospects into our sales funnel to have enough positive outcomes to meet our goals. This can take a lot of new contacts. And new businesses are actually “suspects” when we initially contact them.
They only become legitimate “prospects” when we know:
- They have a need
- We have a solution to their need
- They have money and can make a decision
We filter out the “suspects” during our needs analysis meeting.
In all the time I’ve been coaching, I had never had a salesperson reach into their briefcase and show me their prospecting system, in writing, with specific activities that they do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, annually to ensure enough viable prospects until Missouri.
I was teaching a session on prospecting and asked the question, “Can anyone show me their prospecting system?” And, lo and behold, one person in the back said, “Here’s mine!” and held it up. She had only been in the business a few months, but I bet she’s inching toward top biller by now. She gets it!
And speaking of new calls, when we break it down, there are only four types of new calls we can make:
1. Cold Calls
You know nothing about the business except that it’s there. You walk in with no knowledge and ask for an appointment. Can you build a business this way? Yes, it’s possible. Years ago, I did so because I didn’t know how to do anything else except walk up and down the street knocking on doors. It’s a hard way to find clients and statistically, only 5% will end up doing business with you.
2. Leads
Now you have some piece of information that should mean this business needs to advertise. Maybe they have remodeled, or they have new management. You’ve gone to their website, googled them, checked out their social media. You’ve “warmed” up the call. Working leads makes success a bit easier: statistically 15% of these contacts will close.
3. Referrals
Someone you know has recommended that you see a new contact. They will let you use their name. They’ve probably given you vital information about the new person. This is a much better way to work. Statistically, 50% of these will close.
4. Introductions
If you can take that referral a step further and ask that the referring person set up a meeting, lunch, or coffee with the new person, you have an inside track. Statistically, 90-95% of these will close.
As you develop your prospecting system, you can see that working with referrals and introductions can increase your likelihood of success dramatically. So, whom do you know? Which clients are happy with your service? Which friends or family know people who might need what you do? Can you identify that one person in your town who knows EVERYTHING that is going on in business? I call this person your “rumor central”. Buy them coffee a couple of times a month and have a chat.
Chances are we will need to use all four of these types of new calls. But the more we can use #3 and #4, the easier our selling lives will be. Also, our time will be more effectively and efficiently spent.
If you are ever in one of my seminars and I ask to see your prospecting system, I hope you will be the second person to pull it out and say, “Here it is!”
Happy prospecting and happy selling!
Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, “A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales” and “Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change” available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.