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How To Prospect Local Clients For Your Web Services
All successful sales people know
that their success is greatly dependent on their ability
to effectively prospect.
Here are just a few of the resources you can put to
work in building your business locally.
All successful sales people know that their success
is greatly dependent on their ability to effectively
prospect. In other words, the "sale" begins
here. 100% of all businesses are prospects for you.
You can’t name a legitimate industry
that is not a candidate for your web services. Sales
are based on numbers. The more business owners you contact,
the greater the odds of setting an appointment to meet
with them.
The business can be a manufacturer,
retailer, wholesaler, lawyer, home improvement contractor
or hospital administrator they all have their reasons
for needing your web services.
This is why you should have no difficulty
in coming up with at least 100 fresh new leads on a
weekly basis. It is best to contact prospects on Monday
mornings. The more your business grows the more apt
you are to begin receiving referrals from your existing
customers. That, however, still does not preclude prospecting
for new customers.
It’s important to create a prospect
lead system. You can do that the old-fashioned way by
creating a manual card file using plain 3 x 5 index
cards. Or, you can set up a contact management program
on your computer.
Whichever method you choose, follow
this checklist:
1. Information you will want on each
lead:
Name of the business
Address with zip code
Telephone Number
Name(s) of owner(s) with title(s) if available.
2. How to create your 100 leads weekly:
While out on the road, speak into a
recorder, listing names of business and other pertinent
information that you see while traveling.
Later, while listening to the recorder,
transfer the information to a card or your contact management
program.
Using the yellow pages, create leads
from a variety of businesses.
Visit your local library and use either
Contacts Influential, Inside Contacts or any other printed
directory and create leads using the geographical section
(by zip code) or the SIC (Standard Industry Code) Section.
SIC has all businesses grouped together by type, i.e.
plumbers, insurance, etc.
3. Newspapers are a terrific source
for leads.
Begin to read the newspaper differently
than you have in the past. Make note of what businesses
are advertising and what they are advertising.
Read the business section for announcements
of new businesses.
Read the legal section for listings
of new incorporations.
4. Pick up every free print directory
you can find. Usually you will find these free papers
located in stands outside of frequently visited businesses,
like grocery stores and restaurants. They run the gamut
by specialty industries like: real estate, senior citizens,
automobiles, etc. Quik Quarter and PennySaver are two
that come
to mind.
5. Stop throwing away your junk mail!
There’s gold in there. Any business who is
already actively engaged in advertising is a prospect
for your directory. If they are using print media you
can be assured that they are accustomed to spending
a great deal of money on advertising.
6. Here is a list of additional sources
for you. You can probably come up with many more:
Magazines
Radio advertising
TV advertising
Chamber of Commerce Directories
Better Business Bureau Directories
Direct Mail Coupons
Billboards
Church Bulletins
Business cards displayed at
restaurants/laundromats/stores
Trade Shows
Visuals like drive bys and mobile units
Referrals
7. If you use a contact management system
on your computer to organize and track your leads, you
will still want to have a card file system to use for
those leads you obtain from other advertising. Cut
out the newspaper ad or coupon and staple to an index
card. Organize these leads into a card file system
that parallels your contact schedule.
8. Remember to use logical calling
times for the businesses you contact. Typically,
you would not want to contact a restaurant during their
"prime times" like breakfast, lunch or dinner
and remember our previous comments about contacting
the construction industries.
1howto.com
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