Why is prospecting the RIGHT buyers important in sales

Who should you be prospecting? The right prospective customer is someone who has money, who already buys your product or service, and is preconditioned to buy from you over anyone else. But what if you don't know the names of these people in your market?

After you've developed your targeting criteria for selecting qualified buyers and you've established a lead generation funnel. Here are a few ideas to find the names of qualified buyers in your market:

1. Buy a list from a broker. Look for lists of buyers of similar products and services that you offer. Narrow down your search using selects that identify buyers in the same price range as your own.
2. Ask your customers for referrals. Learn how to properly ask for and get referrals from existing customers. This can be a powerful resource of ready to purchase leads for your sales efforts.
3. Use a business directory. For many business-to-business service firms you can find a list of ideal customers in trade directories or from your local industry specific business group. Often these publications names specific decision makers.
4. Compile co-op lists with vendors. Especially for resellers, your vendors have already done the research to know who the buyers are in your market. Often vendors will provide lists of people to call on, or referrals to others who can use your solutions.
5. Purchase unconverted leads. Your competitors have leads they have given up on, so do complementary providers. Call and ask to purchase these names wholesale, then reactivate them with better marketing and follow through.

While you may not want to hear it, cold call prospecting is required at times (either in person, by the phone, or in writing) even in a relationship based system. You can't build strong business relationships if nobody knows you. Calling highly qualified lists of buyers can reduce cold calling fears quickly.

Use these ideas to acquire names for marketing campaigns, write appropriate scripts, and create sales tools relevant to their interests. I've written a few reports on turning names into qualified buyers, you'll want to get your own copy to use over the next couple of months. Prospecting means opportunity and is a necessary part of selling.

When you focus on the right buyers of your professional products and services, you'll reduce your overall marketing costs, increase sales conversion, and be a lot more productive with your time. Don't waste time, resources, or efforts with people who can't, won't, and don't buy what you offer.