9.2 Identify and assess important sources of prospects and accounts
Every salesperson and company must develop a prospecting and account development system suited to a particular selling situation. Some of the many sources of prospects follow, and each should be carefully examined:
Referrals
Prospecting with social media
Centers of influence, friends, and family members
Directories
Trade publications
Trade shows and special events
Telemarketing and e-mail
Direct-response advertising and sales letters
Website
Computerized database
Cold calling
Networking
Educational seminars
Prospecting by nonsales employees
The use of referrals as an account development approach has been used successfully in a wide range of selling situations. In most cases, referral leads result in higher close rates, larger sales, and shorter sales cycles. A referral is a prospect that has been recommended by a current customer or by someone who is familiar with the product. Satisfied customers, business acquaintances, and even prospects who do not buy often can recommend the names of persons who might benefit from purchasing the product.
When you build value into your sales process, you increase the odds that the customer will give you a referral. Steve Lewis, managing partner of New England Financial, says, “Our attitude is that we can’t ask for referrals until clients have perceived value in the process.”8
The endless chain approach to obtaining referrals is easy to use because it fits naturally into most sales presentations. A salesperson selling long-term healthcare insurance might say, “Miss Remano, whom do you know who might be interested in our insurance plan?” This open-ended question gives the person the freedom to recommend several prospects and is less likely to be answered with a no response. Be sure to use your reference’s name when you contact the new prospect—“Mary Remano suggested that I call you….”
The referral letter method is a variation of the endless chain technique. In addition to requesting the names of prospects, the salesperson asks the customer to prepare a note or letter of introduction that can be delivered to the potential customer. The correspondence is an actual testimonial prepared by a satisfied customer. Some companies use a referral card to introduce the salesperson. The preprinted card features a place for your customer to sign the new prospect’s name and his own name, and can be used as part of the sales presentation.
Within the field of personal selling, there is no complete agreement regarding the timing of the referral request. Some sales training programs encourage salespeople to request the referral immediately after closing the sale. Others point out that if you are working with a new customer, it takes time to earn the customer’s trust. The customer may feel there is a risk involved in giving you referrals. Once you have built a strong, trusting relationship with the customer, referral requests are more likely to receive a positive response.9
Some salespeople have found that membership in a referral organization is an effective way to obtain good leads. BNI (Business Network International) is one of the largest business networking organizations with more than 3,600 chapters worldwide (www.bni.com). BNI offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts, and referrals.10 In addition, some local organizations such as breakfast clubs offer referrals as a member benefit.
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