From the course: Sales Prospecting: How to Connect with Today’s Busy Buyers

Identify your channels

From the course: Sales Prospecting: How to Connect with Today’s Busy Buyers

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Identify your channels

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- When you go grocery shopping, the first thing you likely do is make a list. It's the only way to be sure you avoid wasting time, and you bring home all of the groceries you intended. This is the same process when prospecting for sales. Before you begin, start by identifying your prospecting channels. Prospecting channels allow us to customize our approach to address the unique needs and benefits of different sectors and industries. Developing your prospecting channels includes identifying the following. First, your main channels. These are the industries or sectors that you're ideally suited to sell to. Second, your sub-channels. These are sub-sectors within each industry that use your product or service. And third are your channel benefits. These are the specific benefits each channel will receive as a result of buying your product or service. When you define your prospecting channels, you develop a roadmap for successful prospecting. This roadmap allows you to focus your time and energy where you have the greatest opportunity to make a sale. Let's assume you're selling liability insurance to companies. You've decided your main prospecting channel is manufacturers, so your sub-channels might include automotive manufacturers, and aerospace manufacturers. The benefits include reduced insurance costs, access to customized coverage, or the ability to work with larger and possibly riskier customers. Setting your channels is an important first step because it forces you to think strategically about who you're going to prospect. This exercise will also force you to consider how the value and positioning of your product or service differs in each industry or sector. Take a moment now and download the Prospect Channel resource in the exercise files. Then write down your specific channels that you intend to prospect. Remember, your goal is to minimize the amount of time you spend prospecting while generating the most selling opportunities.

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