Prospecting is different than it was 10 years ago. So what are you doing about it?

by Jen Gluckow

Notice something? Buyers are online.

Prospecting has been completely redefined. Social selling is the new black, and time MUST be allocated to find, attract, and connect with both prospects and existing customers online.

A decade (or so) ago, people were getting used to the web. YouTube and social media had just begun to blossom. Fast-forward to today, and online acceptance and sophistication have created a new type of prospect.

LinkedIn is the new business standard, twitter is the new communication platform, Facebook is where new news breaks, and YouTube has become the third most visited website on the Internet. Videos now have billions of views.

The new prospect, the new buyer, is online and in the office. And the key word of the new prospect is more:

Theyre more informed. Consumers are more educated about the products and services you offer. By watching videos and reading (online, mobile) reviews, theyre able to easily compare products for both price and value through the opinions of others.
Theyre more busy. Or seemingly busy. 78% of new buyers are always on their phone, consumed with social media.
Theyre more computer literate. They actually trust their information online, theyre spending hours a day on their computers, and they know how to find what they need.
Theyre more tech savvy. Notice how often theyre on their smartphones?
Theyre more resistant to phone and email communication. They would rather find YOU!
Theyre more barraged with ads, articles, emails, and information.

So the key question is, how do you differentiate?
And the key answer is NOT with a sales pitch.

Put yourself in the buyers shoes, er iPhone. Consider your next car purchase. Are you gonna research different cars online, compare features, benefits and prices, before you even go in to test drive? Or are you gonna just go in and purchase the car?

The average consumer can walk into any showroom knowing what they want and how much it should cost and many times, theyve already researched it and have made a buying decision BEFORE they arrive.

The average consumer walks into Barnes and Noble to peruse books, and order one on Amazon before they leave the store. You probably have. I know I have.

Think about how YOUR buying habits have changed over the past five years.

Lets start with ChristmasWhat percentage of your Christmas gifts were purchased online five years ago? And what percentage of your Christmas gifts were purchased online last year? How did you find those gifts? What influenced your purchase? Did you read reviews?

Now lets talk about your everyday shopping. Are you influenced by the emails that you receive? Their offers of discounts or special deals? Ever buy something you werent looking for just because you received a promotional email? Retailers may offer you something at a deep discount that you dont actually need, and you still may buy it.

And then theres Amazon. Whether you are in a store or at home, whatever youre thinking about buying, invites some kind of comparison on amazon.com. No matter what the retailer is offering, youre still compelled to do a comparison on amazon.com. Sometimes amazon wins, sometimes amazon loses, but youre not going to pull the trigger until you know for sure.

Need vs. Price.
Sometimes, you just gotta have it now – youve run out of something, or its a birthday, or an anniversary, or like me, you want instant gratification, and the price differentiation is not enough to be a deterrent. The price is close enough for you to purchase right away.

Lets take it a little deeper. Google, mother Google, will give you any information you need about anything in under 2 seconds no matter where in the world you are. Google helps you, or anyone, become an instantly informed buyer.

Then theres Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other review platforms which not only inform you, they tell you about other peoples experience. Their experiences can often eliminate price comparison, and give you a realistic picture of what will happen after the purchase, or after the meal, or after the trip, or after the vacationAFTER.

So how do you, as a salesperson, win the sale? How do you win the new prospect? Delivering the best product or service is now a given.

The secret to winning the new buyer, creating first sales and ongoing business is going BEYOND your product or service offering. Get the secret steps here.