Thoughtful Thursdays - Prospecting

Closing that first new, new customer is a challenging task, yet one of the most rewarding closes a new business owner can make. This is a customer that does not come from a referral or previous business relationship. It is new business developed from a new prospect identified from scratch.

Today's thought is about identifying those prospects in a timely manner.

Networking is a powerful tool that can generate many new prospects. Business directories, industry databases and trade associations are also good sources for identifying prospects. In my experience, it is a combination of resources that leads to successful prospecting.

A colleague of mine provides good advice when he says "Don't go looking for the needle until you identify the correct haystack."

If you are experiencing challenges prospecting, you may not be searching in the correct haystack. If this is the case, revisiting your market research will likely be a beneficial. Does the target market identified represent the people/businesses that are most likely going to want to purchase your products/services? If not, further research will help bring clarity.

If the target market is correct, are you prospecting in the venues where they are most likely to be found? Networking quickly turns into not working if this is the case. Review your activities and confirm  that you are in the right places on a regular basis.

Good selling,
Richard