You have a sales quota that you’re expected to meet, whether it’s weekly, monthly or quarterly (Don’t we all?!).  Every Monday your alarm clock is like the sound of a pistol firing at a racecourse, only instead of horses racing it’s you trying to meet your sales quota.

It’s safe to say that the sales process is a blend of time and numbers.

According to HubSpot, 50% of sales time is wasted on unproductive prospecting.

What is Prospecting?

Prospecting is the process of generating new business for a company by scouting for and nurturing potential customers.  The goal of prospecting is ultimately to guide them through your sales funnel to convert them to a customer.  A prospect could have limited to no interaction, though that typically falls more to a lead.

The Difference Between a Lead and a Prospect

A lead is someone who has expressed interest in your company, product or service and may have limited to no interaction with your company.  Expressing interest doesn’t mean they’ve contacted you directly, but can also mean that they’ve visited your website, subscribed to your blog, filled out a form, etc.  However, at the end of the day, whether a prospect or a lead, the end goal of converting them to customers remains the same.

Two Roles to Keep in Mind When Prospecting

You’ve got your CRM setup and you’re ready to start Monday off running by generating some new leads and prospects.  Before you get that far though, you’ve got to identify two important roles of a company. 

1.      Gatekeeper

2.      Decision-Maker

1.      The Gatekeeper

The gatekeeper is the person in charge of communication and may at times prevent information from reaching decision makers (i.e. the receptionist).  When contacting a company for the first time you’ll want to be prepared to speak with a gatekeeper who may not be willing to entertain a sales pitch from your company.  You’ll want to be prepared for that reaction, because chances are likely you’ll cross a few gatekeepers while cold calling.

2.      Decision-Maker

The decision maker is ideally who you would like to make your sales pitch to as they are the ones that will determine whether their company will complete the purchase.  In B2B dealings, you normally have to go through the gatekeeper to get to the company decision-maker(s).

Be Prepared for Objections

Objections are easy to find when they’re not 100% sure that they want to close the deal.  In sales, an objection is the reason they’ve stated as to why they’re on the fence (or saying no).  Two of the most common objections go back to time and money.  Be prepared for prospects to proffer an objection or two by identifying the pain point.

A pain point is the prospect’s business needs.  Identify what their company needs, what problem they have in order to provide them with more value.  This can help move them farther along through your sales funnel and instill more confidence in your pitch when you provide them the solution to that problem.  A problem may be that they could net more business by installing a live chat service on their website.  Providing them with the statistics behind it and demonstrating the success it can have, you’ve identified their problem and provided a viable solution.

SalesGig Pro for the Win

You need leads.  We’ve got them.  SalesGig Pro can help you get connected, simplifying your sales process.  Let SalesGig do the cold calling for you.  In addition to cold calling, we also provide the leads that fit your target audience and can help set up the appointment.  Let’s all meet at the virtual table.  Schedule your consultation to get started today by emailing hello@salesgig.com.

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