How do you get new prospects, qualify them, and grow revenue?
There’s no business owner or salesperson who hasn’t agonized over this question for hours on end. Unfortunately, the simple answer is that “it depends.”
There’s the typical stuff you can do like asking for referrals, advertising, and cold calling, but none of those tactics tell you how to generate new leads that have the potential to become real customers. Sure, you might get calls, but how do you transform those into real, actionable prospects?
It all comes down to story. Your body language and conversation skills tell your client how to react during your sales pitch. Here are our four favorite things to work on when improving our chances of landing new prospects.
1. Remember, you’re not the main character
It’s important to remember that you, the business, isn’t the hero – your customers are.
If you want to catch and hold the attention of your customers, you have to make them the hero. Ask them questions, talk about their lives, make them the center of attention.
Joseph Burgo, Ph.D., wrote in Psychology Today to say that “Most people are narcissistic.
“I’m not using that word in the clinical diagnostic way, nor the everyday sense of vain or conceited. What I mean is that most people are almost exclusively focused upon themselves, their personal interests, and their own emotional needs for attention.”
In your communication, ask questions. When you reach out to new prospects, ask your possible prospect’s opinion.
When you make others the center of attention, you’re maximizing your chances of success.
2. Remain Cool Around Your New Prospects
Sales are relationships.
If you make a new friend and all they do every day is text you, “what are you doing? Why don’t you want to hang out?” then chances are, you’re not going to stay friends for long. The same is right for business partnerships.
A good personal relationship between you and your customer depends a lot on the respect that you show to them as a company. The more you reach out, the more desperate you sound during a sale, the less likely you’ll be to close the contract you so desperately need.
That’s why, when you’re trying to convert a new prospect, you should be reaching out in reasonably spaced intervals – once every three months is usually a good rule of thumb. You show that you respect their privacy, but you also make yourself known.
You should also be changing up exactly how you follow up. It’s a good idea to make your emails memorable by sending out an interactive video that catches your prospect’s attention.
It’s okay to remind them that you’re there so long as you’re not yelling it at their face.
3. Confidence is Key
This sounds like a pie-in-the-sky kind of statement but think – why are confident people always so attractive? Studies have shown that just straightening your posture can boost your confidence and, by extension, your attractiveness to those around you.
Why confidence works is no secret. We like to be around people who are comfortable in their skin.
Think about Chris Rock who’s self-proclaimed “best advice” is that your effort and, by extension, your confidence inspires those around you to join in.
During Chris Rock’s Oprah interview, he used cars to illustrate his point. Rock stated that he never had any success flagging people down on the highway if he’d broken down. However, if he pushed his car or started working on it then he was almost guaranteed to get someone stopping to offer help.
The moral of the story: people help people who help themselves.
Move away from asking yourself how to get more prospects – when you’re visibly confident new leads will begin to approach you.
4. Skill Sells
There’s a reason why everyone wants to become a thought leader in their industry – skills sell like hotcakes. The more proficient you can demonstrate yourself to be at a given task, the more likely you’ll be asked to do it again.
Likewise, the more proficiency you can show in your applications and communications, the more likely your opinions are to be trusted.
When appropriate, make sure that you have your current projects, degrees, Masterclasses, etc., on display where potential new prospects can see them. (You can always check out our video marketing masterclass here as well. Yes, we know, it’s a shameless plug)
The more you’re actively improving yourself, the more credible you will look to new buying leads.
No One is Born With the Gift of Sales Gab
Is the gift of gab real? Is it how to get new prospects?
No! Conversation and relationship building is an art form that we are all continually working on improving.
We hope that you will continue to build your skillset, attract new prospects, and strengthen your communication skillset along with us by taking the MASTERCLASS called
Lights, Camera, Sales – Your Brand Story Can Be Your Superpower!
Reach out if you have any questions about the masterclass or head here to read more about communication and your sales toolkit.
