In our training workshops we often get questions about how to get "referred leads" so sales professional don't have to prospect anymore. It seems as if we will go to any length to avoid having to make cold calls. In the 28 years that I have been training sales professionals, I have seen very few who actually know how to actively pursue referred leads and even fewer who actually do. Now when we talk about getting referred leads when making cold calls, most sales people will think I am crazy. We I was cold calling in Houston with a salesman not long ago we got at least one referred lead from every cold call we made. Even I was amazed. The way I do cold calls, they are simply brief calls made to meet the prospect, introduce myself and my company, get an appointment to comeback, and then get out. We are finding that many times the prospect will give you time right then. The idea behind the my prospecting system is that you should never simply drive past a good potential customer without stopping. One of the things you find when you make cold calls on a regular basis is that you will have a lot of the prospects sit and talk with you. I am not sure why this is happening more now than before. It is either that people are getting more comfortable making the cold calls or the prospects are not being called enough and welcome the company. Either way, it is really fun to prospect in the field these days. We were calling on people involved with quality assurance and I could see a plaque in everybody's office indicating membership in the local chapter of their association. One of the first prospects we called on suggested that we call on one of his friends from the association in another company. We did and got an appointment two days later which included a complete tour of their testing facilities. Acting on that premise, everyone that we called on for that week we simply asked, "Is there anyone else that you know in this area that we might call on?" They would give us a name and I would ask if it was all right to use their name. Everyone said it was OK. My assignment was to help the salesman develop his skill at prospecting, making cold calls. But it turned into a week of going from one cold call to referred lead, after referred lead. This may not work in every industry, but when you call on people who have a strong tie to a common organization or association, give it a try. The secret is simple you just have to do it. Who knows, maybe you too will get referred leads when prospecting. Sell Well and Often! Bill Truax
Bill@BlitzCall.com
800-253-1214 Copyright 2006 WJ Truax |
