| Selling is the direct confrontation
between the company and its customer. Management training and material tend to
be devoted to “closing the sale”, "effective presentation skills", "use of
visual aids" , and so on. The one aspect of selling which is often neglected is
"prospecting(寻找可能的顾客)". In advance of any direct selling activity or, indeed, any promotion, it is important to take time and allocate resources to prospecting for clients. Prospecting identifies buyers and makes the best use of time available for selling. It is the quality, not the quantity, of prospects that matters. Market segmentation(条块化) will show the market segment most likely to yield buyers, e.g. manufacturing companies with a turnover in excess of ￡5 million within 50 miles of your offices. Building up a prime prospect file is the most valuable activity a salesperson can do. Once achieved, canvassing(游说顾客) is necessary only to "top up" the prospect reservoir when the level drops; that is, a prospect is converted to a customer, ceases to be a prime prospect and is replaced by another prime prospect. The prospect file will help only if it is kept up to date and used systematically. A follow-up or bring-forward system will force you to plan your time effectively. The selection of prospects can be done at the desk or by telephone. It involves a relatively low cost resource, compared with a field salesperson. The use of computers enables companies to develop a database of prospects which can be used interactively, depending on sales objectives or changes in strategy. By using a computerized marketing database, you can analyze important factors such as source of prospect/lead, date last called, change in staff. A new sales in a market sector can open the door to acquiring a number of new prospects in this sector. |