In the January 2007 edition of Harvard Business Review, there is a great article entitled: "How Leaders Create and Use Networks." What I found extremely insightful and highly applicable to sales was the Three Forms Of Networking:1) Operational. where most contacts are internal (within your company) and specific to functions and skills required to getting [...]
Many of you requested a single document containing the 10 articles in an easy to read Executive Summary format. Well here it is.10 Ways To Find More Prospects: The e-bookDownload the free e-book (in pdf format) containing all 10 articles in the series.Download Now
Never Eat Alone (Part 10/10). This has got to be one of the most productive and enjoyable, yet least used methods of prospecting that I know of. This is the quickest way to get to “privileged conversations” with a real exchange of information and ideas. I have found that people are far more open, honest [...]
Getting Recommended (Part 9/10). Without doubt the single most effective way that I know to find new prospects and win new business is to be recommended. Being recommended by someone puts you in an extremely privileged position. Firstly you don’t need to sell yourself or your services as this has already been established and accepted. [...]
Leveraging Events (Part 8/10). A great way to meet new prospects is at events. Events ranging from school sports meetings to Corporate VIP hospitality events. Be there. Attend some local sporting events where you will meet other people with similar sporting interests or attend your kid’s school sports events where you will meet other parents [...]
Using Referrals. (Part 7/10). The best way to approach someone who you don’t yet know is via someone they already know. This is type of approach is known as a using a ‘referral’. A good referral gives you privileged access to an open minded audience. When you contact someone via a referral you automatically have [...]
Leverage the network of contacts and industry knowledge of Journalists (Part 6/10). Journalists are well connected and knowledgeable about a lot of things that are of interest to you and your business. They have a high level view on what is happening in your field and they always know a lot of important people. The [...]
Leverage Your Client’s Supply Chain (Part 5/10). The idea here is to prospect amongst your client’s customers, suppliers, partners or competitors. In other words, look for sales opportunities in your client’s “business eco-system”. Let me give you 3 simple examples of how you can do this.Client’s Customers: Suppose that one of your customers supplies their [...]
Speeches and Public Appearances (Part 4/10). Here is one of my favorite prospecting ideas, which I have used successfully for many years and I can assure you that it works. Create leads by making speeches and other public appearances. This requires becoming a subject matter expert in your chosen field. This is easier than you [...]
The Harvard Business Review July-August 2006 issue featured a number of thought leadership articles on sales. This week I met Jim Dickie who co-authored one of those articles entitled "Understanding What Your Sales Manager Is Up Against." Barry is a partner at CSOInsights who specialise in benchmarking the challenges faced by today’s sales and marketing [...]