The Real Five Reasons for an Ideal Prospect

We all know the most important aspect of our b2b sales world is to continuously find fully qualified or highly motivated prospects. Without these new comers to our world, then real sales growth becomes very difficult.

And, you have probably heard about having an ideal customer profile to use as a guide when looking for prospects or truly targeted accounts.

While the ideal customer profile is a good tool and is very useful in determining who you should invest your time and energy with for your future sales growth, there are five other factors that truly make a difference in determining a real ideal prospect.

So what are these five reason someone can be labeled an ideal prospect? Here are the five reasons…

Read more…

How to Learn if You Have a Business Fit with a Prospect?

Last week I had a couple of people ask me about “how do you know if you have a business fit with a prospect?” Which I thought was a good question and there are probably a few others out there wanting to know the answer to this question.

So, let’s discuss a business fit. What exactly is a business fit? I feel there are actually two levels to consider when answering this question.

The first one is about having a ROI for your outcome to assist the potential customer or prospect in making a decision. Therefore, this answer is more about business acumen and knowing the financial results of your offering. This is more of a logical approach.

The second is -in my opinion – more important to discover and reflect upon during your visits with a potential customer. What I’m talking about here is more of a psychographical point of view. This is about the potential customer’s ability to fit with your company and especially your offer.

Read more…

Is Your B2B Sales Pipeline Full?

Well, the economy is coming back, except for the oil price thing, and most of the experts are calling for a healthier overall economy. So, in my opinion it is time to get back to growing our sales.

Actually, you should always be looking for ways to grow your sales 24/7 and 365 days a year. The answer is to maintain your b2b sales pipeline for steady and consistent sales growth.

So what is this b2b sales pipeline thing all about? It is about having a consistent flow of new sales opportunities so you will have the growth you need to achieve your goals and objectives.

Let’s look at some of the factors to review regarding a successful pipeline of b2b sales.

Read more…

Segment or Rank both Customers and Prospects for B2B Sales Success

I get a very questions from B2B Sales people about the ranking of accounts including prospects. This is a fundamental exercise for B2B sales people and it is based off the Ideal Customer Profile. Every existing account and prospect should be classified or ranked according to some standard. The standard is determined by either the company or the sales person.

Here’s how it works. You refer to the Ideal Customer Profile and review what the best customers traits. What sales level do they attain every year, quarter or month. How often do they purchase? Is it daily, weekly, monthly or once a year? How many product lines or SKUs do they purchase? These are simple analysis that every sales person should know well.

Read more…