Page 63 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

151 Quick Ideas to Get New Customers

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Go In Naked

We’ve repeatedly pointed out that making cold calls and

developing new customers is not for the faint of heart. Cold

calling requires a tough hide, a strong spirit, and a persistence

very few people have. That’s why the failure rate in selling is

so incredibly high. One of the key strategies for achieving suc-

cess is to not look like a salesperson out to shove merchandise

down a prospect’s throat.

Assignment Sandy was an attractive,
enthusiastic, and sincere

Learn to go in naked and sales rep when she hit the
to ask questions. That’s the road for the very first week.
only way you’re going to find On Friday, she reported back
the needs, problems, and op- to her sales manager that her
portunities of your prospects. sales productivity that week
This information will help you had been $00.00. He was
go back later and make that baffled why she had no suc-
presentation with your two cess, because even a dog
briefcases of information. with an order form tied
around his tail should occa-

sionally get somebody to take

it off and fill it out. By making sales calls with her the next

week, he identified her problem. She would go into an unknown

prospect armed with two briefcases full of literature that

screamed, “Here comes a salesperson! Here comes a sales-

person!” and they would duck or avoid her like a rabbit getting

out of the way of a shotgun. She had to learn to go in naked on

those early calls and learn about the prospect long before she

ever tried to sell them.

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