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In any consultative sales environment we are challenged to prospect mindfully while gaining as many new clients as possible. It is therefore important to identify and develop an ideal client profile. While we could fish in the ocean and maybe find a precious oyster once in a while, it's time consuming and exhausting.
Knowing who you want to prospect is essential to growing your business. Wouldn't it make more sense to call on prospects who respond to your messaging rather than e-mailing, calling or talking to people who will not end up buying your service?
It sounds logical, right? Very often though, we sales people spend much too much time on developing and nurturing leads with prospects who might show some interest, but end up never buying from us. And there is a reason for that. Many sales leaders encourage activity. While activity is important, it's not only how many outreaches you do every day, but being sure that the people that you call on fit your ideal client profile.
Who will buy my service?
The ideal client is a prospect who is not only interested in your service, but also has a need. As soon as your offering is relevant to their job responsibilities, you will be able to have a good conversation, you will be able to add VALUE and if the time is right you will be able to close the business. Below is a checklist that sales people should go through before crafting their messages.
Some industries will be more responsive to your offering than others. The best way to find that out is to see where your company had the best traction in the past and/or to find reasons why one specific industry might be a better fit and test it out. For example, our eLearning sales training solution sits best with companies that have sales people in one than more location (often with an international presence), so industries such as technology and transportation find real value in what we are offering, because their sales force is not in one place.
Finding the right decision maker is key in crafting your outreach. You don't want to talk money to an HR person, they are often not responsible for the budget. It's important though when talking to finance people. In any event, think about the value that it will bring to them, don't talk about features and benefits.
Timing is also crucial. Ask about current engagements, when they are up for renewal and budget cycles. This way you can mindfully stay in touch and be sure that you are part of the decision once your prospect starts looking for new providers.
Why will somebody buy my service?
There are drivers that will cause a person to be inclined to buy. Here are the motivators, it helps them to
If you cannot touch on any of those triggers, you don't have a product or service that resonates. Sometimes sales is a numbers game, but only in the sense that more targeted activity leads to more qualified prospects. The more you are able to narrow down your prospect list with companies that will find value in what you are offering, identifying the right decision maker within those organizations and being aware of the timing, the better equipped you are to spend the time you have available for prospecting in the most effective way possible.
Knowing where to hunt is the first step to accelerate your sales process. It will help you save time and money and it will reduce rejection, because your audiences will be perceptive to your messages.
Once you have identified your idea client profile you will be able to selling rather than sifting through a jungle.