More Customers
Increased Revenue
Qualification
Qualifying prospects is a part of prospecting. This is the use of basic questions or qualifying criteria to draw out the most profitable potential customers. By finding out the level of need, buying motivation and financial capabilities of prospects, your salespeople can increase their selling efficiency and go after the top prospects willing to buy. Shortening the sales cycle by contacting the highest potential customers also allows your salespeople to make more contacts in a given period.
Data Gathering
Finding prospects does not always lead to immediate sales. In some cases, salespeople use contact with prospects to gather data and conduct market research. Entry Boxes, Direct mail and Social Media, for instance, are tools salespeople can use to find out why customers enter the market to buy certain products, what their primary focus is in shopping and how to best sell. This data can help in contacting specific prospects, but it also aids in developing sales strategies and tactics that can be applied in the long term.