Know your prospects and their market
Yes, cold contacting can, and does work when the solution you provide solves a real problem for a select group of prospects. But your ideal clients are looking for solutions to actual problems they have, and your understanding of these problems can be the difference between landing a client, or not.
But how do you get inside the minds of your clients? Let me give you an example.
If your target market is accountants, you need to find out where they are hanging out online and in person. Conferences, networking meetings, trade shows… all of these places are where your target audience discuss their pain points and problems, and it provides the perfect opportunity for you to understand their situation and what they need to make their life easier.
Hands up, how many of you use social media to keep up with developments in your field? I’m guessing most of you - and so will the accountants that you are trying to reach.
Are they part of a Facebook group, or do they follow particular Facebook Pages? Do they join in with Tweet Chats? (A simple Twitter search for #UKaccountant is a great start). These are relatively simple ways of listening in to what your prospects are talking about (ie their pain points).
The world of social media marketing is vast, and can help your business and sales conversions in different ways - let’s dive in to that another week.
Once you have come to understand your prospect, your first contact with them can immediately show that you are aware of their pain points.
Building on the initial date or attraction
If you are not comfortable doing prospecting, then you need to get comfortable with this to move your business forwards. It may help you to focus on adding value for your prospect to start with. Get them to see and think of you as someone useful, and someone they enjoy hearing from.
I myself, strive to create and share valuable content.
My aim, first and foremost is for you to feel that you have learned something from these emails, and from my blog and videos. I hope they give you food for thought, and real actionable tips that you can start to use immediately.
When considering your prospects, instead of thinking of what they can do for you, and how you can win their business, think of how you can position yourself as an industry expert - solving problems and providing answers on a consistent basis. This will increase the ‘know, like, trust’ factor (we will explore that further another time!).
Just as building a solid friendship can lead to romance… a solid foundation with a prospect can lead to a great paid working relationship further down the line.
You now know where your ideal clients like to hangout online (from your prospect research), so if you can be present in the same places - answering questions, interacting, providing value; you will get noticed.
You are warming up your prospects in a very genuine and helpful way and this will create real connections, and attract your ideal clients to you. They will come to know you as knowledgeable and helpful - a thought leader; so when you do offer to solve a problem for them, they will be more trusting and receptive.
The best sales people really focus on their prospects’ needs and wants - and not just on what they want to sell. Much in the same way as the best partners really want the best for the person they are with, and not just for themselves.
Work hard to get to know your prospects
When you are getting to know a potential new romantic partner, you want to find out all about them.
Yes, you want to know what they do for a living, what they do in their spare time, what their interests are… but what is more informative is why they do these things. What motivates them, what values do they hold, what drives them. This is often the common ground people use to connect and build the foundations of their relationship upon.
And it’s the same in business. Your clients don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it. Understanding both your target market, and your own business, makes it easier to find that common ground and relate to your prospects.
I explain more about this concept and outline exactly what you should be doing before embarking on your sales campaign, in this video - check it out and let me know what you think in the comments or why not subscribe to the channel.
Once you get to know your prospects and their pain points, you can become clear on how you can help them. Through effective customer research, you can reflect on the services your business offers, and whether these are really what your potential clients are looking for. Once you know you have what they need, you are already in a strong position to make a meaningful connection.
Finding your Prospects
In the dating world, there are plenty of options to meet a possible love interest.
Internet dating (Tinder, anyone?!), speed dating, singles nights, an introduction from a friend… and there are equivalent opportunities in the business world too.
As mentioned above, finding out where they hangout online is a great start. Local networking events and conferences that will provide the opportunity to start making connections and building relationships with people are also very valuable. Just as someone could introduce you to their single friend - a business contact could also introduce you to prospective clients.
For more ideas on where to find leads for your business, or just for a refresher, check out these tips in ‘How To Find Leads For Your Business’.