When a prospect gives us a “no” it is always simply “no” for now. It means OOH sales reps must maintain persistent, relevant, creative contact with prospects. By focusing, reps can avoid drowning in hundreds of prospects.
Strategic Prospect Management is based on the principle that not all prospects are created equal. It is a proactive approach to managing your new business efforts. The greatest sales gains come from applying the greatest effort against the greatest potential; simple but often ignored.
Be honest with yourself! Immediately dispose of any prospects who don’t represent enough potential for you to pursue. Then, using your CRM system (or a simple excel spreadsheet), establish the following 4 categories and strategies to sharpen your focus.
Category “A”
Calling sequence: 1) immediately (within 4 business hours) 2) then weekly for four weeks, 3) then every three weeks thereafter.
- Current list of existing hot prospects
- Call Ins/Web/SEO leads
- Assigned leads
- Warm leads
- Referrals
- Response from marketing channels
Category “B”
Calling sequence: every four weeks.
- Competitors in a very hot advertiser category
- Ideal customer profile with assumed significant budget
- Hot, seasonal/quarterly prospects
- Orphan accounts (previous advertiser/prospects that have been forgotten by other reps)
- Attrition accounts (have done business with your company but no longer do)
- Troubled accounts
- Networking Contacts
- Old Call Inns/Web/SEO leads
- New department/decision-makers within a current client organization
Category “C”
Calling sequence every 8 weeks
- Ideal customer profile with assumed midsized budget
- Raw leads from databases and directories (i.e., Core Facts, EXACT Data)
- Competitive media leads
- Canvassing leads
Category, “EXTRAS:
Calling sequence: as time allows
- Prospects who don’t fit other categories but deserve ongoing contract
High performing OOH reps know that it will require 18+ relevant outreaches/contacts to secure a new client. Instead of using opening lines such as “checking in,” it requires compelling benefit headlines/subject lines with a relevant business reason for your call.
Now is the time to allocate training dollars in your 2025 budget to secure a competitive advantage for your sales reps in 2025. Plan to enroll them in the next session of the OOH Sales Academy. It begins in early January 2025 and runs for 12 weeks. For more information, visit my website: https://oohsalesfaster.com/sales-academy/ or contact me at 612-387-5349. You can be invoiced in either December or January.
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