1. Are you a rustler or a rancher?
Too many are appointment setting rustlers. They start the day with nothing hoping to catch a few strays to sell. It is better to be a rancher with a herd. Nurture your herd, and you will sell far more cattle. Interact, feed and pay attention to those not quite ready to buy yet and you will sell more and close faster. Thanks to Claude Whitacre for the rustler/rancher analogy.
2. Need an appointment setter or agency?
I have a shortlist of agencies/individuals I have seen in action and could suggest you explore. Different strengths, price points and programs.
Get the list here.
3. Just how much low hanging fruit is there?
Have you thought about this question? Even among “great lists” only about 18% recognize a need on some level and are likely to act within 3 – 15 months. Only 3-5% will agree to a meeting if you connect with them. If you focus only on the low-hanging fruit and do not identify or nurture those just below the surface of acting now, you are doing all the work and receiving only a fraction of the results you could have for it.
4. Stop thinking of individual disconnected tactics
Stop thinking about tactics for a moment and start thinking about how to best interact with your highest probability targets. Many make the mistake of thinking of outbound as individual disconnected activities. It might be calling, the linkedin cure, email miracle techniques, direct mail, any number of offline tactics. Most abandon something that could work and would work if they stuck with it and improved it and then declare, “it doesn’t work.” Focus on integrating about 3 techniques that can work together. Be determined to tweak up the tactics you use until you get the result.
5. Do this before all else
Appointment setting not working. Take a step back to sort, sift and select your target audience for best results. If you do this right, then solid prospecting efforts will be like pouring gas on a fire.
Here are the steps to take
6. The drowning man that thinks he is swimming
Some prospecting efforts make me think of a person drowning that comes up for a gulp of air once in a while and thinks they are swimming. Nope. You are drowning. You just don’t know it yet. Same with prospecting. Some commit random acts of marketing and nab a meeting, prospect or sale once in a while and think they are prospecting. Nope, you are not. It’s only a matter of time before you tire and sink. If you are sputtering, recognize your situation and take action before it is too late.
