Sales Prospecting

EDITION 14
CUMMINS
Sales Prospecting
• increasing the number of customers you can do business
with – if a customer moves away to a competitor you have other
customers you can work with.
• giving you a greater diversity of products and services to sell – if
one product becomes less profitable you can choose to look at
others.
• broadening the markets or customer types you work with – if
one industry has a quiet spell others might still be strong.
Prospecting can be –
• seeking out new business from new customers in the
marketplace: these are customers completely new to Cummins’
products and services.
• seeking out new business from existing customers
Prospecting for new customers is critical for your business as
• revisiting past customers
prospecting increases the number of customers you have now or
may have in the future. If you consider most sales organisations
Despite all the benefits of prospecting it is easy to let the
lose 10% to 20% of their existing customers each year, if you are
obstacles stop you. For example ever heard yourself say “I am too
not prospecting for new customers constantly, you might have a
busy or other tasks are more urgent” or “I do not like cold calling
very lonely and quiet business in a few years!
and fear being rejected”?
Prospecting is about -
Overcoming these obstacles can be done by applying some
effort and skill on your part by working through the three Critical
• creating new opportunities to expand the revenues of your
Success Factors of WILL, SKILL and KNOWLEDGE.
business – put simply, the more customers you have generally
increases the amount of business you will do.
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CUMMINS
Develop the
WILL to address
obstacles
Develop the
SKILL to address
obstacles
Improve your
KNOWLEDGE
•
Adopt the attitude that your call is “worthwhile” and of value to your
prospective customer. They (and you) will not know until you try
•
Take the initiative. Pick up the phone or stop by the customer
•
Ask yourself what are the real obstacles are to your prospecting
•
Challenge your thinking and excuses. Ask yourself; “what is the worst that
could happen?”- You will realise nothing terrible will happen
•
Do not be put off by rejection and see prospecting as a challenge. If you do
face rejection see what information you gain at the time.
•
Access your skills : Presence, Relating, Questioning, Listening, Positioning,
Checking (see TripAdvisor Edition 9 for details on these)
•
Develop your skills: Nothing beats practice
•
After each call coach yourself - “what did I do well” or “what could I have done
differently”
•
Seek out coaching from others
•
Of your products and the Cummins resources to help you
•
Your prospect’s business and the industry / marketplace they are in
•
How the benefits of your products relate to your customer’s business
•
How to create a “Needs Benefit Statement” (more of this in a later edition of
TripAdvisor).
•
Competitors. What are they doing and what do they offer
•
How to develop sales leads (more of this in a later edition of TripAdvisor)
SALES STATISTICS
•
48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect.
•
25% of sales people make a second contact and stop
•
Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts
•
2% of sales are made on the first contact
•
5% of sales are made on the third contact
•
80% OF SALES ARE MADE AFTER SIX OR MORE CALLS!
Source: National (US) Sales Executive Association
Dial Dom at Dayco.
Cummins now has a new key Dayco contact, Dom Adrien. Dom
Dom has great knowledge of the Dayco product range as well as
has been with Dayco Australia for over 22 years. Starting his
contacts with his Dayco domestic and international associates to
career in customer service/technical liaison for the Aftermarket/
help answer your enquiries.
Industrial group in 1993.
Since then, Dom has had many roles within Dayco which included
Dom can be contacted on land line (03) 9794 4404, mobile 0417
280 613 or email dom.adrien@dayco.com.
a move to the OEM group in 1996 as Quality Engineer, then
into Product Engineering Development/Management, a role that
he still maintains today. Further to this, he took on a technical
support role for the Aftermarket group in 2003 and in more recent
years added account responsibilities for domestic and SE Asia
customers.
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CUMMINS
TRAVEL TIP
Vanuatu
The jewel of the south pacific...
An island of beauty , Vanuatu offers a relaxing tropical
destination with many sites to see both on land and sea.
Vanuatu caters for all types whether you’re after simple laid
back beach holiday located at one of the many beautiful resorts
or if you are more adventure there is plenty of fun to be had in
Vanuatu’s natural geographic playground. Snorkel, swim or kayak
the coast and explorer the colourful coral reefs and blue holes,
hike up an active volcano, trek through the rainforest, or dive deep
to seek out under water WWII relics.
VANUATU
What to see
Mt Yasur Volcano
Located on Tanna Island a 40 minute flight from Port-Vila Mt Yasur
is the world’s most accessible active volcano. You can even drive
to the summit and peer into the crater at a mass of bubbling lava.
Scuba Diving
Divers come from all over the world for Vanuatu’s superb visibility,
warm water and world-class dive sites. The underwater world
offers plunging cliffs, grottoes and overhangs plus huge caves and
intricate tunnels and life abundant over all this making for a visual
feast.
Espiritu Santo Island
Less than an hour’s flight from Port-Vila here scuba-divers can
dive on WWII wrecks and Million Dollar Point where military
equipment was dumped at the end of the war as well as many
great reef dives and snorkelling. Santo is one of the most
beautiful islands with stunning beaches, like Champagne Beach,
snorkelling spots and Blue Holes for swimming. The main town
of Luganville is worth exploring and there are a number of good
resorts including Aore Island Resort and Bokissa Private Island
Resort.
What to eat
Port-Vila is a multicultural melting pot of cuisine with around
40 cafes and restaurants including French, Mediterranean,
Chinese, Thai, Tapas and Seafood. Vanuatu’s local beef and
fruits are probably some of the best in the world. Other foods
and food ingredients commonly used in Vanuatu include
papayas, pineapples, mangoes, plantains and sweet potatoes.
Coconut milk and cream are used to flavour many dishes.
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When to go
The warmest time of year to visit Vanuatu is from November to
March, the average temperature is 28°C getting up to 32°C and
it can be hot, wet and humid. During their winter from April to
October temperatures are milder and less humid with an average
of around 23°C. The sea temperature varies from 22 to 28
degrees making swimming enjoyable all year round.
Where to stay
Holiday Inn Vanuatu
Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu is everything you could imagine an
island resort to be. Located in Port Vila Vanuatu only minutes
from town and tucked away from the city, the resort offers the
tranquillity of its own private lagoon, expansive and beautifully
landscaped grounds complete with two swimming pools, kids
club, tennis courts and a golf course.
Erakor Island Resort
Located just off the mainland of Port Vila, Efate, Erakor Island is
16 acres of unspoilt tropical paradise perfectly positioned in the
crystal blue waters of Erakor lagoon. The resort has a couple of
bars, cafes and a Seafood Waterfront restaurant. Accommodation
varies from garden villas, beach front and family loft
accommodation. Guests can enjoy various water sport activities,
the Essence Day Spa or outings across on the mainland.
How to get there
Direct daily flights from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
CUMMINS