Constantly seek out new advertisers everywhere you go! When you're driving around, check out the trucks, vans, etc. with their business name and often numbers on the side.......Attend Chamber After Hours......look at the newspaper, then throw it away (everybody else does), yellow pages, church, etc.
All of that is well and good, but the biggest problem that I've seen in most new salespeople is the ability to qualify them once they've found them. Don't waste your valuable time on a business who "doesn't get it" or won't spend enough to get results. They'll be out of business in no time or struggle along to an agonizing death at some point. Then there are "hobby" businesses......You know them, that little downtown business - consignment shop, novelty store, junk jewelry, etc. The owners undoubtedly just needed something to do and if they thought they'd make a serious living at it.....well avoid them too ......There are thousands of other businesses and business categories to call on.
Hi Kathie
I know what you mean. I consider the ability to 'qualify' propects to be the most important sales skill - even ahead of 'closing' . Here's why.
Firstly, most sales professionals apply their own unique set of variables in order to determine whether a prospect is actually 'qualified'. This needs to be replaced by the radio station's criteria so that we know whether a prospect is 'truly' qualified. These criteria should include the following three: business NEED (see below); the power to authorize the spend; available budget. If they don't have all three the qualify-out.
This may sound over the top but I recommend an approach where the fact find for the initial meeting is based on Maslow's hieracrcy of needs. If you haven't come across it then Google it. These are the basic drivers for everthing we (and companies) do. If you can't relate the product (advertising) to one of their basic needs then qualify them out (or get qualification training). Don't waste your time.
I've seen great closers who fail to qualify and waste their time with no hope accounts. If they were as good at qualifying as they were at closing them they would be earning twice their weight in gold! If you qualify well, these accounts can close without much effort and you spent almost no time with accounts that are not going to generate.
