Prospecting Campaigns

Every successful prospecting campaign starts with identifying your best sources of prospects.  What are the best places to look for those folks that are your Ideal Prospect?

Fishermen have learned that it’s important to move from spot to spot to insure they improve their “luck.”  Like a fisherman, you should explore as many places as possible to improve your prospecting luck.

There are many places to find prospects.  Not all are lucrative for everyone.  Your task is to conduct the exploratory work and determine which are best for you.

Here’s a good, but partial, list.

  • Buy a list from a list brokers.
  • Join local groups that are related to what you do; attend meetings; join a committee.
  • Join the local Chamber of Commerce.
  • Research your company’s lists of old customers.
  • Lead clubs often can provide a good source of prospects for some businesses (but not all).
  • Scan local papers or business journals for names of companies and decision makers.
  • Attend networking events.
  • Use Linkedin or other social media.
  • Use Google and other search engines to gather information quickly
  • Go to trade shows as an exhibitor or simply to walk around and talk to people.
  • (Always the best source of good prospects.)

Once you’ve identified and assembled a list of prospects, there are many ways to contact them, yet not all will yield the same degree of success.  You need to identify the 2-3 best approaches for you and do them consistently. Here are a few ideas.

  • Cold calls
  • Direct mail campaigns
  • Personal letters
  • Emails
  • Voice mails
  • Walk-ins

Don’t expect miracles after the first 2-3 attempts to contact your prospects, and don’t quit then either.  Research shows that it normally takes 7-15 exposures before you have built enough credibility with your prospect so that he will agree to meet with you.  Most salespeople quit after the third attempt…way too soon.

Remember: You can’t fail at prospecting unless you fail to prospect. 

Self-Study Assignment:  What are your best sources of prospects?  How do you know they are the most effective for you?  Are there any other sources you might look into?  Make sure you don’t put all your eggs into one prospecting basket.  Have several sources you can count on.