Back to Business-to-Business Prospecting Opportunities
One of the wonderful side-benefits of writing a blog is reader feedback. Some readers have been candid and on an occasion even caustic, which is fine with me. It’s encouraging to hear from those who care enough about a topic, content or direction to suggest corrections when I have wandered off my original path.
As a result, I’m discontinuing my C-Suite Prospecting* focus and instead getting back to what it takes to successfully access middle management decision-makers in this roller coaster Obama Economy. While last week’s disappointing new jobs reports revealed we are still steeped in the doldrums of a struggling economy despite government bailouts and some optimism in major industries.
Small to medium size b-2-b business owners and decision-makers I called and spoke to recently about the possibility of a Second Recession perched on our near term doorstep made some interesting comments.
Overall, their collective opinions concerning their 6 month sales strategies and goals wouldn’t change their tactical sales prospecting activities. In other words, unless economic indicators dramatically shift for the better, it is business as usual and just staying the course.
Nothing radically different but just staying active in their local business networks such as BNI, Chambers of Commerce and their online communities such as Linkedin.com. Expanding and working their existing networks, trade association affiliations and their online presence.
While business as usual may seem to be a safer course of action, I am going to suggest in the next few blog posts some tactical strategies and techniques to increase market share and improve sales prospecting performance and results.
I apologize to those of you who were subjected to my C-Suite Prospecting diversion and who are seeking hands-on how-to’s for more efficient tactical prospecting methods. I’ll stick to my knitting and look forward to your candid and timely feedback.
*For the few who are interested in C-Suite Prospecting, here are two must-read books. Selling to the C-Suite by Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz, Ed.D., Mc Graw Hill, 2010, ISBN #: 978-0-07162891-4. Also, Escaping the Price-Driven Sale by Tom Snyder and Kevin Kearns, McGraw Hill, 2008, ISBN #: 978-0-07-154583-9.
These books provide substantive new content backed up with supporting documentation as to how and why to pursue prospecting in the boardroom domains. They include invaluable scripts and preferred wording to achieve the exalted position of ‘trusted advisor’ with C-Suite deciders.
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I would say that the SMB market is doing the right thing. In order for our economy to ultimately recover, we need it to survive on its own for a while. Some companies may go bust… but only the company with poor business practices.