No Company could survive without Customers. They are the foundation of your Business, provide you with income and enable your organisation to achieve its Vision.
It is extremely important not only to retain existing customers, but also to attract new ones.
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How to find new customers?
In this article, we share with you 4 simple steps to initiate growth momentum without having to spend a fortune.
Define your Target Market.
Trying to sell ice to an eskimo has never been a profitable strategy. Defining your target customer is an essential step in the success of your prospecting actions.
Your primary target should be your “ideal” customers, those who will generate the majority of your income.
The most effective way to define your target is called the ‘Customer Persona‘ (or buyer persona). A Customer Persona is a semi-fictional archetype that represents the key characteristics of your ideal clients. It gives you insight into what your potential customers are thinking and doing when they assess potential options that address the problem they want to solve (such as your products or services):
- What Type of business are they in? size, industry, etc.
- What are their Job titles, their age, seniority?
- What do they do on a daily basis, what challenges do they face?
Tip: Ask a friend (ideally someone who isn’t too familiar with your business) to use your Customer Persona to find a few matching profiles on LinkedIn. If the contacts found could be potential customers, then your targeting is relevant.
Create a Prospecting List
Once your targeting is clearly defined, you need to find people to contact. Here are some ideas to find new customers:
- Personal contacts : Ask people around you, your friends or family if they know of any businesses or people that might meet your search criteria. It can also help you get some introductions!
- Existing customers : Likewise, your existing customers are an interesting avenue to explore. They know your products and services and can recommend you to their contacts.
- Internet search: If you operate in B2B, tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator can save you valuable time by allowing you to directly use your targeting criteria to find Relevant contacts.
- Purchase a prospecting list: It is possible to buy prospecting lists based on your targeting criteria. In a B2B environment, however, we recommend that you always do your research well and never go ‘spray and pray’.
Initiate Contact
You now have a list of people who might be interested in your product or service, now you need to contact them to ask if this is the case.
- Emails: Emails are an effective method but setting up a campaign can take time to identify the right email addresses and create a following up plan. See this article.
- Telephone: Cold calling still has a place in today’s world. It is an effective method of building relationships quickly but requires social and sales skills to be successful.
- In Person: There are lots of opportunities to meet potential clients in person. This is by far the best way to build trust with a new client.
- Traditional Mail: In a world of digital interaction, a traditional mail can set you apart from your competition. The technique is especially relevant if you are sure your target has a need for your products or Services.
Follow up and Follow up again.
You’re going to hear ‘no’ a lot when prospecting and you must learn to distinguish a real ‘no’ from a ‘no’ (for now).
Imagine you are a homeowner, and a real estate agent contacts you to find out if you are looking to sell your property.
How likely is it that you are looking to sell at this specific time? Relatively low.
A better approach for this real estate agent would be to try to find out if you are a homeowner and therefore someone who will be looking to sell sooner or later and to follow up strategically until the right time comes.
“Now is not the right time” suggest that the right time is coming!
