10 prospecting strategies that work

March 03, 2015 at 09:08 AM
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I've never met a sales person who didn't say they needed more qualified leads however my experience is what we all need are more leads to qualify!

So as 2015 approaches I thought it might be a good time to pull together some creative branding and prospecting methods to consider. I would like to take credit for each of these, the truth is I have taken the best from those who blazed the trail of high product and income that came before me. As an old door-to-door salesman I tend to fall back on what Mr. Thurston taught me back in the Combined days, you prospect where you pay, where you play and where you pray.

Here are some 21st century ideas, be like a cow, chew what's good and spit the rest out!

bloggerBlogging

Blogging helps bring in leads by publishing content that is also instructional. What are the questions and concerns of your target market, write about that. Don't over think it. You are asked these questions every day in your practice and you answer them every day in your practice. Think in ink!

social mediaSocial Media

Brand your-self and build relationships with people in your target market. Make sure the content you publish is tied to your blog; this can help to build a presence in your industry. 

webinarWebinars

Webinars can be used to expand your reach in the market you are currently working. You are able to stay connected to your customers and show how your products and services can benefit your target market. 

seoSEO 

Search Engine Optimization Have your web site hosted by a service that includes SEO services. What is SEO, this is the process of getting your website and other web properties ranked in the search engines. Not only ranked but ranked for the actual terms and phrases that your target market is searching for in the search engines.

ppcPPC (Pay Per Click Advertising)

There are many websites that offer PPC advertising. Probably the most recognizable to the average surfer is Google Adwords or Facebook ads. Keep in mind it usually takes some testing (and money) to find winning campaigns. 

incentive marketingIncentive Marketing

Incentive Marketing are simply products (or even services) that you give away to your target market in exchange for their name, email address and sometimes other information, often through the use of squeeze pages. Something the average person in your target audience would be interested in obtaining, discount cards, prescription cards, white pages, etc.

walk and talkWalk & Talk

Smiling and dialing not walking and talking Whether you sell belly-to-belly or on-line you will use one of these methods. It's nice to hear people say build your business on referrals and that's good for those who have a book of business however if  you are just starting out you will have to contact people who don't know you yet and you don't know. That's the price of learning to be a professional, it won't cause a dreaded disease and you will actually become a better professional as result, so do the walk-and-talk in between appointments from leads or us smile and dial process by spending all day Monday setting making calls until you get 15 appointments for the week.

exhibitsExhibits and Exhibitions

I learned this method when working in the mid-west, set up an exhibit or exhibition where the largest group of your target market gather together. It will allow you to get in front of a lot of your potential customers in a short period of time.

direct mailDirect Mail Advertising

Every market can be reached by direct mail, the key is your list and working with an experienced vendor, one who can tell you the response rate by marketing piece and zip code. Moreover when you use zip codes they should know the response rate by routing number – 50208 (zip code, tells you what city in what state), 0649 (the extra 4 digits tell you the neighborhood in that city in that state), experienced direct mail vendors have this down cold!

email marketingEmail Marketing

I have producers who ask me all the time if seniors use email or buy online. Congress made the internet public domain in the 1980's, the internet became affordable and the personal computer became affordable in the early 1990'2 so someone retiring this year has been using email for some 25 years or so. Now email marketing is an art, one that should be used with a vendor that specializes in it, who knows the look, open and click through rate as well as what type of email marketing works in different industries. I like email drip marketing to promote a brand with links to squeeze pages to introduce concepts via short vignette videos which then capture the consumer's contact information to allow continued value added communication.

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