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FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog

January 21, 2004

Prospect, Then Pitch

Expanding on the discussion about my recent entry about cold calling and the resulting poll, Michele Harris of MarketingDeptNYC outlines 10 tips and tactics for better selling in the January edition of her email newsletter Marketing Marvels:

Retention. Your best prospects are your current customers. What else can you do for them?
Volume. Volume. Volume. Playing the numbers game can increase your odds exponentially. But are you going after your most promising targets?
Prospecting. Prioritize and focus on your best prospects: those who may have a need for your products and services and can afford it.
Messaging. What is your sales team saying? Is this holding you back, or driving you forward?
Sell with questions. Assess first. Pitch later.
It's all about them. How will your product or service add value and improve their organization's bottom-line? How will they see a return on their investment?
It's all about you, too. Is your sales team spending time wisely? Or is your team spinning wheels and missing opportunities?
Know the "Ws." Identify your own qualification questions, including detailed levels of Who? What? Why? How? When?
Leave your ego at the door. Make your client look good: if they shine, so do you.
Winning the Biz. If you've done your job of demonstrating VALUE, what you can bring to the table, you should quite naturally win the business.