Prospecting
by Jim Della Volpe

Here are a few ideas that may help you to identify your top 10 prospects. These are the companies where strategic and solution oriented selling will have a large pay off. Pay attention ! Supply chain management will drive your best clients to align with fewer key suppliers. The technology involved in electronic recruiting will make order taking sales people extinct !

¨ Your best prospects may come from your existing client base. They know and
trust you and your company. You have established relationships that you can
leverage.

How good would life be if you got the major share of the client's budget for your particular service? If you are content to stay in the shadows with your slice of the business, think again. How long will it take for your status to change in the account if and when their senior management lays down the mandate to reduce the supplier count? If that alone doesn't motivate you to Sell at the Executive Level (SEL) then begin downsizing your life quickly ! The balance of your prospects can be determined by setting up some selection criteria.

¨ If you were to win a major portion of the client's business, could you and your company handle it well ?

If not, how much of their business could you handle? ¨ Will you need partners?

¨ Do you have current relationships that can be leveraged to gain access to the prospects senior executives ?

¨ Do the commitment and the support structure to manage the client exist within your company ?

¨ Do you have access to enough information to perform a SWOT analysis
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunity, Timeliness) on both the prospect and even on your own company?

¨ Does the prospect buy value or only price?

¨ Are you prepared to launch a "top down" sales strategy from the beginning?

¨ Will your company executives make client calls ?

¨ Is the prospect growing, winning new business or are they shrinking ?

¨ Are your strengths, your company's service offering, and your local office resources sufficient to meet the client's wants and needs?

Will you do what it takes to grow in your status as a key supplier with your clients ?

Public companies can be researched online. Hoovers http://www.hoovers.com/ is a resource for you. They also have a service called lead finder.
Be Proactive Vs. Reactive. Choose your top 10 prospects wisely….. now