SalesResources.com - Prospecting and Cold Calling Articles

Getting Your Foot In The Door With Prospects

Fri, 06 May 2011 12:00:00 CST

Before I started coaching sales managers and delivering in-house sales training, I was a top-performing financial services agent. Well, I wasnt always a top-performer...and I certainly didnt start out as one. I remember running appointments on those cold winter days in Canada, freezing outside prospects homes because I forgot to confirm our appointments. Its impossible to close sales if you cant get even get your foot in the door! Heres a shortcut you can take to getting your foot in the door with prospects by implementing the following three strategies: Creating scripts for scheduling appointments Dont wing it! Its important to develop scripts for leaving voicemail messages, leaving messages with assistants (gatekeepers) and when speaking directly with your prospective customers. Be clear about the purpose of your call. Is it to inform, remind or persuade? Often, its to persuade the prospect to agree to scheduling an appointment with you. Most people naturally

Sales Prospecting Best Practices

Wed, 04 May 2011 12:00:00 CST

Prospecting is a key selling skill and a critical skill to develop if you want to increase your sales and achieve long-term success in sales. Yet, most sales people dont invest enough time to this integral sales strategy. Part of the problem is that very few companies teach sales reps how to prospect. Here are five prospecting best practices for you to consider. Allot a specific amount of time every day/week or month. When my wife first started her software training business our accountant said, "Devote a certain amount of time every week looking for new business." Prospecting is not a fun activity, at least not for most people. However, the more time you consistently invest prospecting for new business the more likely it is that you will never suffer from a sales slump. Thats why it is imperative that you block time in your calendar each and every week to prospect for new business. Do you schedule prospecting time into your calendar every week? Use

Increase Sales By Focusing Your Prospecting Efforts

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:00:00 CST

When a sales person is struggling one of the first questions we ask is "How many people are on your target prospect list?" Usually we find a list with everything and the kitchen sink. Too many names. Too many target accounts. Too many titles. Too many target industries. Too spread out geographically. In short, a target prospect list that shows a total lack of focus. When we point this out to a struggling sales person we hear something like "Yes, but anyone of these prospects could potentially buy from me." And thats probably true and some probably will, which will only reinforce the belief that casting a wide prospecting net is an effective sales strategy. In our experience its not. On the other extreme, when we look at the target prospecting list of a highly successful, top producing sales person we usually see a much more focused and narrowly targeted list. They have usually found their niche and are concentrating their sales efforts on being the dominant provider i

Whats Holding Your Prospecting Back?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:00:00 CST

There arent many certainties in selling. What works well for one person can be a dead end for another, and what looks like a sure sale can easily deteriorate into a missed opportunity. One thing you can count on, however, is that a lack of strong, qualified leads will always be a stumbling block on the way to new business.

In that way, prospecting and lead generation are somewhat unique activities. While you can be a strong presenter, closer, or negotiator, none of that will ever matter if you dont have enough leads to work with. And yet, coming up with a full sales pipeline is a constant challenge for sellers in every field and industry.

Here are a few of the common reasons why and the keys to getting past them.?

Prospecting and selling are different skills. Great salespeople arent always great lead generators. They may be fantastic account managers, or perfect when it comes to closing warm leads, but struggle to find new oppo

Selling Is A Contact Sport: Keys To Effective Phone Calling

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 12:00:00 CST

Its been said that salespeople who avoid making phone calls have skinny children. Prospecting for new business is critically important and for the majority of salespeople, it is by far the most challenging and stressful aspect of their profession. Successful salespeople are proactive and recognize the importance of prospecting for new business daily. They dont have to be reminded to ask for referrals or follow up on a sales lead, they do it automatically. This article is packed full of helpful phone calling tips and techniques which, if put into practice, will fill your appointment calendar with new business opportunities! Dont shoot from the hip, use a script. If you want to sound confident and competent, I strongly suggest that you write out your opening and closing remarks. If you sound in the least bit nervous or unprepared, people will immediately sense this and rightfully assume that you lack experience. Using a phone script for your opening and closing remarks is a good ide