How Not To Burn Through Your Prospect List.
Peter Strohkorb
Top 27 Sales Advisor, globally | 25+ Years Sales Expertise, 100+ LI Recommendations, 2 x Book Author, Salesforce SalesBlazer | ?? Your Buyers Have Changed How They Buy -> Is Your Sales Funnel Buyer-Focused ? ??
If you're in sales, you know that prospecting is a huge mainstay of your job.
So you spent a lot of time and money collating or buying a list of your ideal prospects.
You're now eager to use it.
Someone comes up with a script, and you're ready to go out there and catch some prospects.
But as you get half way through the list you realise that the results are not what you expected. In fact, there are no tangible results at all!
You feel frustrated and disappointed.
What Went Wrong?
Well, just having a list is only part of the job.
Reaching out to your prospects is also only part of the job.
The key part of prospecting is not just to reach out to your ideal prospects. Nor is it to pitch to them once you've connected.
The key to a successful prospect engagement program is to ENGAGE your prospects into a BUSINESS conversation.
So, you need to get your prospect engagement right, if you want to avoid burning through your prospect list, without seeing much of a result.
What do I mean by that?
A Real-World Example
Recently, I had a first meeting with a senior sales leader. He wanted my advice on effective lead generation and top-of-the-funnel campaigns.
So, I asked about the prospect engagement techniques his business currently uses.
He mentioned that he has a team of BDRs who cold-call suspects from a list of prospects and suspects.
I inquired what they say when someone answers the phone.
This is what he told me:
"Hi, it's (caller's name) from (business name). We provide (describes their generic services)."
I asked about the typical response they receive.
He said it's often something like:
"We already have something like this, thanks for calling."
He then proceeded to explain how his team then handles these kinds of objections, namely by trying to convince the prospects that they do need these services after all.
I pointed out to him how this approach feels from the buyer's perspective:
Essentially, someone you don't know interrupts your day to convince you to buy something you don't really think you need. And when you say you're not interested, they argue with you.
This approach feels combative to your prospect, and can leave buyers feeling bothered, even ambushed. (Click HERE to see Why) .
So I invited the sales leader to co-create with me a more effective prospect engagement approach for his business.
Within a short period of time, we came up with a more effective engagement approach that accomplished all of these outcomes:
领英推荐
Now it's Your turn.
Here is an open invitation for you. Take me up on it.
Contact me to discuss your sales prospecting.
Contact me to discuss your sales prospecting.
Also, feel free to check out my other sales articles .
About The Author
Peter Strohkorb
Peter Strohkorb ?is the Founder and Principal of?Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory , the international Sales Acceleration Advisory firm with a growing list of clients in the b2b services and tech space in the USA, in Australia and in the UK.
Our motto is "More Sales, Faster" and that is exactly what we deliver to you, our clients.
Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory - More Sales Faster
Contact
AUS: +61 411 865 301
USA: +1 628-266-0787
Peter Strohkorb has walked in your shoes. He knows what it’s like to be in your situation.
Starting as a quota-carrying sales rep, Peter earned his stripes during a 25 year career in corporate sales and marketing executive experience. He generated record-breaking revenue results for multinational corporations and for small and medium businesses alike.
In 2011, he started Peter Strohkorb Advisory to help SME and mid-market Business Leaders get ahead.
Since then, he has advised many Tech and B2B Services Businesses in the US and in ANZ on modern selling and is now a sought-after sales expert.