Prospecting For Accounts
Once you have information about the dealers, it is time to do your prospecting to set up the area and get to work. Following are some tips that can help you work smart:
- Ensure you have a good map of the area.
- Define a filter in your database that qualifies your dealers. For a database, you might try a “contact management” program like Goldmine, Act, or Telemagic. Try to use the existing database so you can standardize and share information between reps. Sort your qualified dealers by zip code, city, and street (some areas are first sorted by state).
- Set your appointments as close to route order as possible.
- Establish a regular work schedule & never break it. Mondays are a good day to book the week’s appointments. One of the only challenges of being an independent field worker is the freedom. Don’t let the freedom create stress–regulate it with a schedule.
- STP – See The People. There’s always one common denominator among successful field reps and that is that they see the people.
- Keep your records up to date and record helpful information. Example: This dealer only wants demos on Tuesdays & Thursdays, etc.
If you’ll follow the aforementioned guidelines, you’ll be productive and feel less stress prospecting. Remember, one of the most important tools to be productive is to maintain SCHEDULE. You may find yourself getting sucked into “Pain Relieving Non-Productive Work” and feeling down if you don’t start out right with a consistent schedule. Follow the example set by your Area Managers–call them if you need additional help.
Pain Relieving Work – Anti-Prospecting
All too often we find ourselves without an appointment and drive around our area looking for stores to visit saying, “Not that one, it looks wrong–I’ll try a different store,” or we head back home to update our database, or learn our material better, whatever. This may relieve our conscience and make us feel like we’re doing work but, during working hours, it is not prospecting and does very little to actually get results. This is referred to as “pain-relieving, non-productive work.” We all get stuck in this rut once in a while. It is important to recognize when we find ourselves in this mentality so we can break out–the easiest way to do this is to “gird up our loins” and do something immediately to put ourselves in front of a dealer (ie., walk in the door of the closest store). This usually shatters the pattern.
Review Questions
- What single habit will help you succeed?
- STP. What does it mean?
- Work in _____ _______ sequence.
- What type of information should you record in your database?
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