Salespeople work hard.
Many are too busy to do any “extra” work. But selling and networking will increase your sales.
It’s difficult enough to identify a primary contact, develop a relationship and arrange a first meeting.
The idea of developing even a secondary contact at the prospect’s company can be daunting.
Yet, I recommend networking five people deep at each prospect company. Tweet This
Why?
Because primary contacts go on vacation. They get promoted or reassigned and even leave the company. Some get fired.
And primary prospects almost never make decisions alone. They informally or formally consult with other people on their team.
That’s why it’s a good idea to be connected to at least four people in addition to the primary prospect.
Here’s the video version of this post as found on my YouTube channel. (Subscribe to be notified of new vids.)
Who are your best contacts?
Here are the titles of people worth connecting to:
Primary contact
Person that works with the secondary contact
Primary contact’s boss
The boss’s boss
Someone in purchasing
The head of Human Resources or Public Image
A person in sales if they have a sales department
The President or CEO
The Chief Financial Office
Selling and networking, a winning combination
Networking is good practice.
Besides, you never know what’s going on behind the scenes at any given company.
Often, your first point of contact is not the actual primary contact.
Sometimes the primary contact is not the influential decision maker.
If you do a complex sale, people are bound to shift around between your first sales call and when you close.
Besides, everyone you meet is a potential referral source. Why limit your sales pipeline?
Like a boat that’s securely tied to a dock, it’s good to have several mooring ropes with prospective customers.
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