Business to business new client prospecting is one of the most effective ways to ensure sales continue to flow, grow your sales pipeline and increase your company's revenue. Sadly, B2B prospecting is something that even the most experienced salespeople struggle with sometimes. Many salespeople avoid prospecting because they don’t see meaningful short-term results from their efforts.
In addition, without the right sales knowledge, tools and help, you can waste a lot of valuable time and resources concentrating on the wrong prospecting factors. To help you put your sales efforts on a solid course for success, here are five effective strategies that you can use for successful B2B client prospecting:
For any client prospecting effort to be successful, a sales professional must be prepared, have a plan, and know who their best potential clients are. So, client research is very important as it will help you know who the trend setters and the decision makers are in your market as well as which companies you should be targeting first. Also, keep in mind when it comes to prospecting for new clients, every detail matters, so when doing your homework make sure you know as much as possible about the company you are contacting, and whether their business will truly benefit from what you are selling.
Know the business characteristics of your target clients and the exact people at those companies you will target. They usually involve very specific psychographics and demographics. Try to find out what purchasing decision behaviors your target clients have in common. This way you can determine what selling points you should focus on that will be most important to a particular company and the person, or people, you will contact at that company. You can do this by creating a list of prospects that meet most of your customer’s key characteristics. The more comprehensive the list, the more likely you are to convert your prospects into new clients.
Identify what aspect of your service or product is most valuable to your potential clients. Anything about your product than is better than what your competitors offer is what you should focus on. This way you will have valuable selling points that matter during calls and promotions that are likely to win your client’s hearts easily. Perhaps, you own or lease a processing center or a local warehouse that fills orders quicker than other business that deal in similar merchandise or you have good relationships with shipping companies that offer enticing rates and high-volume clients. Whatever your strong point is, focus on it when talking to prospects. Most people prefer to deal with companies that meet expectations for efficiency, quality and service. So, have something more for them!
Timing is also very important. It can easily affect your outcome either positively or negatively. So, it is important to know the ideal times that your prospects are likely to respond to your promotion or buy your product. For example, sending your email or calling at the same time that other similar companies are doing so can easily reduce your earning potential. But If you deal with a seasonal product or service, your conversion rates are likely to be higher just before or during the specific season and not after the season ends.
A constant and regular stream of quality referrals is the core of any business. Surveys show that referrals are one of the most effective methods to prospect for new business because most people trust them more than any other marketing method. Having a steady referral generating system will not only ensure that you are regularly introduced to new prospects but you are also introduced to the right prospects that fit your customer profile!
Click here to read our article on how to get more business referrals.
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