“No one ever defaults to prospecting.”
That is the mantra of Mike Weinberg, author of “New Sales. Simplified.”
Yet without constant and consistent prospecting your pipeline will eventually dry up and so will your sales.
I was excited to read Weinberg’s book because I do not consider myself a good prospector.
Put me in front of someone who is interested in my services and my closing ratio is very high. But, put me in a room with a telephone book and telephone and I’ll sit there all day watching the ceiling.
I wasn’t disappointed.
Weinberg takes a very direct approach but his writing style is very conversational. As I read the book, it felt like he was sitting beside me offering his coaching experience.
Here is how simple he makes new business development…
1. Select targets
2. Create and deploy weapons
3. Plan and execute the attack
Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that but Weinberg does take the mystery out of new business development and presents practical ideas that anyone can apply to improve their results efforts.
Selecting the right targets is critical and Weinberg suggests that many sales people are not effective in developing a workable list of prospects. And part of this can be attributed to the fact that they don’t take a strategic approach.
He offers ideas on how to target companies. These include starting with your existing customers, using the local business journal, online research platforms such as Hoovers, tapping into the power of LinkedIn, trade shows, conferences, and associations.
He outlines 20 different weapons you need to use if you want to succeed at developing new business and the one weapon he spends significant time discussing is the Sales Story.
Weinberg says, “A compelling, differentiating, client-focused story is a prerequisite for new business development sales success. It’s our best opportunity to set ourselves apart from the competition; to beautifully package our offering; to gain the prospect’s attention; and to position ourselves as experts, value creators, and problem solvers.”
He goes on to explain how to create a captivating and compelling sales story AND he provides several clear examples to use as a guideline.
Of course, what book on new business development would be complete without a chapter or two on cold calling? And Mike offers some excellent and practical advice to make your proactive calling more successful.
But wait! There’s more!
Weinberg continues and discusses exactly how to conduct a successful sales call. Of course, along the way he also provides some real-life examples to demonstrate how it’s done.
This is a book you’re going to read more than once.
Not because it’s well-written (it is) and not because Weinberg’s writing style is very conversational (it is).
You will read this book several times because it contains a wealth of practical advice that simply can’t be absorbed in one sitting.
I have read several hundred sales books over the years and “New Sales. Simplified.” rates as one of my favorites. I know you will enjoy it too. Check it out here.
