News for the Hospitality Executive |
Prospecting
Doesn't Have To Be a Dirty
Word! By Gary R. Hernbroth Chief Motivating Officer March 21, 2012 “Aw,
no, not prospecting… I hate that!” Candidly, the
majority of
salespeople I’ve known and worked with admit this at one time or
another in
their careers – no matter how successful they are. Face it, prospecting
or
cold-calling can be a grind. Legions of salespeople find every excuse
in the
world not to have to prospect. “I’ve been
in meetings,” “Our phones are ringing again,” “I don’t have the time.”
Why don’t
salespeople run into
their offices every day with fast heartbeats to pick up the phone or
start
emailing their prospecting efforts? Here are a few of the “fear
factors” -- :
* Fear of rejection – people don’t like to
be told “no”
* Fear of stage fright – What to
say? How to answer? What if they throw me a curveball?
* Lack of control – Salespeople LOVE
to control the call or situation on their terms * We are an interruption – Yes, we
must face
the fact that our prospects were doing
something else, or thinking about something else, when we
called them So given these
factors, is it any
mystery why sales team leaders wring their hands and gnash their teeth
trying
to get their salespeople to prospect more? After all, it is the bread
of life
in one’s sales funnel. Without prospects on a steady basis, you will
run out of
business. Plain and simple. So what to do? As
a sales
trainer/coach, I use the approach with my clients that the only real
chance you
have to make a cold call successful and get past those critical 15
seconds
where the other person is deciding to flee or stay, is if you've got a
COMPELLING REASON for them to do so -- in other words, a WII-FM (what's
in it
for me?). And doing your homework first will help here. The criteria I’ve
identified which
buyers go through doing their “mental math” to decide whether or not to
listen
to a pitch, and, ultimately, buy or not buy, hinge on these questions: The
Buyer’s Criteria * Will it make me (or my
organization)
money? * Will it save me (or my
organization)
money? *
Will it improve our business model, our efficiencies? *
Will it help us help our customers? *
Will it help me personally (or my organization/family) shine? *
Can you do any of this better than your competition can? Time after time,
customer panels I work with stress
that they want to hear from salespeople who do their homework, who know
something about their business, their industry, and/or their
organization. It
saves them time and aggravation. Salespeople who don't do their
homework prior
to making a "cold" call deserve whatever happens. I suggest making it
a "warm" call by knowing something about the person or organization
you are reaching out to. That way, you've got a shot at matching up
what they
may want or need with what you have. . It saves time and is much more
professional. Many training programs only focus on the "what to say" of a cold call. I suggest
putting some work into the "what to think"
beforehand, too. Another benefit
of “tunneling” is
that you can also pick up possible affinity leads in places you never
dreamed
of – Who are their vendors? Who are their allied businesses? Who are
their
members? I once picked up several new business leads from leading golf
equipment companies by researching my original client, the Golf Course
Superintendents Association, and noticing them listed on various places
within
their website. I used my existing relationship with the GCSA to parlay
an
introduction to those vendor companies. Before you pick
up the phone or type
your prospecting email, ask yourself this simple question or two: "How can my product/service help them?”
“Why would they want to talk to me?” By answering
these questions and
doing your homework, you'll go into the call with much more confidence,
and also
increase your chances for the next step, too. Is there a
chance for a possible marriage here? After all,
that's what a prospecting call or
reach-out is – not necessarily to book anything right there on the spot
(as
many amateur salespeople believe) -- but to qualify the possibility of
doing
business together at some point in the future.
Contact Gary Hernbroth for customized training, speaking, and coaching opportunities: [email protected] website: trainingforwinners.com. Phone 925-736-9392 |
Contact: Gary Hernbroth [email protected] website: trainingforwinners.com Phone 925-736-9392 |