Prospecting success relies on tenacity, a thick skin and a targeted list of decision makers to reach out to. But there are so many myths about sales prospecting — so many small obstacles some sales people see as insurmountable — we figured it was time to address some of them.
The right clients are hard to find
Your agency is going to want to make sure it has the right leads. Any prospects you plan on turning into clients should be the kind business your agency wants, needs, and will help you grow. So you need to create prospecting strategies to support those goals. To simplify this task, we’ve broken it down into three separate categories of A-level prospects your agency should definitely want.
- Clients that pay well (or at least on time). Staying in business is the first goal, and that takes a consistent portfolio of clients who help you keep the lights on.
- Demanding clients. Clients that demand great work, that push your team out of their comfort zone to learn new technologies or tactics, make your team stronger and better.
- High profile clients. These are the ones that can help build your agency’s reputation and bring in other high-profile clients.
I’ve found every opportunity my network can offer
Do you know someone in your network who would totally solve one of your clients’ problems? Would your client be grateful for the help? If the answers are yes and yes, then you’ve got yourself a prospecting technique you can use over and over to drive new business. Being the matchmaker keeps you top of mind for two people who now have good feelings about how helpful you are. Besides keeping your customer happy, it’s a great way to establish or grow trust. It also increases the possibility of your client referring you to opportunities in their networks. As a bonus, the people in their network may even be familiar with your work before you reach out to them.
- Refer your clients to people in you network who can solve their problems- They’re likely to return the favor and refer you to new prospects
Face-to-face networking is a waste of time
As sales prospecting tips go, this is kind of a no-brainer. The first step is to pick a conference which serves your target market (keep in mind the “A-Level” prospects from before). You’ll want to research attendees ahead of time, schedule meetings if possible, and make sure to keep your selling short and sweet. Remember they’re there to go to the conference, too, so be respectful of their time. When done right, conferences hold the secret to prospecting: making a personal connection and getting right to the decision maker.
- Play by unspoken conference rules, and you’ll be prospecting left and right
- Remember that not every business card you get is an opt-in to your email list
It takes too long to stay in touch with every contact
By tracking your clients’ career paths, your agency can stay ahead of new business opportunities. Did your decision maker contact change companies? If so, the new decision maker at the brand might want to get to know you better, while your contact may be interested in working with you in their new position. While it may be more time-consuming and difficult to keep up personally with your clients’ career paths, social media has made the task easier than ever. LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to use because it will notify you when your connections update their profile with a new position. If your connection is slow to update their profile, WinmoEdge publishes news of changes in the C-suites of brands all the time, so if you haven’t tried it, get your free trial today.
- Use LinkedIn to keep up with your clients’ career paths
- Their new company could become your new client
I have to keep emailing prospects
With click rates for B2B emails down to less than 3%, text-based email might not be the most effective way to pull your audience to your site. Using video on social media or embedded in your emails is one of the best techniques your agency can use to get the attention of prospects and decision makers. Your agency doesn’t even need to shell out the big bucks to get it done – a simple introductory video, shot on your smartphone will do the trick. This will help to engage your target market, all while putting some personality behind your message.
- When implementing an email campaign to gain prospects, include video
- Videos will engage viewers and differentiate your agency
Nobody uses social as a serious networking channel
It’s no secret that social media sites rule the internet these days (and some may argue our lives). But the good news is your agency can use this obsession to your advantage. If your agency is B2B, then LinkedIn may be the key to your social media success. Keep your page updated, accurate, and loaded with fresh, quality content. You can gain interest in your agency’s page by offering to guest blog for another company, adding legitimacy to your agency and access to another company’s followers. If you know your prospects are regular tweeters, spend some time learning about what they tweet about, engage in the conversation, and add value and opinion to get your agency noticed by the clients you want to work with.
- Create an updated social media site (most likely with a focus on LinkedIn or Twitter) with quality content
- This will give your agency both legitimacy and exposure