To succeed in sales, you have to keep refilling the pipeline with qualified prospects. Of course, this isn't always easy. Prospecting takes time, something I know you don't have a lot of, which is why I want to share 3 strategies for increasing the efficiency of your client prospecting so you can stop wasting your precious time.
1) Start At The Top
The efficiency of your prospecting success leans on the quality and strength of your prospecting lists.
One mistake salespeople make is starting too low in an organization.
It may seem logical. Enter at the lowest point with lower-level employees who will return your phone calls and then work your way up to the decision-makers. But is that really the best approach?
My advice: Go straight to the top.
Before even starting to prospect, refine your prospecting lists so you start with the decision-makers and avoid wasting time with people lower in the organization.
2) Strike While The Iron Is Hot
Not all etailer prospects are in a season where they’re ready to engage, but some definitely are. Be sure to keep in contact with those less-than-ready prospects, but focus your energy on those that are actively looking for a new vendor.
Using tools like Technology Spy can help you pinpoint exactly when an etailer is in the market looking for your services. You can track the technologies that etailers are using and set up alerts to tell you when an etailer is prime to be approached. Enticing them into the sales funnel is a lot easier when they're ready and willing to pull the trigger!
3) Schedule Your Prospecting Time
Prospecting is a task that is easy to keep pushing down the to-do list, especially if you already have a solid portfolio of clients that need attention. Don't fool yourself though--prospecting is one of the most important parts of selling, which is why you need to schedule set amounts of time for it each week.
I've learned over the years that it's most efficient for me to schedule this time for first thing in the morning. I answer any necessary emails, then turn off my distractions, make a short-term goal for how much time I want to dedicate (usually 2-3 hours with 15 minute breaks every 45 minutes) and what I hope to achieve, and then I get to it.
Making a few changes that will improve the efficiency of your prospecting strategy can save you a lot of time long-term.
Are you looking for other ways to increase the efficiency of your client prospecting? See how using data can save you time and effort when prospecting for new clients.