Whether you have just finished training and are getting started in your sales career or you’ve been selling for decades, finding new business can be daunting. So, we’re gonna try to make this as easy on you as possible. Before you do anything else, you must know who you are going to call on. We’ll lay this out for you in, say, 12 easy steps.
 

1. Figure out what you do and who you do it for – Think of this as your mission statement. Here’s a great example from a fellow thINK member, HighNote “We’ll help deliver your brand in ways that inspire and excite your audience.” NICE! Give some thought to what your punchy, concise mission might sound like.  Work it over ‘til you are thrilled with it.
    
2. Survey your colleagues — Ask a trusted associate, maybe someone on the shop floor or in accounting “If you were me, who would YOU call on?”
    
3. Look for success from within your company – We would do this one of two ways, or both.  Get a list of the top ten accounts in your company, and then make a list of other companies that are just like them. Or, we would ask the most successful salesperson in your company to tell you how they landed some of their accounts and make them give you details.  Listen carefully. Take notes. Then go and do that.
    
4. Use Google – Whether it’s looking for companies just moving to the area, companies that are hiring (and thereby growing) or the largest kinds of a particular vertical market (defined here), Google is your research intern, best friend, and assistant all rolled into one. Don’t leave home without it.
    
5. Use LinkedIn – You should be on LinkedIn every day. You should be growing your network, joining and participating in groups, and following clients and prospects. You should pay attention. People move on. You learn stuff, like where a person went to college, how long they have been at a place, where s/he worked before. It’s there. Use it.
    
6. Hit the Library – There are reference librarians with master’s degrees and PhD’s in information sciences, and they want to help you. Put your tax dollars to work and go in and work with one or two. Also, your library grants you access to databases like Reference USA for free, and you can access them from anywhere. Use this COMPLETEY FREE resource!
    
7. Make it a Habit – Research, prospecting, and learning are something that you should be making time for every day. We like to do this stuff first thing in the morning over that first cup of coffee. It’s like exercise, once you do it, you can rest assured that it is done and get on with the rest of your day, which will hopefully consist of client meetings because of all the ninja-like prospecting you’ve been doing.
    
8. Phone a friend – When in doubt, ask someone outside of the industry for their input. Explain in one or two sentences what kind of prospect you are looking for and ask said friend who they might suggest or who they would call on if they were you.
    
9. Get some accountability – Whether it’s the person you report to, a colleague, or a coach or mentor, articulate your activity goals and commit to SOMEONE what it is that you intend to do each day. Report in at the end of every day.
    
10. Reward Yourself – When you hit certain benchmarks or goals, celebrate your achievements. Whether it’s lunch out somewhere fancy or a new outfit, give yourself credit for all the activity that you are executing on. Your hard work is about to pay off. Promise!
     
11. Repeat it – Now make this a regular part of your day every day. Make it a point to add new prospects to your pipeline every week. Do research every week. Engage with new prospects every week. This is non-negotiable. Do it and you will succeed.  99 and three quarters percent guaranteed.
     
12. Come to the thINK Virtual Workshop on April 9th.  Register here.

Kid, you’ll move mountains. Your mountain is waiting, now get on your way.

Bill Farquharson and Kelly Mallozzi have sold digital print themselves and create a lot of content around the subject. Their book, Who’s Making Money at Digital/Inkjet Printing is available on Amazon.