The #1 Selling Challenge - Find New Business

Selling is not a “chicken or egg” riddle. There is no question that, if you can’t find new sales opportunities, there will be no new revenues. In today’s world of social selling, this task falls into two disciplines … being found and finding. Both can be applied to recurring orders from existing accounts as well as referrals from these customers.

This is called prospecting and it is hard, back breaking work. Sometimes you feel like a hog snorting the ground in search of elusive truffles. Yet, your pot of gold might lie behind the next door or at the receiving end of your next phone call. The best salespeople prospect consistently. Sorta’ salespeople … don’t.

Being found

Your potential customers are actively searching for companies and people who can potentially fill their needs. They are doing much of this electronically via a combination of search and recommendations from sources who they already trust.

Get your profiles in order – This is job #1 and do not, do not, become active in social selling until your social profiles are looking spiffy. Not doing so is the equivalent of making high-level sales calls while dressed in greasy dungarees. However, if this is the dress code for your target market, please ignore this admonishment.

Be part of the conversation – Activity = Visibility. If you are not an active participant on the social networks, you will be invisible. Becoming visible will require you to start discussions, comment, like, retweet, share, and respond. I am amazed by those who won’t even take the time to reply to a valid message that has been directed at them.

Educate – Become a resource. Share great content that is related to your services. If your potential customer is out there making attempts at self-education (they are) prior to reaching out to a salesperson or a company, you can significantly enhance your chances of being found and … of being selected.

Finding

Your sales territory has moved online. Even better, it’s a lot bigger than it ever was before. This holds true even if you want, or need, to apply real-life geographic boundaries to it.

Define what your customers look like by building a buyer persona(s) – It’s very difficult to find what you are looking for unless … you know what you are looking for. Think of your best customers. These are the folks who consistently deliver new revenues in terms of repeat business and referrals. Would you like to replicate them? Read on at Maximize Social Business …

Bio
Twitter
YouTube
Latest Posts

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!