Create a List of Who-do-you-know Prompts

Published: May 25, 2005

Application

Prospecting is finding qualified people to be exposed to your sales presentation. You define "qualified" with your target profiles. You do have a target profile in your files don't you? Your target(s) is the ideal prospect for your product or service. A profile is a description of what these target look like, how they think and how they act.

Creating or refining a target profile is a simple matter of putting together all the parts (descriptors.) Obtaining lists is one way for finding prospects. The best and least costly prospecting for a small business manager is through personal networking. Asking people, "Who do you know who wants to buy my factrons?" seldom works because your contact is lacking a lot information. You need a series of questions your contact CAN answer. To do this, develop a set of who-do-you-know prompting questions for each of the standard ways for describing a prospect or target.

Here are some samples to stimulate your thoughts for your own list.

Age: Who do you know who has just turned (lowest age in your range) _____ ?; Who have you met lately who is about (your median age) _____ years of age?
Change: Who do you know who has just bought a new home?; Who do you know who has just had a baby?; Who do you know who has just been engaged or married?; Know of anyone who has just been promoted?
Disposable income: Who has just become an empty-nester?; Anyone who has just come into a windfall or inheritance?
Education: Know of any recent graduates?
Location: How many people do you know in the (town or neighborhood) _____ area?
Hobbies: Who else is beginning to take up golf?
Social: Any new members joining your club?; Met anyone new to town?
Status: How many presidents do you know in your age range?

Identify all the occasions where it's appropriate to ask your questions. Sample events are during your regular networking, sales calls or social visits with friends.

Memorize your key questions and rehearse asking them in a casual non-threatening manner. Slightly disguise your intention of gathering sales leads. Store your less frequent or more in-depth questions in your sales kit, daily planner or your handy PDA. The latter has some advantages such as a limited viewing radius and your constant use for other functions during your conversation.

Recognize how difficult it is for anyone to immediately recall names fitting into a special group. Be patient while awaiting answers. Pause between delivering your prompts. Jot down initial details (name) only. Don't interrupt the flow by asking followup questions for contact details. Once the flow has slowed or stopped, return to each name for the details.

Being well prepared strengthens your habit of prospecting during every contact.

Stories

My Sales Training Daze

My sales manager and trainer controlled his frustrations with me as he reviewed my sales technique after each sale. My manager would ask how many prospects I received from my new client. I had none! I had plenty of names from the many times I failed to make the sale.

After all these years, I can still hear his voice blurting, "Your prospect list is useless because you have people who are the same as the people you couldn't sell and when you get a chance to grab some good qualified leads - you blow it!

I heard his lecture so often, it was easy to repeat for my sales trainees when I became a sales manager for another company.

Submitted by: Nephew Gerry

Outcomes

Enough prospects to cull for quality or even to squander.
Highly qualified prospects are the assets that improve your sales-to-presentation ratio.

Create a List of Who-do-you-know Prompts

Application

Stories

My Sales Training Daze

Outcomes

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