Business Prospecting Tips for Generating Qualified Sales Leads Using Over-the-Phone Sales Prospecting
Over-the-phone prospecting for qualified sales leads requires patience and some simple direction. [singlepic id=3 w=320 h=240 float=right]
It’s easy to manage because you can do it on your own time.
But how to do it. Where to begin?
- Start with introductory cold calls that qualify each prospect to determine if your business is a good fit for what they need. Make your introduction specific and brief…twenty seconds or less.
- Keep your call relaxed, almost informal tone. A sales script you write yourself and are comfortable using will help you accomplish this by giving you confidence and the ability to control each call.
- Effective business prospecting is about information gathering. Ask specific questions to qualify —or disqualify— each prospect and their need for your services.
- Picture a crowded room. Your goal: find the folks interested in your offer. How to do it? Ask for a show of hands. There, that’s the goal of your sales lead qualification call — (1) finding the right prospects; (2) separating them from the crowd; then (3) qualifying their interest level.
- It’s here the weak prospects are weeded out…and the better qualified prospects are engaged for careful and methodical follow-up calls.
- Business prospecting requires educating your prospects — over time — on why they are better off buying from you rather than from your competitors.
- Be patient. You’ll get more appointments if you build your prospect list with routine follow-up calls.
- Generating qualified sales leads by phone marketing is a form of direct marketing. And building [singlepic id=74 w=220 h=140 float=right]a highly targeted database is the key to any successful direct marketing campaign.
- Therefore, view each call as a means for fine tuning your customer development database. It’s a work in progress that never ends!