Finding Prospects

🎣 Finding Prospects: Your Treasure Hunt for Customers

Imagine you’re a treasure hunter. But instead of gold, you’re looking for people who need what you’re selling. These people are called prospects—they’re the ones who might buy from you!

Finding prospects is like fishing in a big ocean. You need to know:

• Where the fish are (lead generation)
• Which fish to keep (lead qualification)
• Different ways to catch them (prospecting techniques)
• How to talk to them on the phone (telephone sales)
• Finding them on social media (social selling)
• Getting friends to help you find more (referral selling)

Let’s dive in! 🌊

🧲 Lead Generation: Attracting Your Future Customers

What Is a Lead?

A lead is someone who might be interested in what you sell. Think of leads like seeds in a garden—they could grow into paying customers!

Simple Example:

• A kid opens a lemonade stand
• People walking by who look thirsty = potential leads
• Someone who stops and asks “How much?” = a lead!

How Do You Generate Leads?

Lead generation means finding people who might want your product. It’s like putting up a big sign that says “FREE COOKIES!” to get people to come to your bakery.

graph TD
    A["🎯 Your Business"] --> B["🌐 Website"]
    A --> C["📱 Social Media"]
    A --> D["📧 Email Campaigns"]
    A --> E["📞 Cold Calls"]
    B --> F["👥 Leads!"]
    C --> F
    D --> F
    E --> F

Lead Generation Methods

🎯 Real Life Example: A software company writes a free guide called “10 Ways to Save Time at Work.” People give their email to download it. Now the company has leads!

✅ Lead Qualification: Finding the Right Fit

Not All Leads Are Equal

Imagine you have 100 fish. But only 10 of them are the type you want to eat. Lead qualification is figuring out which leads are worth your time.

Simple Example:

• You sell expensive bicycles
• A 5-year-old asking about bikes = NOT qualified (can’t buy)
• An adult who bikes to work daily = QUALIFIED (likely buyer!)

The BANT Method

BANT helps you check if a lead is good:

graph TD
    A["New Lead"] --> B{Has Budget?}
    B -->|Yes| C{Has Authority?}
    B -->|No| X["Not Ready Yet"]
    C -->|Yes| D{Has Need?}
    C -->|No| X
    D -->|Yes| E{Good Timeline?}
    D -->|No| X
    E -->|Yes| F["🌟 Qualified Lead!"]
    E -->|No| G["Follow Up Later"]

Hot, Warm, and Cold Leads

🎯 Real Life Example: A car dealership gets 50 inquiries. They ask: “When are you looking to buy?” People who say “This month” get called first = hot leads!

🔍 Prospecting Techniques: Ways to Find People

What Is Prospecting?

Prospecting is actively searching for potential customers. It’s like being a detective looking for clues about who might need your product.

The Main Techniques

1. Cold Outreach 🧊 Contacting people who don’t know you yet.

• Example: Sending emails to companies that might need your service

2. Warm Outreach 🌡️ Contacting people who have some connection to you.

• Example: Messaging someone you met at a conference

3. Research-Based Prospecting 🔬 Finding leads by studying the market.

• Example: Looking at company websites to find decision-makers

4. Event-Based Prospecting 🎪 Meeting prospects at gatherings.

• Example: Networking at industry meetups

graph TD
    A["Prospecting Techniques"] --> B["Cold Outreach"]
    A --> C["Warm Outreach"]
    A --> D["Research-Based"]
    A --> E["Event-Based"]
    B --> F["Emails, Calls"]
    C --> G["Referrals, Follow-ups"]
    D --> H["LinkedIn, Databases"]
    E --> I["Trade Shows, Meetups"]

The Prospecting Routine

Successful salespeople prospect every single day. Here’s a simple daily routine:

🎯 Real Life Example: A real estate agent spends 2 hours every morning calling “For Sale By Owner” listings. She offers to help them sell faster. That’s prospecting!

📞 Telephone Sales Techniques: Mastering Phone Calls

Why Phone Calls Still Work

Even with all the technology today, talking to someone on the phone is still one of the best ways to sell. Why? Because you can:

• Hear their voice and emotions
• Answer questions immediately
• Build a real connection

The Perfect Cold Call Structure

Step 1: Opening (10 seconds)

“Hi [Name], this is [You] from [Company]. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

Step 2: Value Statement (20 seconds)

“I’m calling because we help companies like yours [specific benefit].”

Step 3: Qualifying Question (30 seconds)

“Are you currently dealing with [common problem]?”

Step 4: Next Steps (20 seconds)

“Would you be open to a quick 15-minute chat next week?”

Handling “No Thanks”

graph TD
    A["Make Call"] --> B{They Answer?}
    B -->|Yes| C["Deliver Opening"]
    B -->|No| D["Leave Voicemail"]
    C --> E{Interested?}
    E -->|Yes| F["Ask Questions"]
    E -->|No| G["Handle Objection"]
    F --> H["Book Meeting"]
    G --> E

🎯 Real Life Example: A software salesperson calls 50 people. 40 don’t answer. 5 say no. 3 ask for emails. 2 book meetings. Those 2 meetings could become $50,000 in sales!

📱 Social Selling: Finding Prospects Online

What Is Social Selling?

Social selling is using social media to find and connect with prospects. It’s like making friends online, but for business!

Simple Example:

• You sell marketing software
• You find marketing managers on LinkedIn
• You like and comment on their posts
• Eventually, you send a helpful message
• They become interested in your product!

The Top Platforms for Social Selling

The Social Selling Routine

Daily Actions:

1. 🔍 Search for prospects using keywords
2. 👀 View 20 prospect profiles
3. ❤️ Like and comment on 10 posts
4. 📩 Send 5 personalized connection requests
5. 💬 Start 3 conversations

Writing Great Messages

❌ Bad Message:

“Hi! I sell accounting software. Want to buy?”

✅ Good Message:

“Hi Sarah! I loved your post about saving time on invoices. We actually helped ABC Company cut their invoice time by 50%. Would you be open to learning how?”

graph TD
    A["Find Prospect"] --> B["Research Them"]
    B --> C["Engage with Content"]
    C --> D["Send Connection"]
    D --> E{Accepted?}
    E -->|Yes| F["Start Conversation"]
    E -->|No| G["Keep Engaging"]
    F --> H["Share Value"]
    H --> I["Book Meeting"]

🎯 Real Life Example: A consultant finds CFOs on LinkedIn who post about cash flow problems. She comments helpfully on their posts for 2 weeks. Then she sends a message offering a free cash flow guide. 30% respond!

🤝 Referral Selling: Letting Others Help You Find Prospects

The Power of Referrals

A referral is when someone recommends you to a friend. It’s the most powerful way to find new customers because:

• People trust their friends
• It’s like a personal endorsement
• Referred customers buy more often

Simple Example:

• You love your dentist
• Your friend needs a dentist
• You say “Go to Dr. Smith, she’s amazing!”
• Dr. Smith just got a referral!

When to Ask for Referrals

The best time to ask is when your customer is happiest:

• Right after a successful sale
• When they give you a compliment
• After solving their problem
• When they renew or buy again

How to Ask for Referrals

The Simple Ask:

“I’m so glad you’re happy! Do you know anyone else who might benefit from this?”

The Specific Ask:

“You mentioned your friend runs a similar business. Would you mind introducing us?”

The Give-First Ask:

“I’d love to help more people like you. If you think of anyone who’s struggling with [problem], please send them my way!”

graph TD
    A["Happy Customer"] --> B["Ask for Referral"]
    B --> C{They Give Name?}
    C -->|Yes| D["Get Introduction"]
    C -->|No| E["Ask Again Later"]
    D --> F["Contact Referral"]
    F --> G["Mention Their Name"]
    G --> H["🎉 New Qualified Lead!"]

Creating a Referral Program

🎯 Real Life Example: A gym offers members one free month for every friend they bring in. One member brings 5 friends over a year. The gym gets 5 new members, and that member gets almost half a year free!

🗺️ Putting It All Together

Finding prospects is a system, not a one-time event. Here’s how all the pieces connect:

graph TD
    A["🧲 Generate Leads"] --> B["✅ Qualify Leads"]
    B --> C["🔍 Research Prospects"]
    C --> D{Best Contact Method?}
    D --> E["📞 Phone Call"]
    D --> F["📱 Social Media"]
    D --> G["📧 Email"]
    E --> H["🎯 Meeting/Sale"]
    F --> H
    G --> H
    H --> I["😊 Happy Customer"]
    I --> J["🤝 Ask for Referrals"]
    J --> A

Your Prospect-Finding Checklist

• [ ] Set up lead generation systems (website, content, ads)
• [ ] Create a qualification checklist (BANT or similar)
• [ ] Schedule daily prospecting time
• [ ] Practice your phone script
• [ ] Build your social media presence
• [ ] Ask every happy customer for referrals

🌟 Key Takeaways

1. Lead Generation = Attracting people who might be interested
2. Lead Qualification = Figuring out who’s worth your time (BANT)
3. Prospecting Techniques = Different ways to find and reach people
4. Telephone Sales = Talking to prospects over the phone effectively
5. Social Selling = Using social media to find and connect
6. Referral Selling = Getting your happy customers to recommend you

Remember: Finding prospects is like planting seeds. The more you plant today, the more customers you’ll have tomorrow! 🌱➡️🌳

You’ve got this! 💪