Optimize your prospecting efforts. Instead of looking for prospects, go to where they are. This is especially important, if you are in B2C selling. Today we look at sales prospecting made simple. For example, if you are selling lubricants for boda bodas then riders are your prospects (potential buyers). Now, you can choose to sell to them one after the other at your company’s petrol station; or, engage tens of them at their shed.
The power of meeting prospects where they are
Notice that in the former instance, I said, sell, and the latter, engage. That was deliberate. The former is transitional, the latter relational. You see, at the petrol station, the prospect (rider) has come to you, is in a hurry, and you are an intrusion to his job. It is also passive. The best you can do is get to the point and sell. At the shed, the dynamic is fundamentally different. First, your big multinational brand has come down from on high. That active and humbling act in itself gives you a foot in. You gain credibility and differentiate your commodity from the competition. In addition, at the shed it’s more a hangout joint than a business outlet- meaning, you have their time and attention. Further, you are not selling to one, “Niko na haraka” (I’m in hurry) rider but engaging ten, even twenty, riders who are chatting away while waiting in line for their turn to get customers.
Advantages of intelligent prospecting
Unlike at the petrol station, here at the shed, they have time to listen to you, and your humble entry is a pleasant surprise. Engaging at their shed creates a powerful advantage- you have their time and attention. Your engagement will kill two birds with one stone. You will prospect and sell all at once. That aside, you will emerge with deep, raw and rich content regarding the customer’s pain points, correct misconceptions about your brand or product, and generate referrals to other sheds (riders) and possibly even ideas how to sell even more effectively. Real customer feedback-sales prospecting made simple.
Here’s an example of what you may hear. “Unajua hii 1 litre yenu hatuwezi afford; heri half litre kwa vile ttanunua mara mbili kwa mwezi.” (We buy the half litre lubricant, and not the one litre, because of our financial constraints). Now you know why your one litre pack is not moving as you thought it would because in your thinking, “It’s only -500shs more and offers an 80% saving compared to the 0.5 litre one.”) And now you have time to educate your prospects or re-engage your institution to rethink the size and practicality of its packaging units.
(Note to self: Understanding this customer though, be sure to leave them with marketing merchandise like caps and reflector jackets, and a contribution to the welfare mchango they most likely have going. A small gesture that strengthens relationships.)
Read: Why selling in a specific market pays more
What does sales prospecting mean?
Prospecting is the never-ending search for potential buyers of your product or service. Continual prospecting is the first step in the sales cycle and cornerstone of successful selling. Contrary to popular belief, intelligent prospecting is also the most challenging step in the selling process. Further, without a formula of doing it, it easily becomes an exercise in frustration, dissipates into nothingness and yields an idle salesperson (hence devil’s workshop) and the resigned statement, “Selling is difficult.” Sales prospecting made simple means going to where prospects are This, I dare say, is the most effective prospecting formula,
Prospecting strategies: sales prospecting made simple
Selling is a game of numbers. Even with today’s advanced technology and tools, the only way to increase your sales output is to increase your prosecting input. Prospecting success is directly proportional to sales success. It is for this reason that I encourage those in B2C selling to present to at least 8 prospects a day.
Ideally, to do this, and assuming 1 in every 3 will listen to you, means you will need to have at least 24 prospects. That’s an uphill task if they are here, there and everywhere. It is a downhill task if they are riders at a boda boda shed, large employer like Coast General Hospital if you are selling bank accounts, voters at a funeral for politicians, or passengers at a university following a graduation if you are a matatu driver. And, in the digital space, shopping for potential candidates on LinkedIn if you are a recruiter, and, if admin and rules allow you, Facebook and WhatsApp groups.
Stop chasing, start positioning
Instead of chasing individual prospects, position yourself where they naturally gather. Without a structured approach, prospecting can become frustrating, unproductive, and lead to the resigned statement, “Selling is difficult.” By going to where your buyers are, you not only increase your sales but also simplify your prospecting. So, where can you find your prospects today?
Read: Three activities that will see your sales thrive
If you would like to have your sales team sell more, we can help. In order for us to do so we propose a free consultation meeting or a call. If in agreement, please complete the form below and we will get in touch after receiving your details, none of which will be public. Thank you.
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