Success in sales is closely related to one's ability to continually locate new and different people with whom to interact. It's all about your ability to build relationships with total strangers, most of whom have no idea that they need your contribution to their lives!

One could take the stance that prospecting is h.a.r.d. It DOES NOT NEED TO BE HARD! If you were a diamond miner and there were rough, uncut diamonds scattered in the fields around your house, I am guessing that you would be busting a move to scour your fields for every last diamond--regardless of its condition lying in the field! If you were a salesperson, and there were rough, uncut customers hiding in the fields around your house, I am guessing that you would be busting a move to scour your fields for every last customer! Well, someone told me that, indeed, you ARE a salesperson! So, are you busting a move to find for every last customer around you?

Locating new customers is the perfect opportunity to be creative! Like the miner above, the first place to search is right around you! What are the obvious "needers" of your products or services? If you were leaving no stone unturned in searching your fields for these "needers", where would you begin to look? Making a physical list of these resources will suggest other "needers" to you; expand your reach--who would those "needers" likely surround themselves with? Ah, more "needers"! Who have been your "needers" in the past? Converse with these folks for suggestions among their acquaintances!

Ask yourself, "If I never saw one of my current contacts again, what types of people could I approach to relate to?" Where are THEY? Where are THEIR friends and families?

Here is where the creative part comes in. Who within my community has no clue of the product or service that I offer and what can I possibly do to meet THESE folks?

If I were to ask my spouse for suggestions, either for people to contact or for categories of people that could possibly utilize my product or service, who would they offer?

Prospecting during regular business hours is a beautiful thing. And so is calling and leaving a message for a prospective customer. And so are emails! These folks may not immediately respond. Even if they don't, you have expanded your reach within the community and someone is likely to express an interest in your product or service. Or word of mouth may help you out in the most unexpected ways!

Accepting the challenge to grow your business can occur in social settings and community functions. Being positive and consistently taking the initiative to converse with anyone around you opens up a myriad of pathways to new relationships, and after all, aren't new customers, just new relationships waiting to happen? As with anything worthwhile, mining new customers may not be immediate! Maybe it will take multiple interactions with people to establish a little trust and willingness to do business! You WILL be rewarded for your patience and positive tenacity!

It's the beginning of a great relationship! Embrace it!

FINAO - Brad Huisken