Over the past couple of years, I have been astounded at how large organizations with large personal
Defining Prospecting in 2020 and Beyond
Prospecting is defined as the process of initiating and developing new revenues (business) by searching for potential customers, client, or buyers for your products and / or services. The goal of sales prospecting is to move these prospects through the sales funnel until they convert to revenue generating customers.
Classic “old school” prospecting tactics included activities such as:
As we all know, the tactics that worked in the past will not work in the present or the future. If you haven’t heard, most if not all of these tactics are dead and, in many cases, can actually decrease the perception of your brand when executed poorly. In other words, a terrible cold call or bothersome email might cause a potential prospect to never have anything to do with your company again!
Context: Prospects Live at the Intersection of Awareness and Identify & Qualify
To be successful at prospecting, you need to understand where prospects live. I propose that prospects live at the intersection of “Awareness” and “Identify & Qualify.” Awareness is when and how the prospect becomes aware of you and your company and your job is to identify and qualify prospects. The graphics below from our Prospecting content presents the relationship between the typical buying process and the typical selling process. Your Sales IQ should instantly inform you that none of this works without great prospecting.
The New Skills and Art of Prospecting
Successful sales professionals in 2020 and beyond are going to have an evolved skill set. The new approach to Prospecting is based upon a competency model that includes:
Where to Find Prospects?
It’s one thing to develop a new skill set, it’s another to know where and how to apply them. One of the most important parts of the evolution is knowing where to find prospects in this extremely changed world. A few tips:
In summary, it’s a new world of selling and a new world of prospecting. Everyone needs to evolve their skills, practice, and continue to evolve their approach.