Email: TheMarketingCoach@PrimetimePromotions.ca

“I was skeptical about his marketing methods, but when one of his email marketing campaigns brought in over $3,000 in business I was sold on his services”.

Debbie Matthews
Grower Direct – Fresh Cut Flowers

There’s A Lot More To Prospecting Than Cold Calling My girlfriend just got back from a sales training course in Ottawa. So we were chatting about her trip and the training. She told me the instructor of the course asked the group of 18, who amongst them enjoyed prospecting. Only 2 people raised their hands. The instructor went on to spend most of the time talking about cold calling potential clients. You see the instructor believed that prospecting was mostly about cold calling. She’s not the only one. Many business owners and sales professionals believe that prospecting means cold calling. And we all know how the vast majority of sales people feel about cold calling, so I’m not surprised only 2 people admitted they liked prospecting. Why do they call it cold calling? Because “the thought of making these calls on the phone or in person, day in day out sends chills through the bones of most people”. Getting on the phone or dropping by to talk to someone who doesn’t know you from a hole in the wall is tough, gruelling work.                                             The more important point I want to make is that prospecting for new business involves much more than cold calling. And there are more fun and effective ways to find and attract new business, while maintaining your self-esteem. I took a workshop a few months ago and the instructor recommended that every business have at least 8-10 different prospecting strategies or lead generation systems. I’ve implemented his recommendation. Here are some examples of prospecting strategies: 1. Develop a list (database) of individuals or businesses that fit your customer profile or target market and  set-up a system that allows you to communicate with them at least once a month. 2. Send out a monthly newsletter email or printed. 3. Join several networking groups and attend regularly. 4. Volunteer to work on community groups and boards. 5. Mail 20 sales letters or postcards a week. 6. Explore the benefits of email marketing. 7. Start a referral program with your current clients to encourage referrals and positive word-of mouth. 8. Make sure your web site is designed to capture the contact information of people who visit. 9. Develop a list of people who are in a position to refer new business to you. Invite them out for coffee or lunch to explore how you can help each other. (Influencers) 10. Team up with another business that markets to your target market, but offers a different product or service than you. (Joint Venture Marketing) The key to making all these prospecting ideas work for you is to integrate them to leverage your time and money. If you have any questions on how to develop and implement any of these ideas give me a call or send me an email, I'll be happy to answer all your questions.   ----------------------------------------------------------------------  Author: Kevin Toney is “The Marketing Coach”. Kevin coaches small business owners and sales professionals on how to find and attract new customers, increase repeat business and generate a steady flow of referrals.  Call 204-783-6342 for your FREE over the phone Coaching Session where you can get solutions to your marketing challenges. Go to his web site for a free marketing checkup.  Click Here -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just For Laughs          www.HowToIncreaseYourSales.ca