29 prospecting tips

Plan your work and work your plan. You can’t take a fishing boat out and just expect fish to jump into the boat.@rbarsi

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Attract your audience. If a prospect hears your voicemail or receives your email, they may Google your name. Are you worth the search?@rbarsi

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Set up alerts for internal changes, such as senior executive movement, acquisition, divestiture, funding, credit status changes, etc.@dandade

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Do your research; you don’t want to sound like any other schlep calling and interrupting their day. Make sure to learn enough about their business to articulate why you feel you can help.@craig_ferrara

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Figuring out the best time of day to call changes from vertical to vertical. You have to be comfortable making several attempts at finding the time to catch someone who’s in the office. Getting an email address is helpful, but understand that you may not get a reply until much later in the day when they actually have a second to sit down.@chris_snell

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Are your customers gaining or sinking in popularity? Foursquare check-ins and other social indicators can be an easy way to determine customer loyalty and interest.@darian314

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When preparing your call script, think: you are 1 of 100s of salespeople calling this prospect. What would make them want to call you back?Craig Kaplan

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Stop writing emails that look like novels: http://three.sentenc.es/@rbarsi

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Decision makers that are SMBs are rarely sitting waiting for a sales call; email is VERY important. Always email first to let them know you’re going to call. If you don’t get through email again, give them a day and then call.@davepolitis

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Know your prospects’ communication preferences. Keep record of those preferences and stick to them. Don’t keep emailing a prospect that only answers your phone calls.@johnsjawn

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Send your prospects handwritten birthday cards – the old-fashioned way.@barbaragiamanco

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Stop talking about your offerings. They’re not interested in what you do; only what you can do for them. There’s a big difference.@mike_weinberg

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Offer something of value for nothing in return. Rather than ask for a meeting, offer an assessment or audit.@heinzmarketing

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5 before 9 and 9 after 5: extra calls to be made to keep the funnel fat.craig kaplan

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Prospects are not leads, clicks, or impressions; they’re people and businesses. Get over your own internal metrics and listen.@kennymadden1973

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You’re not perfect for everyone. You may have the best solution since sliced bread, but if it doesn’t fit how a prospect does business, it won’t fit. It’s nothing personal, it just doesn’t fit. @kennymadden1973

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WOM is important. If you leave a bad taste in a prospect’s mouth, more than likely LOTS of people will know – quickly. On the flip side, if you do something right, they will praise you with accolades in front of many others. Word-of-mouth is huge.@kennymadden1973

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When it’s scheduled prospecting time, do nothing else but prospect. Everything else can wait.@shawn_naggiar

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Follow your prospects on Twitter and watch for appropriate ways to engage.@barbaragiamanco

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Without a doubt, the best time to get a hold of the hard-to-reach person is between :58 and :02 each hour. @thesaleshunter

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Don’t simply cold call. Do research in LinkedIn, on the prospect’s website, in groups or other discussions in which they are involved and on any other press. @dandade

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Connect with prospects who view your profile. On LinkedIn, you can see who has viewed your profile. When a prospect views your profile, offer to connect. When you’re connected, they’ll see your Activity Feed, and you can track their activity. @james_t_shanks

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Apply apps like Outlook’s Delay Delivery, Boomerang, or ToutAPP to send your messages on Sundays. It appears that you’re working hard on the weekend and it catches prospects in a relaxed environment. @rbarsi

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If someone has been ignoring your cold-calling for 5 years, THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED. @kennymadden1973

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Uncover the decision-making process (including the budgeting process) during the prospecting phase of the selling cycle. This helps you validate authority. @dandade

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Hone your pitch: know the value that you offer and find ways to engage potential buyers through adding value for them – not from selling your stuff. @scoremoresales

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Don’t sell; help others buy. The buyer-centric approach assures you speak in terms relevant to real problems. Buyers don’t care about your product. They care about solving their problems. @jill_rowley

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Build relationships. As with all sales, people purchase based on emotion and likability. This means you need to be open, honest and full of integrity in your discussions and negotiations with them. @sandyrgans

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