Modern Prospecting 1.4

photo: The David, a Michelangelo masterpiece that was completed in 1504 is currently housed in the Academia Gallery in Florence Italy.  This 17 foot tall sculpture is awesome and can only be appreciated in person. It exceeds description and photography.  Next time you're in Florence . . .    

ONE PROSPECT, not many

(quit the numbers game, seek the power of one)

What if you had only one prospect to work each month?  There are no others to fall back on, to confuse, or dilute your efforts.  What would you do differently?

 

And before you read too far, allow me to disclaim:  Not all sales warrant this one-prospect approach but, not all sales warrant the “numbers game”. 

The “numbers game” is the predominant approach to new business development.  Are these two examples familiar?

At a well-attended networking event you, and everyone else, are eager to meet and chat.  How do you feel when you are conversing with a new connection and while you’re talking that person is looking over your shoulder and around the room --- looking for another number?

Our sales manager tells us to make more calls.  If we are not setting enough appointments, the universal solution is … make more calls.  Pick up the phone and keep dialing.  

In both examples, we are devaluing the people we are trying to meet.  We are simply hunting for that client who is in absolute need of our solution … now.

How often does that happen to you?  How many people buy from you the first time you meet them?

If yours is a valuable solution, it happens rarely if ever.  And today’s buyers, given access to Google, can quickly and easily shop for whatever we have to offer.  And they should do so!  The person responsible (the elusive decision-maker) for making a valuable, important or expensive purchase decision wants NOT to make a mistake.

Some purchase decisions are lightweights and some are not.  If yours is a significant or heavyweight decision, let’s consider a different approach than the numbers game.

Here are some elements to the one prospect approach.

[1] We are assigned but a few prospects.  There are no others to fall back on, or to confuse our focus, or to dilute our efforts.  We have only these few.

[2] We are not “going for the no”.  We are seeking to build a relationship.  The goal is to become a “trusted advisor”.

[3] We know that the buyer is NOT going to buy from us at our first meeting.  We are not going to ask for any business until our prospect has articulated a very real and specific objective that they are very excited about.

[4] We are going to respect each prospect that we are assigned and we are going to design a 10 or 50 step process with which we will accomplish various milestones.  We are going to have a real prospect nurturing plan full of value.  We are NOT making calls to “touch base”.

[5] We know that many people we meet will not buy from us now and may never.  We know this and accept this.  We do not become angry or defensive about such.  Instead we are pleased with the relationship we are building as a “trusted advisor”.

For years we have treated prospects like numbers and with disdain.  We have caused prospects to dislike us and avoid us.   

We perpetuate this horridly unsuccessful numbers game approach.  It’s as much a hazing ritual as anything else … because there is no value in it.  Our closing percentages are pitifully low.  We cause the people we meet to speak badly of us, and it causes sales people to burn-out and hate their jobs.

When we sellers figure out to whom we can truly bring real value, and respect the prospect, and take the time to build a relationship, perhaps we can enjoy our work again.  And perhaps our reputation will precede us as a trusted advisor, rather than an “all mouth and no ears”, fast-talking, anxious to ge get this "no", pitch-meister. 

Many more of the people we meet will not be customers of ours, but this does not mean they need not think well of us.  If we treat every person we meet with respect and grace, we can cause goodwill.  If we select our prospects carefully and take the time to discover how we can deliver real value to that one prospect . . . the world will be a better place for sales people AND for prospects, too.

 



Charlotte, NC