Chapter 9
Prospecting Effectively
IN THIS CHAPTER
Knowing your targets
Conducting research
Doing first-level qualification
Using a CRM system
Identifying the right sales opportunities to pursue — known as prospecting — is one of the most important aspects of winning new business. You have a limited amount of time to spend on each stage of the sales process, so making the most of it is key. If your initial prospect identification isn’t spot on, then you risk wasting your most valuable resource: time.
You may have the greatest product or service to offer, your presentation skills finely tuned, your objection handling rehearsed to perfection, and your 60-second intro word perfect, but if you’re talking to the wrong profile of prospect at the wrong time, then you’re not going to win.
You can spend time on literally hundreds, or even thousands, of potential opportunities, but only a few of them will be the right profile of prospect. The right profile of prospect is one that is in the right market at the right time, with a set of needs that your solution can address. You can’t and shouldn’t ...
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