Prospecting is like a game of tennis, it is full of
strategy if you know what you are looking out for. A good tennis player
knows exactly the next possible moves his opponent will take. So is the
same with prospecting. A professional sales person when calling over
the phone, Never Assumes. It could be the CEO or his or her spouse or
partner. You can never tell.
In my early days of Sales I made
some massive mistakes in regards to assuming. One of the worst ones
that I will admit to (but don't tell anyone) I was working in the UK. I
thought a potential female buyer was pregnant when actually she was
just overweight. I asked her, "When are you expecting". She looked at
me a little strange. My saving grace was my quick thinking. I answered
her, "When are you expecting to go back to the States".
To this
day I still don't know whether or not I got away with it. I didn't
receive a slap so that is always a winner. She just kept talking and
said when she was returning back home. Do yourself a favour quickly,
never assume! You can blow so many sales on just one little assumptive
comment. The only time you should assume is when you are using it as a
tool to say gain a commitment when you are closing.
One of the
biggest annoying mistakes you can make is not confirming all the
important details like the address and contact details. Get as much
info here as you can because there is nothing more frustrating when you
get lost or are running late, not having the right contact numbers.
Also it is very important that you spell their name right. I think you
would agree that when someone spells your name, it is nice when you
don't have to correct them. It is also nice when you know how to
pronounce those difficult names. Check if you have the pronunciation
right. It is wise to check it all at the start, so you have it right
the first time. Always try to leave the conversation with trivia. This
sets you up for the next time you call so you have something to talk
about to quickly build rapport with them. If it is Friday, ask them if
they have a busy weekend. Then ask them if you have to call back Monday
if the weekend ended well and did they get to that concert or get to go
away like they where planning.
You also need to have an idea
where the next ball is coming from potentially. when you have a lot of
potential sales appointments booked You must keep prospecting. Sales
and business are very finicky, one week you can have a full diary of
potential buyer appointments and the next none at all. The only way to
keep those appointments and sales coming, is to continue in daily
prospecting and not letting up until you get the appointments for the
day.
