Person A: “So what do you do?”
Person B: “Well, I sell baseball bats for…”
Person A: “I’LL TAKE SIX!!”
Wouldn’t it be nice if prospecting were this easy? Unfortunately, in the real world, simply announcing that you’re in sales doesn’t lead the prospect to a sale. In a non-sales setting, your goal is not to make a sale, but to engage in the process of prospecting. Prospecting is defined as “a set of activities for identifying prospective uses for your product od service.” There should be two primary goals for prospecting. Engaging people in a conversation about your product or service to determine if they have an interest, and ultimately to make an appointment to talk about a sale.
Your goal in a prospecting conversation is to steer the conversation in the direction of topics related to your business. And again, since situations rarely if ever happen like the one above, your goal is not to make a sale, but to gauge interest in your company. For example, if someone asks you what you do for a living, instead of immediately saying you sell baseball bats, say something that causes them to probe you for more information. Say, “I’m in the retail sports equipment industry.” Then wait. Wait for them to say, “Oh really? In what capacity?” You now have their permission to talk about your business.
In essesnce, know when it’s appropriate to go for the sale, and when it’s only appropriate to go for the appointment. When prospecting is the goal, lead them to your business, gauge their interest, and go for the gold!
testacr22
Yes! The ability to realize when it is appropriate to sell is huge for a salesperson. It is the difference of a good salesperson and the stereotypical annoying salesperson. Getting an appointment is so much better because it creates a sales friendly environment instead of trying to force a sales conversation at an inappropriate time. It will also greater the odds of the closing the sale because you will not be rushed to give your pitch.
It would be really nice if that happened, but such is the real world. Luckily, there are many ways to skin a cat and knowing when the right time to do so is is crucial.