How often do we hang on to a new member prospect longer than we should? Why do we do this? This is an important topic many chambers are asking themselves.
Researching this I have found the reason the majority hold onto prospects longer than they should is due to a sales pipeline that may be very active, but it’s just too small. You’re sure to put yourself in a bad spot and potentially “over-sell” a target if you’re touching base with the same prospect every few days and thinking to yourself, “to meet my numbers this month I have to sign this prospect.” So, rather than researching what else is out there we keep working them and following up, over-fishing a small pond, if you will, to the point of exhaustion.
What this tells us is that we have to build a stronger and larger pipeline. The reason some skip this step is because they get one or two leads and want to get right to selling and haven’t taken the needed steps to do the research required to build a large pipeline of potential prospects.
Building your pipeline tips:
Finding the right prospects
- Define the DNA of a great prospect or member
- Look at your prospect list; is this who you are targeting?
Always have your next 30, 50, or 100 prospects identified
- Be sure to qualify and research them so they are ready to be recruited
- Keep an active relevant list
- How can your Membership Committee/Ambassadors help
Next post I will share key steps to moving the right prospects into your pipeline.
