What methods do you use to get to know your prospects before you meet with them? I'm here to tell you that you really need to do a lot more research and planning than you might imagine. The following are four categories that you should explore in depth before meeting with your prospect:
Industry
- Research your prospect’s industry
- Research their competitors
Company
- Obtain their literature
- Get to know their vendors
- Talk to their customers
- Talk to other employees at the company
- Talk to their sales department
Team
- Find out how your prospect fits into the team
- Find out who else on their team is going to be part of the decision
Individual
- Talk to people in your network who know them
- Look them up on LinkedIn
- Check out other sources like Facebook and Twitter
- Read articles or papers they have written
