One of my Simple Disciplines is to consistently make 10 prospecting calls to potential customers throughout my day, in order to maintain a full sales pipeline. These calls open talks with new people, people who could become new customers. It's a numbers game, no doubt. A sales person must talk to x number of new targets to take it a step further and present a deal to x number of those people, and he'll end up with Y in conversion, based on how effective he's been along the way. This is sales, at the most fundamental level. Now, there are tons of nuances, strategies and other factors out there that play a role in the success or failure of this salesman. But, in the end, it's a numbers game. Anybody can make it, if he has the heart and the discipline to work the numbers, whatever those numbers may be. For a star, he may convert 3 of 10. If he's terrible, he may convert 1 of 100.
New business is the lifeblood of any business, especially for a business that has little to no marketshare. In this "time of economic challenge"(which I refuse to participate in), new biz is what keeps us all alive, since most of our current customers are sitting around whining about how nobody is buying anything. BS. SOMEBODY IS BUYING. It's up to us to find those people and tell them our story. We can't forget our current guys. "Dance with the one that brung ya". But, we must divert their attention to the positive, to the opportunities that are out there, instead of letting them spew negativity.
Anyway, I made my calls today...I actually made 11 calls. Here's what I got in return....
- An appointment with one of the key guys in my biggest target for 2010, which I scheduled for later in the day TODAY. We met for lunch and went through the details of what he needs versus what I/we have to offer. I'm presenting to his entire sales staff tomorrow at their annual meeting, to present our product line and outline why we'd be a great fit for one of their niche opportunities. Boo Yah! This could result in $500,000 to $1,000,000 in brand new business for one of my businesses. We are meeting after the meeting to go over the specifics with his entire ownership team.
- I followed up with a guy I quoted down in Austin for three separate projects. He gave me the contracts for all three.
- I got two meetings scheduled with the branch managers at two of the three locations I spoke of in my first bullet point. These guys are key players in converting the business. Commitment from the rep(me) is the most critical factor in us winning shelf space within this group. I've begun the dialogue before I pitch at their meeting tomorrow. I did this intentionally so that they may give us more support at the sales meeting tomorrow.
Imagine what your pipeline will look like if you bought into this and committed to it. Activity like this generates results...period. Doing this everyday will produce more opportunities than we can even handle. We may need an assistant in three months....:) Plus, now that I'm at home, I'm going to give my full attention to my family, instead of regretting how I wasted my day today. This is the only way to live!
Flip the switch
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