How to find potential customers
What is a potential customer?
For any new salesperson, they are faced with the same problem, that is, finding customers and selling products or services. Unless the company's products or services are in a monopoly position, unless the company's brand is in a very strong market situation, the sales staff of any company will face the grim reality of how to find potential customers. So, what is a potential customer?
In fact, finding potential customers is a starting line for any salesperson to engage in sales work. The so-called potential customer refers to any individual or organization that has real demand for the products or services of the company where the salesperson works and has purchasing power. If an individual or organization has a possible demand for a product or service, but this possibility has not been proved, then this customer who may buy a product or service is called a possible potential customer or prospective customer; A potential customer or prospective customer becomes a "potential customer" when it is proved that there is a real demand; Potential customers identified by salespeople according to certain requirements become the actual sales targets, that is, target customers.
Practice shows that the cost of developing any new customer is far higher than the cost of maintaining an old customer. Therefore, the goal of any salesperson is a realistic customer who expects to maintain long-term stability. In order to maintain a stable real customer for a long time, the sales staff must continue to provide more attractive measures to the real customer after trying to turn the target customer into a real customer, so that the real customer can become a customer who keeps buying repeatedly, that is, a satisfied customer. Figure 1 is the route "promotion" for sales staff to develop customers.
Figure 1 Schematic diagram of sales staff's route to develop customers "promotion"
The number of potential customers and the quality of potential customers, such as ability to pay, decision-making ability and desire to buy, often mean the level of sales performance. Salespeople looking for potential customers should be a continuous process, and should not regard it as work done without sales targets. As we all know, without enough customer resources, the survival and development of enterprises are out of the question. Any salesperson should understand that the greater the efforts made in finding potential customers, the better the sales results will be.
Principles of finding potential customers
It's only one step from potential customers to potential customers. So let's discuss the principle of finding potential customers directly. In fact, there is no general principle to guide any company or any salesperson to find potential customers. We only share some general principles with you, hoping that many salespeople can learn from them in the specific sales process or use them flexibly according to their actual situation.
The first is the principle of tailor-made, that is, the principle of selecting or customizing a potential customer that meets the specific needs of your company. Different companies have different requirements for finding potential customers. Therefore, salespeople must respond flexibly according to the specific needs of their own companies. Any principle that sticks to the form or terms may go against the development direction of the company.
The second is to focus on principles, that is, the 80∶20 principle. This principle guides us to determine the priority of finding customers in advance. The first thing is to pay attention to potential customers and put potential customers with small potential behind.
Finally, the principle of gradual progress. In other words, to visit potential customers, the initial visit may be just "getting familiar with faces" and exchanging business cards. With the increase of the number of visits and the acceleration of the frequency of visits, the depth of visits can be increased.
In addition to the above principles, as a salesperson, you need to adjust your attitude towards finding potential customers. If you want to be an excellent salesman, then you need to find potential customers as your hobby. Finding potential customers is your first step to success. We can't just look for potential customers as a job, and it's something we don't want to do but have to do. In fact, finding potential customers is not only a meaningful job, but also full of fun. You just need to change your attitude towards work, making finding potential customers a pleasure and hobby, a career worth pursuing and a skill that needs to be improved.
Ways to find potential customers
There are many ways to find potential customers. However, just like the principle of finding potential customers, no method can be universally applied, and no method can guarantee your success. As a salesperson, you need to constantly sum up. Only by constantly summing up can we find a set of methods that suit us.
1. door-to-door search method
This method, also known as general visit method and rash visit method, refers to the method by which sales personnel visit units, organizations, families and even individuals who are estimated to be customers one by one in a specific region or industry to determine the sales target. The door-to-door search method follows the principle of "average rule", that is, it is believed that among all the objects to be searched, there must be customers that the salesperson wants, and they are evenly distributed, and the number of customers is directly proportional to the number of objects to be visited.
Door-to-door visit is an ancient but reliable method, which enables salespeople to understand customers, markets and society while visiting customers. The law is mainly applicable to the sale of consumer goods or insurance services; The disadvantages of this method are time-consuming, laborious and blind; More seriously, with the development of economy, people pay more and more attention to residence and privacy, and the implementation of this door-to-door search method is facing more and more difficulties.
2. Customer recommendation method
This method, also known as chain introduction method and infinite chain method, refers to the method that a salesperson introduces potential customers who he thinks are likely to buy products to existing customers. The existing customer introduction methods mainly include oral introduction, letter introduction, telephone introduction and business card introduction. Practice has proved that customer recommendation method is an effective way to find potential customers, which can not only greatly avoid the blindness of job hunting, but also help salespeople win the trust of new customers.
To apply the customer recommendation method, first of all, salespeople should win the trust of existing customers; Secondly, for the customers introduced by existing customers, the sales staff should make detailed evaluation and necessary marketing preparations, and the sales staff should learn about new customers from existing customers as much as possible; Finally, after visiting new customers, the sales staff should introduce and report the situation to existing customers in time. On the one hand, they want to thank their existing customers for their introduction, on the other hand, they can continue to strive for their cooperation and support.
Customer recommendation method is suitable for products with specific purposes, such as products with strong professionalism or products with high service requirements.
3. Brilliant effect method
This method, also known as central radiation method, celebrity effect method or influence center method, belongs to a special application of the introduction method. It refers to the method that salespeople first seek and strive for a central figure with great influence as a customer in a specific area, and then use the influence and assistance of this central figure to develop potential customers in this area into potential customers.
The name of this law comes from the law of "glorious effect" in psychology. According to psychological principles, people are convinced of people who enjoy a certain prestige in their minds and are willing to follow them. Therefore, the purchase and consumption behavior of some central figures may form a demonstration and leading effect in the hearts of his admirers, thus triggering the purchase and consumption behavior of admirers. Brilliant effect method is suitable for the sales of some products or services with certain brand image and certain taste, such as high-end clothing, cosmetics, fitness and so on.
4. Agency law
Agency method is a way to find potential customers through agents. In China, most salespeople are represented by their companies, taking the form of hiring information officers and part-time salespeople, and their commissions are determined and paid by the company. In fact, this method is to exchange certain economic benefits for the relationship resources of agents.
The basis of this law is the "minimum maximum" principle and the market correlation principle in economics. The shortcoming and limitation of agency law is that it is difficult to find a suitable agent. What's more, if the sales staff and agents don't cooperate well, or the communication is not smooth, or the agents represent several companies at the same time, it may reveal the business secrets of the company and make the company and sales staff fall into unfair market competition.
5. Direct mail method
When a large number of potential customers need a product or service, direct mail is an effective way to find potential customers. The advantages of direct mail are lower cost, more contacts and wider coverage. But the disadvantage of this method is that the time period is long.
6. Telephone sales method
The so-called telemarketing method refers to the planned and measurable marketing communication with potential customers by using telecommunications technology and trained personnel. Using the telephone to find potential customers can reach a large number of potential customers distributed in a vast area in a short time.
7. Snowball method
The so-called snowballing method is that the salesperson asks the customer for the list of other people who may be interested in the product or service after each visit to the customer, so as to develop a considerable number of potential customers in a short time, just like snowballing. Snowball method is especially suitable for service products, such as insurance and securities.
8. Information access method
This method is also called indirect market research, that is, the method by which salespeople find potential customers through various existing materials. However, using this method needs to pay attention to the following problems: first, analyze the source and provider of data to confirm the reliability of data and information; Second, pay attention to problems such as errors and omissions that may occur due to time.
9. Market consultation law
The so-called market consultation method refers to the method that salespeople use the information provided by various specialized market information consulting institutions or relevant government departments to find potential customers. The premise of using this method is that there is a developed information consulting industry, and the information consulting industry in China market is currently in the development stage.
The advantages of using this method are time saving and the information obtained is objective and accurate. The disadvantage is that the cost is higher.
Potential customer evaluation
A large number of potential customers cannot be converted into target customers. Obtaining the list of potential customers is only the initial stage of the sales process for salespeople. Therefore, it is necessary to make a timely and objective evaluation of potential customers, so as to select the target customers from the list of potential customers. As an excellent salesperson, you need to master some common methods of potential customer evaluation, which can help salespeople complete sales tasks with half the effort.
Before selecting and evaluating potential customers, salespeople need to ask themselves three questions: first, do potential customers have needs that you can meet; The second is whether these potential customers have the ability to provide appropriate returns after you meet their needs; Third, whether the company where the salesperson works has or can cultivate the ability to meet the needs of these potential customers better than other companies.
1. Pareto rule
Pareto rule, namely 80∶20 rule, is an extremely important sociological rule discovered by Italian economist Pareto in 1897. This law has a wide range of social practicability, for example, 20% of the rich own 80% of the wealth of the whole society; 20% of customers bring 80% of the company's income and profits, and so on. Pareto law requires salespeople to give priority to and lock in important potential customers.
2. Rule by man
The "Man Rule" guides salespeople how to discover the potential customers' ability to pay, decision-making power and demand. As salespeople, we can judge whether an individual or an organization is a potential customer from the following three aspects: First, whether the potential customer has the money to buy, that is, whether he has the money, whether he has the economic ability to consume this product or service, that is, whether he has the purchasing power or financing ability. The second is whether the potential customer has the purchasing decision-making power A (authority), that is, whether the object you want to convince has the purchasing decision-making power. In the process of successful sales, it is the key to know the real purchasing decision maker accurately. Third, does the potential customer have a purchase demand N(Need), including the demand here. Need refers to a person's inner desire or desire for a certain goal, which is triggered by internal or external, spiritual or material stimulation. On the other hand, customer demand has the characteristics of hierarchy, complexity, infinity, diversity and dynamics, which can repeatedly stimulate every purchase decision, and has the functions of accepting information, reorganizing customer demand structure and correcting the next purchase decision.
As an excellent salesman, we must have a correct understanding of demand: demand can not only be met, but also be created! In fact, ordinary salespeople always meet and adapt to demand, while excellent salespeople find and create demand.
Management of potential customers
Good salespeople know how to manage potential customer resources. They won't waste time on hopeless potential customers, and they won't miss any opportunity to capture important customers. Marketing practice shows that salespeople's management of potential customers is mainly based on urgency and importance.
1. Classification according to urgency
Urgency describes the time it takes potential customers to make a purchase decision on the company's products or services. In general, potential customers who can make a purchase decision within 1 month are called eager customers; A potential customer who can make a purchase decision within 2 months is called a promising customer; Customers who can make a purchase decision within 3 months are called wait-and-see customers. Excellent salespeople will arrange different visits according to different types of customers, including the frequency and depth of visits.
2. Classification according to importance
Importance describes the quantity of products or services that potential customers may buy from the company. Although every potential customer is very important to salespeople, according to the 80∶20 rule, excellent salespeople should pay more attention to the 20% key customers who bring 80% profits. Therefore, according to the company's operation, customers can be divided into three categories: the most important ones are key customers, which require sales staff to invest more time and energy and increase the frequency and depth of visits. Secondly, important customers, such customers should arrange appropriate frequency and content of visits; The last category is general customers, who can maintain normal access frequency and content.