I work with sales pros all day every day and it seems like most come in with the common focus of any business is good business and let’s just get more. When I ask you who your clients are, what is your response? Is it anyone? Or in the words of one of the cosmetics professionals at a networking event I was presenting at replied – I work with anyone with skin and hair. So the whole world is open to you, you should experience wild success, right? Wrong! Here’s why…
If everyone in the world is a prospect, where do you start? It’s pretty overwhelming isn’t it?
Do you know how you actually make $? Not just income – profit!
And when you look at this, you begin to find the Pareto principal is alive and well in your book, like it is with most of us. That’s the rule of 80/20 or 80% of your results come from 20 % of your efforts.
What happens to your workload if instead of working with everyone, you just describe to me your best client – be as specific as you can without divulging confidential information. Such as, my favorite client is an attorney who is very good at what he does, works in a very specific field – actually environmental law. Has great client relationships and is now assuming the position of Rainmaker, like it or not. That’s much more descriptive than ‘I work in the Professional Services Industry’. Where did you mind go when I described my client? Normally the response I hear is ‘I was thinking of whom I know who looks like that’.
Now, if you want to take this same approach to intentional account growth – pick the top 10 clients you would like to acquire in 2013. Write them down and when you go networking, instead of asking for a referral to a corporate business leader – share their name. And watch the referrals happen!
Don’t think this means you limit your focus, unless you get lazy and stop sharing new names – remember if I don’t know them this month, your chances are not good for me to meet them this month. Give me another shot!
Now go, look at your client base, pick your ‘A’ accounts, and write a good description, research what prospects look like them, gather names and be intentional in your prospecting effort!
So go do less – and make More! $ales that is!
Make it a great week!
Good Selling!