Prospecting is a process of sifting through many leads until you find one that fits your criteria. As such,
prospecting is a discarding activity
. They’re all
suspects
until you qualify them, then they become
prospects
. You have to know what you’re looking for. After all, if you know what you’re looking for, you have a much better chance of finding it. And if you’re looking for referrals, sharing with a potential referral source what your ideal prospect looks like removes all the guesswork on their part. Without a specific focus, most requests for referrals wind up with, “Let me see if I can think of someone and I’ll call you.” You know from experience that people seldom call you back with a referral after they’ve made that comment to you.
Big Picture:
What companies in your market are likely to have the kinds of problems you solve, and whom in those companies has the responsibility for solving those problems? That’s your ideal prospect. Here are some ideas about what to include.
- Description:
(ex. an owner of a small to medium sized business who has a sales force; VP of Sales for a larger company)
- Typical Pains:
(ex. who is frustrated with excessive turnover; not making his/her sales goals, etc.)
- Mindset:
(ex. who is open minded about training; deadly serious about growing the business)
- Geographic area:
(ex. located in …)
- Products & Services:
(ex. is used to going outside the company for sales training)
- Profit/Purchase Potential:
(might have a budget of $ ______ for training)
- Etc.
This approach will also help you focus more effectively on your overall prospecting efforts.
Self-Study Assignment:
If you haven’t already done so, take a few minutes to write down a description of your ideal prospect. Check with your manager to insure you are both in agreement.