9 More Sales Prospecting Methods to Boost Your Brand and Your Sales

10 quick sales prospecting ideas to boost your sales.  All those ideas dealt with using social media and online properties to make yourself known to potential prospects who are searching online for what you do. We know that most of your potential customers do their research online. And by the time they begin calling on salespeople, they’ve already decided on what they want to do. However, there are quite a few “old school” methods of prospecting that are still effective. They can get your name out there and earn you more street cred with your prospects and current customers. Don’t sell these methods short. When you use these in conjunction with the online methods, you will become a powerhouse at driving your brand awareness. And as a salesperson, that’s what you want. Below are 9 old-school sales prospecting methods that will boost your brand and your sales.

9 Sales Prospecting Methods to Boost Your Brand and Your Sales

1. Give a presentation at local networking events, conferences, or service organizations, such as your local Rotary.  Service organizations like the Rotary are always looking for speakers.

2. Look for promotions, press releases, new product announcements, and awards about your prospects and customers. Write congratulatory notes, or send relevant current articles with personal notes. Since few people send notes via USPS, you will stand out.

3. Create a digital business card.  There are many apps that give you the ability to beam your information to someone else’s mobile device.

4. Attend local seminars, workshops, and networking events. In today’s environment, there are quite a few online networking events that offer participants the opportunity to share information in joint chat rooms. But there’s nothing quite like attending a local networking event where you must walk up to someone, shake their hand and say, “hello.”

5. Ask champion customers to take you to one of their networking events and introduce you.  In return, offer them something that they would normally have paid for.

6. Ask for a referral. You’d be surprised how many sales reps forget to ask a new customer, or even an established one if they know of someone who could benefit from the sales rep's product and services.

7. Have a customer bring you into one of their meetings as an “expert witness” or a subject matter authority.  In these instances, be sure to showcase your knowledge and expertise, not your products or services.

8. Ask the prospect to describe his or her ideal customer, vendor, or employee. Then refer those types of prospects, vendors, and job candidates to them that you meet in your travels. Be a person known for bringing resources together.

9. Offer to speak at a prospect’s conference or trade show. Or sponsor an event at a prospect’s convention or conference.

Sales Prospecting that Leverages the Power of Public Speaking So, here we are! 9 more creative ways to make yourself known to your prospect and get ahead with your prospecting. These may take a little more leg work than the previous ones, and they require more public speaking skills. However, sales reps who can stand in front of a group and speak on a topic come across as subject matter experts and command more authority. Download the manual, Persuasive Sales Presentations, here and begin to make use of these 9 sales prospecting methods immediately. Your prospecting strategy should combine both sets of prospecting methods for maximum coverage. So, when you speak at a customer’s conference or trade show, and you “give out” your digital business cards to attendees, they will go online and research your profile and your site looking for solutions. Make sure you are set up to give them the information they seek and capture their contact information for future follow up. Check out Lance Tyson’s book, Selling Is An Away Game, available on Amazon, for additional prospecting ideas for your sales team. Get your copy today!