Small Business: Keeping the sales pipeline full

Cold calling can be difficult, but it is an important way to put sales into the pipeline for a small business. (Undated) Credit: iStock
In this kind of economy, your sales pipeline can never be too full.
It constantly needs to be replenished, given longer sales cycles and the continued reluctance of people to spend.
Even if you think you have enough prospects in the pipeline, chances are you don't, say experts.
"Your pipeline always needs to be bursting," says Andrea Sittig-Rolf, author of "The Seven Keys to Effective Business-to-Business Appointment Setting: Unlock Your Sales Potential" (Aspatore Books; $24.95) and president of Sittig Inc., a new business development firm in Redmond, Wash. "You want to have more prospects in your pipeline than you could possibly work with if they all decided to do business with you."
That requires doing even more prospecting, cold calling and door knocking, and not just with new prospects, but with your existing customers as well.
Mining for business
"You need to mine the gold in your existing client base," suggests Adrian Miller, author of "The Blatant Truth: 50 Ways to Sales Success" (Lulu; $14.95) and president of Adrian Miller Sales Training in Port Washington.
Don't discount current customers or dormant accounts, says Miller. Reconnect with them and see what additional services they may require, she notes. "Position yourself as a value-added resource," suggests Miller.
You might even send past customers an e-mail blast or newsletter with an incentive, something like: "For anyone who hasn't ordered in the past 60 days, place an order in the next 30 days and receive an automatic 15 percent discount," says Peter J. Fasulo of PJF Sales Training Inc. in Sayville and author of "The 3 P's to Sales Success" (iUniverse; $23.95).
"The goal is to get them back in the door," he explains.
New prospects
When calling new prospects, the initial call should focus on setting an appointment, not making a sale, advises Sittig-Rolf. This allows you to make a larger volume of calls.
Tell prospects you'd like to make an appointment and learn a bit more about their organization to determine whether working together would be a good fit, she says. If they object, name a company that initially objected to meeting with you but ended up benefiting from a solution you provided (i.e., ABC company was able to save $15,000).
Leaving messages
If you get voice mail, leave a message. An effective one is, ''I'm calling about XYZ Co. (Fill in the blank with the name of one of your current customers) . . . would you please return my call?'' says Sittig-Rolf. It will spark curiosity and when the person returns your call, tell him or her about a solution or savings you offered a similar company.
Cold calling is never pleasant, but it is necessary if you want to fill your pipeline, explains Fasulo. So is good old-fashioned knocking on doors, he notes.
Door knocking
Robert M. Lewent, a senior account manager for Coffee Distributing Corp., a Garden City Park-based supplier of coffee and office refreshment products, does this regularly. He reads the newspapers to scout new business openings and drops by country clubs and restaurants to introduce himself and leave his card.
"This is the time to get back to the basics," says Lewent, who also relies on referrals and networking to build his pipeline. "You have to be methodical and reanalyze everything you do."
Look at how you're building your referral base and where you're focusing networking efforts. It may be time to re-evaluate your networking strategies, says Miller. "It's not business the same anymore," she notes.
3 WAYS TO HOT SALES
1. Commit daily to getting on the phone and making two appointments or an hour's worth of calls. It will make cold calling less dreaded.
2. Create referral "ambassadors" -- people who will speak so highly of you they practically sell for you.
3. Do more of everything -- networking, prospecting
Source: Andrea Sittig-Rolf
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