Sales Prospecting – My 2 Cents

So this is a question that I always like to ask folks on my team when they are struggling to generate opportunities or even getting into a strong business conversation with prospects.

What does this question refer to?

Well on the surface I think we probably all understand it.  In the world of teleprospecting for qualified opportunities, I am using the analogy to refer to making sure that if you have someone on the phone you are using every tactic you have to keep them on the phone.  This idea is not just relevant to conversations with contacts you have identified as the person you want to talk with, but also, and maybe even more importantly, to conversations you are having with folks as you navigate an organization.

What do I mean?

Let’s say I make a phone call into an organization for which I have one contact on my list and it turns out that contact is no longer with the organization – I could take a few paths:

• I could hang-up and do some research to find another contact (in my book this is the last resort)
• I could ask the operator who replaced the contact
• I could explain to the operator the reason for my call and attempt to get passed to the appropriate contact (the organization may have a policy in place that makes this choice not work)
• I could ask for the IT help desk and leverage them as an avenue to the correct contact 

All reasonable choices.

So my question is why would you not try them all while navigating this organization when you have a person live on the phone. 

And finally my advice – when you are in the trenches of teleprospecting why not use every avenue you have learned to further you in the in the process of uncovering a qualified sales opportunity – or simply put don’t leave any arrows in your quiver!

“My 2 Cents”