The internet has completely changed the sales paradigm.
We’ve been seduced into thinking marketing will produce all the leads we need. So we won’t actually have to go fish for prospects.
Never have to make an uncomfortable cold call. Reach out to a stranger and put forward a value proposition.
And while you could survive in this paradigm, you’re actually missing out on a huge amount of potential business.
Opportunities that could blow your sales targets out of the water.
Think of it like an iceberg.
The 3% above the water is akin to prospects who know they have an issue and are actively looking for a solution. They’ll research solutions and statistically be 60% to 70% down the buying path before making a decision to contact you.
And that’s only if your content marketing and educational material has convinced prospects you have something to offer. Something you have little control over. BTW, they’re also reaching out to your competitors!
But what about the other 97% below the waterline? Prospects who aren’t actively searching, but who would benefit from your solution. If only they knew about it.
The art of sales is either helping a prospect discover or create a need. But you need to go find them.
Which is accomplished through old school “prospecting”. Actually identifying and reaching out to people in your target market who could be potential clients.
And yes, that means actually picking up the phone and talking to people.
I can feel some of you cringing at the thought. Maybe you’ll send emails or messages via LinkedIn instead. But ask yourself when was the last time you responded to a cold formulaic email spruiking something from someone you don’t know?
Sales is all about relationships. You want to do business with people you know, like and trust. Which only happens when you have conversations. And every conversation starts with reaching out to a prospect.
To a large extent sales is a numbers game. Your job is to fill your pipeline with prospects whom you rapidly qualify, looking for opportunities to add value.
There’s nothing quite as empowering as being in control, knowing that you’ll meet your growth targets because you’ve got a steady stream of high quality prospects to work with. This sale falls over? Next!
So make the effort to become good at prospecting. Your sales results will soar.
Finally if you’d like help improving your ability to prospect and sell, our PMS SalesAccelerator program will help you reach out to your target market and close more business. Contact Rashid on 0414 913 334 to get started.
