Top 7 Deadly Sins of Prospecting

1. Don't ask for a referral- The #1 marketing rule is to ask for the order. To many salespeople this is daunting enough all by itself. Add asking for referrals and you see wholesale career moves. Whether you are marketing offline or online, your referrals are extremely important. A steady referral base means up to a fifty percent savings in advertising expense aimed at getting new customers. You'll still have to advertise, but you can now better target your message.
   
   
2. Ignore your personal client list- Contrary to popular belief, sold clients do not fall off the face of the Earth. Internet marketers have proven the Lifetime Value of a Customer increases as you continue to keep in touch and provide them with service, value and contact. These are the 3 ingredients in a quality you can't touch but certainly can feel: TRUST!
   
   
3. Mix your prospects with your suspects- Suspects kick the tires, prospects buy the car as the old saying goes. There is no way to tell immediately, if you are not face to face with the person, who is or who isn't a prospect. That means you must keep in contact with everyone for at least the length of time your particular product needs to be in front of the "prospect". For example, some Internet marketers say they use a follow up system that contacts the "prospect" fourteen times. Some say they contact the "prospect" seven times. I don't know what's right for your product, but you should and then you'll never mix the two.
   
   
4. Don't bother coming face to face with new people- In the offline world, the general rule of thumb calls for face to face meetings with 20 new people per working day. I used that in insurance sales and sold a ton of insurance. On the Internet, face to face is impossible. But heart to heart isn't. If you want exposure via articles, read the newsletters in that field. Study them, get their flavor and then write to the publisher. Write from the heart. Pretty soon, you'll be face to face with thousands of people per day.
   
   
5. Stay unfamiliar with your product and the competition- Do that and it will be obvious to even the most casual observer that your credibility is lacking. Destroy your credibility and you are better off joining the Army. At least there you'll be all you can be.
   
   
6. Never review company files- When I was a stock broker, I used to look at the dead files. It always amazed me how many people were waiting for a phone call so they could act. In other words, they wanted a catalyst. I became that catalyst and all I had to do was look in a file nobody else wanted to touch. Does your company have such a file? Do you maintain records and have such a file? Use it.
   
   
7. Forget about game plans- Understanding your capabilities, as well as the elements of your market place, will help you formulate an effective game plan. The most effective offline and online marketers have them. Without one, you're simply butting your head against the wall. "Our success is measured by the ratio of accomplishments to capabilities and if you cleanse your soul, so to speak, of these sins, you'll reap greater rewards", at least according to Tom Koziol.

Tom Koziol is the creator of www.cashclique.com. His FREE newsletter, Cashclique.com Dollar$ign Newsletter, provides paycheck stretching money management tips, tools, techniques and strategies aimed to increase your personal cash flow today. With over 30 years in the financial arena, he exposes the tricks of the trade used by the professionals. Subscribe: .