Here’s the latest Pap from the RAB, however sometimes, pap to ponder for us indies prospecting for new clients. You ARE spending at least 10%-20% of your workday prospecting, aren’t you?

Justin Kaiser
Creative Identity Group

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Just like our universe, sales are made up of some basic elements. Each time you explore a new opportunity to make a sale, you should take time to consider how many of these elements are present.

1. Decision-Makers — Make certain that the person you are working with is authorized to allocate company funds for advertising, marketing, and promotions. If multiple decision-makers will be involved, make sure you know who they are and try to arrange for them all to be present at the moment you intend to ask for the order.

2. Specific Need(s)– Most salespeople only identify generic needs, like more traffic or more name awareness. Top performers know they need more specificity to make the sale and do their job. If the prospect says, “I want more traffic,” drill deeper with questions like, “Describe the type of person you need more of,” “Exactly where do you want these customers to go?” or, “When do you need them to come to your store?” And, “What do you need them to do when they get there?”

3. A Relevant Plan — Just because you think your plan is perfect for the client doesn’t mean they will. You must develop a proposal based solely on the client’s perception of how relevant it is to them. To do this, you must do a thorough CNA. It also helps to brainstorm ideas with the client during the CNA to get an idea of what kinds of programs they are predisposed to accept.

4. Sufficient Budget — It is not uncommon to find clients with needs that they cannot afford to address. Make sure you know how much money they are willing to invest in the needs you uncover. If it is insufficient, be honest, and then work with them to explore alternative funding sources like manufacturer support of diverting other budgets. You may need to manage the client’s expectations to make sure they are reasonable based on the investment they are willing to make.

Some people call this “qualifying” a prospect. If you believe that all four of these elements are present, chances are good that this is a sound investment of your time and effort. If you believe that only one or two of them are present, you may want to pass on the opportunity and look for one with better potential. If you will do an honest post-analysis of each sale you lose, you will almost always find that the absence of one or more of these elements was the reason for the loss.