Lead generation and sales prospecting are hot topics for today’s sales managers and sales professionals. Qualified leads = qualified prospects = improved “opening ratios”. You might have heard me say this before, but the days of “closing” sales are over. The age of engagement is here and it is no longer about closing and moving to the next deal. Once a sale is made the real work begins and the relationship must be nurtured for a number of reasons, e.g. reorders, referrals, testimonials, etc. Enough on that rant, this is about prospecting, so…
I came across a great, quick article from John Jantsch at Duct Tape Marketing: 5 Ways to Let Prospects Sample Your Brilliance. In it, he gives some great ideas about adding a sample strategy (similar to how Costco or Whole Foods give samplings on the weekends) could help get your foot in the door with potential customers. In particular, one or all of these 5 strategies could build trust and lower the barrier to entry for your prospects:
1. Create a product: if you are in the services business, create a product
2. Create a starter version: small commitment before a larger sale
3. Freemium: create free offerings to lower barrier to entry and create trust
4. Try before you buy: the old pet store trick – take the puppy home for the weekend and come back Monday to let us know what you think!
5. Maintenance model: this is big in the electronics distributor business and copier business – give away the hardware and sell them on the recurring services.
Incorporating these strategies into your lead generation and prospecting system can create more qualified prospects…prospects interested in starting a relationship with your company! Why not ”sample” one of these ideas yourself and see how it works for your organization. Happy Selling!
