the other day I was thinking about how I used to go about finding new clients for my business.
I’d just start calling random people hoping they’d be interested in what I had to offer.
It was a painful process to say the least.
I’d get a lot of “no’s” and very few “yeses.” And even the “yeses” weren’t always that great.
They were often just lukewarm and I had to spend a lot of time trying to convince people why they needed my product or service.
Then I discovered the power of sales prospecting. It’s a way of identifying potential customers who are genuinely interested in what you offer. It’s like having a map that leads you straight to the people who are most likely to buy from you. It’s a must!
Building the Foundation: CRM and Ideal Customers
Before you jump into prospecting you need to lay down a solid foundation. That means having a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and a clear understanding of your ideal customer. I can’t stress enough how important these two things are.
Think of your CRM as your control center. It’s where you keep all your contacts their information and your interactions with them. I use Keap formerly known as Infusionsoft. It’s like having a personal assistant who keeps track of everything for you. You can see everything in one place from prospect details to email exchanges payment history and even relevant documents. Imagine trying to manage your contacts and follow-ups without a CRM – it would be a nightmare!
But it’s not just about organization. Knowing your ideal customer is like having a superpower. It allows you to focus your efforts on the right people and avoid wasting time on prospects who aren’t a good fit.
Let’s say you’re selling a software designed to help businesses automate their marketing tasks.
It wouldn’t make sense to try and sell it to a small mom-and-pop shop that doesn’t have a lot of marketing needs.
Instead you’d want to target larger businesses that have a significant online presence and are looking for ways to streamline their marketing operations.
Think about your product or service and ask yourself:
- Who is most likely to benefit from it?
- What are their pain points?
- What are their goals?
Once you have a good understanding of your ideal customer you can create a detailed profile that outlines their demographics psychographics behaviors and even their online habits.
Finding Your Dream Clients
Now that you know who your dream customers are it’s time to start finding them. I like to start with a list of 100 prospects. That’s enough to get you started but it’s not overwhelming.
Think about where your dream customers hang out online. Are they on LinkedIn Facebook Twitter or industry forums?
Remember Russell Brunson from ClickFunnels says in his book “Traffic Secrets”:
“When you have a perfect vision of who your dream customer is it becomes easy to find where they are congregating.
On the contrary if you don’t have perfect clarity on who that person is it’s really hard to find them.”
Once you’ve identified the right platforms start making a list of the most promising prospects.
The Art of Contacting: Email Social Media and Cold Calling
Now the fun part: reaching out to your prospects.
This is where you have to choose the right channel.
It’s not about choosing one method over the other; it’s about choosing the one that’s going to be the most effective for your target audience.
Email is a classic for a reason. It’s personal and it allows you to craft a well-thought-out message. But it can also feel impersonal and it requires you to gather people’s email addresses.
Social media is great for building relationships and engaging in conversations. But you need to be mindful of the platforms you use and how you message people. You don’t want to come across as pushy or spammy.
Cold calling is the most dreaded method but it can be surprisingly effective when done right. However it requires a lot of preparation practice and the ability to handle rejection.
Let’s break down some key tips for each method:
Email Outreach: Relevance and Follow-Up
Make it Relevant:
Remember Laura Lopuch’s story? She used cold email to 14x her freelance copywriting business. She learned that personalization isn’t enough. Relevance is key. Connecting your offer to your prospect’s specific business goals is what makes the difference. Don’t just send a generic message. Take the time to understand what your prospect needs and how your product or service can help them achieve their goals.
Use a Proven Template:
When you’re starting out it’s okay to use a proven template. Justin McGill used cold email to grow his company LeadFuze to $30000 in monthly recurring revenue in just one year. He developed the QVC formula:
- Question: Ask a question that gets the prospect thinking.
- Value: Showcase the value of your product or service.
- Call to Action: Tell the prospect what you want them to do next.
Follow Up:
Don’t give up after one email. Sam Parr of The Hustle followed up multiple times with Tim Westergren of Pandora before finally getting a response. Don’t be afraid to send follow-up emails until you get a response whether it’s a “yes” or a “no.”
Social Media Outreach: The Power of Connection
Get a Mutual Connection:
This is a great way to build trust and increase your chances of getting a response.
Go through your prospect’s list of contacts and see if you share any connections.
Lead With Value:
Clearly explain how your product or service will make your prospect’s life better.
Connect your offer to their business goals.
Keep it Short and Sweet:
People are bombarded with messages on social media.
Keep your message brief and to the point.
Call to Action:
Tell your prospect what you want them to do next.
Don’t leave them hanging!
Cold Calling: Mastering the Art of Conversation
Prepare Your Pitch:
Practice your pitch before you make the call.
Have a script ready but don’t be afraid to deviate from it if needed.
Be prepared to answer frequently asked questions and objections.
Practice Practice Practice:
Ask a colleague or friend to do mock calls with you.
Record your calls and analyze them.
Where can you improve?
End with a Call to Action:
Tell the prospect what you want them to do next.
Schedule a follow-up meeting or ask them to visit your website.
Making it Easy to Say Yes
Remember your goal is to make it easy for your prospects to say “yes.” Don’t leave any room for doubt or hesitation.
Use Appointment Scheduling Software:
Stop wasting time going back and forth with emails to schedule meetings.
Use an app that allows you to schedule appointments directly from your CRM.
This will save you time and help you avoid losing prospects who get frustrated with the scheduling process.
From Prospecting to Sales Funnels: Building Your Value Ladder
Sales prospecting can help you get your business off the ground but it’s not a scalable solution for long-term growth. That’s where sales funnels come in.
Russell Brunson developed the Value Ladder sales funnel model. It’s a four-stage system:
- Bait: Offer a free or low-cost item of value to attract leads.
- Front-End: Present your core product or service.
- Middle: Offer a higher-priced product or service that builds upon the core product.
- Back-End: Offer your highest-priced products or services which often involve more value and personalized services.
The Value Ladder is about providing value at every step of the way.
It’s about building trust and creating a relationship with your customers.
Think of it like climbing a ladder: Your customers start at the bottom and move up step by step gaining more value and getting closer to becoming loyal customers.
Imagine you’re running an online marketing agency.
Your Value Ladder might look like this:
- Bait: Offer a free guide to social media marketing.
- Front-End: Provide social media management services for a monthly fee.
- Middle: Offer a website design and development package.
- Back-End: Offer a comprehensive digital marketing strategy that includes website design social media management email marketing SEO and PPC.
Russell Brunson used the Value Ladder to launch his book “DotCom Secrets.” He offered a free copy of the book as bait then used a series of follow-up emails and webinars to introduce his higher-priced products and services.
The power of the Value Ladder is that it allows you to:
- Build trust and credibility: By providing value at every step you build trust and show your customers that you’re in it for the long haul.
- Generate leads: Your bait offers are designed to attract leads who are interested in learning more about your business.
- Increase your sales: The Value Ladder allows you to offer a range of products and services that can meet the needs of different customers.
Building a Value Ladder from scratch can be overwhelming.
But don’t worry there are resources available to help you get started.
ClickFunnels offers a free 5-Day Challenge where Russell Brunson walks you through building your first sales funnel. You’ll learn how to:
- Create a compelling offer.
- Build a high-converting landing page.
- Design a sequence of emails to nurture your leads.
- Set up a webinar to engage your audience and drive sales.
Sales prospecting and sales funnels are both essential for growing your business. Sales prospecting helps you find the right customers while sales funnels help you build relationships and drive sales.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and find what works best for your business.
The more you learn and adapt the better you’ll become at converting prospects into loyal customers.