October 10, 2016 // 7:30 AM (Original post)
2 Powerful Prospecting Hacks to Fill Up Your Pipeline
Written by Marc Wayshak | @MarcWayshak
Sales success all comes down to the quality of your sales pipeline. The type of prospects you pursue -- and how you go about pursuing them -- makes all the difference in whether or not you meet your sales goals.
There are dozens of competing prospecting strategies out there. But these two powerful prospecting hacks will fill up your pipeline faster, and with better prospects, than any other approaches will. Implement these two best practices right now, and start to dominate your competition:
1) Craft a sales prospecting campaign.
One of the most common mistakes salespeople make is that being inconsistent about prospecting. They jump back and forth between phone calls and emails with no real plan in place. Instead of haphazardly contacting your prospects, create a consistent campaign using every single tool at your disposal.
A sales prospecting campaign is an intentional plan that enables you to contact each prospect at least seven to 15 times, using a strategic mix of sales phone calls, letters, packages, voicemails, emails, and drop-ins. To create your plan, visually map out a consistent process you can track in your CRM.
For example, you could start with a phone call, email, and FedEx package. Follow up on the package a few days later with another email, call, and voicemail. If you still don’t get through to the prospect, it’s time to follow up with a letter, call, voicemail, and email.
However you schedule your methods of contact, track them in your CRM so you know where you are in the process with each individual prospect. Even if you don’t engage new leads right away, you’ll slowly but surely get on the radar with new prospects when you follow a consistent plan. Remember, all of your competitors are sporadically calling and sending prospecting emails without a real strategy in place, so you’re a step ahead of the game.
2) Host exclusive, invitation-only events.
How would you like to double your business this year -- and next year, and the year after that? One of the best ways to accomplish this lofty goal is to implement a creative strategy for attracting new clients: Host exclusive, invitation-only events as the lynchpin of your prospecting approach. Twice a year, host one of these events at a nice venue that makes your guests feel like they’re at a truly exclusive affair.
Once you have an event scheduled, ask everyone in your network for introductions to people who might be interested in attending. Once you explain the type of prospects you’re looking to include, people will get really excited to use their connections to provide someone they know with an exclusive invitation to your event.
Be sure to invite both your top clients and your top prospects. Once these groups start chatting, you’ll likely find that your top clients will do your selling for you! At the event, plan to share your best practices with your guests. Use your unique perspective as a salesperson to bring insight and spark good discussion about what’s going on in the marketplace. This will boost the value of your event -- and your value as an expert in your field.
If you’re looking for ways to radically transform your sales pipeline, there’s no better place to start than a sales prospecting campaign and exclusive, invitation-only events. Which of these strategies will you use first to connect with your most valuable prospects? Check out thisebook with 25 tips to crush your sales goal for even more powerful prospecting advice.
