Finding New Business
We help you find new business in three ways:
- Identifying target markets and prospects
- Contacting and qualifying prospects and referral sources
- Cultivating. prospects until they are ready make a buying decision.
Research
First, we help you find the target markets best suited for your services. We do this by first thoroughly understanding what you offer and to whom.
Once we agree on the appropriate markets to pursue, we identify target companies that meet your criteria: industry, size, geography and the appropriate decision makers at those companies. We do this by purchasing lists or assembling contacts from industry lists.
We follow a similar process in developing lists of potential referral sources. After determining your target markets, we identify professionals who service that market and don’t compete with you. These could include lawyers, accountants, consultants and other service providers
Lead Generation and Qualification
The next step is to determine the best way to reach the target companies. First, we work with you to see if one of your contacts can make an introduction.
If not, we try to find an angle and a reason for contacting the company often a news item or an industry list (“10 worst” – “10 best”). Then, a prospect is more likely to return your call or respond to an email. We set up alert systems so that we call only prospects with a need.
Once we get a prospect on the phone, we qualify that person by asking a series of questions to determine his/her interest in your services. We also probe to find out BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timetable). If a person is truly qualified, we set up the next step.
Approaching referral sources is different. You’re looking for an introduction. But you can also provide introductions. You both have something to trade.
Lead Nurturing
If a lead is qualified but not ready to make a decision, what happens? Often nothing.
Leads are like seedlings. They need to be nurtured. Otherwise, they die.
We make sure qualified leads don’t die by cultivating them until they are ready to make a buying decision. The goal is to educate them about your services and to keep you top-of-mind.
In cultivating qualified leads, we work to understand the barriers that are delaying a decision – the need for more information, competing priorities, budget, getting the necessary approval etc. We then work with the prospect to eliminate those barriers
At that the same time, we consistently communicate with prospects via phone and email to move them through the decision making cycle until they are ready. This often entails sending them articles and white papers and involving them in webinars.
Closing the deal
We believe that our clients are the product a prospect is buying. As a result, we ask clients to negotiate and close the deal. We can help facilitate this process by assisting with proposals and proving information to the client.
Our job is to bring the horse to water. Your job is to make him drink.
