4.1 Prospecting

Prospecting is the foundation of the entire sales process as it is critical to establish a solid baseline of knowledge, including:

  • Knowledge about your own company

  • Knowledge of the potential client or customer

  • Knowledge of the individuals making the purchase decision

  • Initial ideas about likely needs

  • Knowledge and ideas about how your company could respond to these needs.

(Adapted from Tasso, 2000, p. 57)

When dealing with B2B customers it is important to know who will make the purchasing decision. On some occasions your contact could be just a representative of a team and someone else will make the final decision, such as a senior manager.

Activity 2 Your prospective customers

Timing: Allow approximately 15 minutes to complete this activity

Make a list of prospective customers. Where are they based and how might you find out more about them?

To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.
Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Discussion

Researching prospective customers might involve monitoring the media, carrying out internet searches, attending industry events, or even reviewing public databases of companies and organisations. Leads or introductions from existing clients can also be helpful during this phase.

4 The sales process

4.2 Making contact