Jess, the principal of a small architectural firm, just found out that a new competitor had won yet another project that Jess didn’t even know existed. As his blood pressure rose, he started to wonder how this opportunity had escaped him…
He called around to some of his contacts in the field, and after a dozen or so calls, Jess finally found someone who had the scoop. It seems that the new firm followed the local and industry news very closely. Some months ago, they read that the client in question recently merged with another company, gotten an influx of additional capital, and would be needing new, larger headquarters. Armed with this information, they dug deeper, familiarized themselves with the management team, and arranged a meeting through a mutual contact.
By positioning themselves to take advantage of sales opportunities, the new firm was able to win the project before an RFP even went out.
Creating sales opportunities by mining for information, keeping your eyes on the news, and your ears open to all information and possibilities, and then taking appropriate action is a key part of strategic selling.
The next time you find yourself waiting for the phone to ring, think of Jess, and take action that will bring in new business to your firm.
Susan Martin, Sales and marketing coaching.
