Sales Prospecting - How to Stand Out From Competitors in
a Commodity Market
by Alan Rigg
Published on this site: December 23rd, 2005 - See
more articles from this month
I have received a number of requests for advice from salespeople
and sales managers that sell "commodity" products
and services. When I refer to commodities, I don't just mean
pork bellies or frozen concentrated orange juice. A commodity
is any product or service where the target prospect is likely
to be thinking:
"I get contacted by (X) salespeople a day that sell
(whatever they perceive your product or service to be). Why
should I spend any of my time with you?"
How can salespeople prospect successfully if their target
prospects see them as just one of many possible (and nearly
identical) sources for a product or service?
The key challenge when prospecting in a crowded field is
finding some way to capture enough of a prospect's attention
to convince them to meet with you. This all-important first
meeting is the starting point for building a relationship,
which in turn is a crucial element of success in "commodity"
sales. Here are four strategies that will help you win more of these elusive first
meetings:
- Write and Distribute Special Reports
What special report could you write that would be useful
to your target prospects? Conduct the necessary research,
write the report, make sure your name is highlighted on
the cover page, and get the report into your prospect's
hands.
What is the value of a special report that you have authored?
Think about it - How many of your competitors have authored
a special report? Do you think authoring a special report
might create the impression of significant or unusual expertise?
Do you think it might increase your credibility with your
target prospects?
- Deliver Business Interest Seminars
Seminars are another great way to build credibility and
initiate relationships. To be effective, they need to address
subjects (ideally, problems or frustrations that your company
solves) that your target prospects really care about. You
and your company can offer these seminars on your own or
in partnership with suppliers or other (non-competing) companies
that wish to pursue the same target prospects.
- Build Relationships With Other Salespeople Who Sell
to Your Target Prospects
What other products and services do your target prospects
buy? Which companies provide those products and services?
Who are the salespeople for those companies?
Look to establish mutually beneficial relationships with
salespeople from non-competing companies where you can refer
prospects to each other. Your success rate for booking appointments
from referrals should be much higher than your success rate
with cold calls.
- Learn From Successful Salespeople in Your Company
Who Have "Cracked the Code"
You don't have to re-invent the wheel. Invite the successful
salespeople in your company to lunch or dinner. Use your
time together to pick their brains by asking them the following
questions:
- How did they achieve success?
- What are their favorite prospecting techniques?
- If they are at a stage where they are focusing solely
on servicing existing accounts, how did they originally
initiate their relationships with these accounts?
After the meeting, think about what they said and decide
which of the suggested prospecting approaches might fit
well with your own talents and interests.
Conclusion
The key challenge when prospecting for "commodity"
product or service sales opportunities is capturing enough
of your prospect's attention to convince them to meet with
you. Use these four strategies to win more of those elusive
first meetings!
Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of
How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople
Don't Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20
Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and
managers double sales by implementing The Right Formula™
for building top-performing sales teams. For more information
and more free sales and sales management tips, visit http://www.8020salesperformance.com
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