I am passionate about prospecting, and I love helping sales teams and individual salespeople develop new business. When talking “prospecting,” I almost immediately turn the conversation to “target prospect lists.” That’s where we start when putting together a new business development sales attack. If we are going hunting, it really helps to know whom we are hunting! But I am continually surprised by how few salespeople who are charged with acquiring new accounts have a solid list of targets.
Awful target prospect selection is one of my “Not-So-Sweet 16 Common Reasons Salespeople Fail to Develop New Business.” You can see all 16 reasons in this free download of Chapter 2 from New Sales. Simplified. Yet, as critical a step as creating the prospect list is, the topic is generally overlooked. Executives, sales leaders and salespeople often take it for granted that their sales efforts are directed at the right prospects. I find it mind boggling that so little attention is paid to this important topic — particularly because creating our prospect list is one of the very few opportunities salespeople have to be strategic.
Time is our most precious commodity, and the prospects we put on our target list determine where and how we are spending that commodity. That fact alone should make us want to invest the brain power, research and energy to come up with a target list that gives us the best chance of succeeding. Even the most talented sales hunters will fail if they’re calling on the wrong prospects.
“Selecting Target Prospects” is the very first step in my simple framework for putting together an effective new business development sales attack. Every chance I get, I am reminding salespeople and sales teams that prospecting begins with prospect selection.
This topic deserves more of your attention. That’s why the good folks at Hoover’s and I are offering a free webinar entitled “Creating the Ultimate Prospect List” on Tuesday, March 5 at 2PM Eastern.
I am inviting you to join us — for free. I’ll share my best thoughts about selecting target prospects, the characteristics of a good list, and I will provide valuable tips about targeting contacts higher up in prospect organizations. Hoover’s is a D&B Company and their online service is a powerful resource to help you create accurate, strategic and well-researched prospect lists.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER for “Creating the Ultimate Prospect List” and join Hoover’s and me on Tuesday, March 5 at 2:00 Eastern, 1:00 Central.
Looking forward to speaking with you on Tuesday!
