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What is the difference between prospecting now from prospecting ten years ago?
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Successful Strategies for Prospecting
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6 Answers
Jeff,
Excellent question and more compelling is the observation of what changes are taking place.
Observations:
1. Volume and Speed of Information explosion adds complexity
2 New technology is changing the way we communicate
3. New Media, Social Networks
4.Business Intelligence and analytical systems, Customer Relationship Management are powerful new methods used to nurture prospective customers.
Permission based marketing is an excellent tactical application for prospecting and continues to deliver excellent results.
We must learn as much as we can about the customer to engage an intelligent dialogue that leads to mutual gain.
Trust is the holy grail of selling, accompanied by substance is an advantage and mutual gain / profitability is a satisfied customer.
Thinking about this question has reminded me to keep it simple. You are correct..TRUST!
The better we listen, learn and collaborate with the customer the more we trust.
Thanks
Well, for instance, you can find out quite a bit about your prospect prior to engaging with them. Example: I spent a couple minutes on you and know you are west coast based, LinkedIn is not your preferred social media channel, you have been self employed for over 10 years, you went to school in AZ, you don't use your name if you tweet and you like asking and answering questions on focus.com.
That research took less than 2 minutes and I am sure that from within that information I could craft a message for you that would arouse your curiosity and allow me to engage with you. That is the difference in prospecting nowadays! Fun, huh??
I agree with Trish that it's a lot easier to find out a little bit about the prospect today than it was 10 years ago. I would also say, however, that there are a lot fewer competitors calling our prospects - making it a lot easier to get through.
I agree with Trish that one of the big differences is the availability of information - there is so much that is useful and it can really help your prospecting. Not just about their work, but also their interests, groups they are members of etc. It cuts through a lot. However, you still have to make that call - and in my experience that is the piece that many prospectors hate most of all!
Hi Jeff! Two observations …
Nowadays it is harder to determine who the genuine prospects really are. Yes, we can leverage all the new resources to pinpoint personal and business profile info, but those data don’t reveal a prospect’s true responsibilities or prerogatives in business considerations of a vendor’s products/services. Plus, people change jobs, responsibilities, and titles more often than ten years ago.
And second, sometimes prospects, themselves, don’t even know what they are authorized/not authorized to do re acquiring a product or service until they try to do it. So they inquire and marketers pursue them in good faith to little avail. Such prospects sometimes have their “wrists slapped” by a boss or financial officer who has clamped down because of the economy. The opportunity may still be viable, but determining the who and how to prospect has gotten more complex and challenging.
Our company is less than 10 years old, but for us permission-based marketing is becoming more and more the norm. The web makes it easy to share information, provide free services, and build a following that knows, likes, and trusts you.
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