Spring is an ideal time to be planting your prospecting seeds to ensure you’ll have a bumper sales crop this fall!

I grew up on a farm and learned the importance of planting in the spring along with fertilizing and watering throughout the growing season – this is exactly what you need to do with prospecting to ensure you’re adding to your pipeline throughout the spring and summer. You may be wondering – ‘how can I plant prospecting seeds without cold-calling?!’ You may be surprised to know that you’ve already got seedlings that have sprouted, and just need you to nurture them!

Take a look at the 7 seedlings to grow your business…

1. Your Existing Clients

Your existing clients are one of the best and most obvious places to begin prospecting for more business. Conducting a business review meeting may help you uncover additional opportunities with your existing clients. Did they make any new hires? New Divisions or other Plants? What are their goals for 2021 and how can you help them achieve them? Are there any new challenges they are facing or are they undertaking any new initiatives?

2. Ask for referrals

You’re a consultative, proactive sales professionals who goes above and beyond for your clients. They appreciate you and your solutions, and are likely happy to provide you with a referral if you ask for it! Happy, long-term customers are some of the best seedlings to nurture, and can turn into amazing referral opportunities – you just have to be brave enough to take the first step & ask.

3. LinkedIn

Making frequent posts about your product or service, sharing testimonials from satisfied customers, and monitoring who ‘likes’ or comments on your posts are all easy ways to gauge interest and warm up prospecting calls. You should be connecting with both current and prospective clients and engaging with their posts as well – this keeps your name top-of-mind.

4. Your Network

Who do you have in your network that may be an ideal client (or connected with an ideal client!)? Your suppliers, neighbours, friends, or someone you worked with in the past who has moved to a different company. Try reaching out to set up a call or see if there may be opportunity to work together in a mutually beneficial way.

5. Webinar/Education Sessions

Hosting complimentary, no-obligation webinars or education sessions can be incredible ways to allow your target clients and prospects to learn more about your product or service, become more familiar with you, and provides you with an opportunity to follow-up that isn’t cold-calling. Asking whether they had any questions about your webinar or info session, inviting them to any additional sessions you have coming up, or directly setting up a call to learn more about their company & needs all become warmer when you’ve had previous contact.

6. Salespeople in Similar Industries – Swap Contacts

Perhaps you have an old colleague, friend, or fellow salesperson who you’d like to swap contacts with – this allows for you to reference a name when reaching out to any new prospects.

7. Past Tradeshow Leads

Most salespeople walk away from tradeshows with a mile-long list of people to follow-up with – these lists have no expiration date! These people may not remember you specifically, but mentioning the tradeshow already provides you with an ‘in’ and some common ground. Re-visit these lists, search the contacts on LinkedIn to see whether they’re still an ideal client, and follow-up.

 

Prospecting doesn’t always have to be cold-calling strangers – start nurturing your seedlings to grow your business!

Prospecting doesn’t always have to be cold-calling strangers – start nurturing your seedlings to grow your business! Share on X

Sales Professionals Advice:  Spring is an ideal time to be prospecting before many people begin to take summer holidays.  Who will you contact during this next month to secure business for the rest of the sales year?

Sales Leaders Advice:  Create a fun prospecting blitz to lead & coach your team during the next month, along with daily or weekly huddles to share best prospecting habits and activities.