TURBOCHARGED Sales: How to find new business contacts: Part 5

Target Company Contacts

While you are researching your target companies, you also need to be researching the name of a contact person. You must also make sure this individual is a decision maker. The contact person you target should be the decision maker.

You can never go wrong with the president, although realistically it can at times be tough to catch up with them, more so in the larger organizations. My suggestion is to avoid anyone below the decision maker as much as possible. In the larger organizations, try for the highest executive possible instead.

Remember that no matter how your contact is uncovered, you must call the company to confirm that that person is still there and that you have the correct spelling of his or her name and the right title, address, and phone number. If you are unable to confirm this information through the receptionist, then ask to speak to the assistant of the person you are trying to contact. This next person, the assistant, will usually prove more helpful.

Figure that any information you uncover online or in a book will be at least a year old. As such, it is very important that you call each company directly prior to mailing or emailing any- thing out. The majority of the time, you should get through to an actual employee to confirm your designated contact person's name, title, and mailing address.

While you have this individual on the line, try to get the email address of your contact as well, if you have not been able to uncover it yourself. I will be upfront with you and tell you that most companies are unwilling to share email addresses, but it is worth a try. Alternatively, you can make an educated guess. If you uncover one person's email address within the organization simply mimic it. It's a long shot but worth the try if you're set on going the email route.

Now all that remains is getting the names you have not been able to uncover during your company research and your phone calls.

Tools for Uncovering Contact Names

You will most likely uncover some contact names through the resources I have mentioned earlier in this chapter.
Don't forget to go to each company's website. It always amazes me how much information is available on corporate websites with respect to their executives.
Use Social Media to research executives at your target companies. If you do not know the person, then see if one of your connections knows someone within the company.

I still have a strong professional bias toward LinkedIn over Facebook and Twitter. I do not, however, think Facebook and Twitter should be ignored if you have a product you sell directly to the consumer. You never know where your next business lead will come from.

Use the Google or Alexa search tools.
At Google.com, go into the Advanced Search (www.google.com.au/advanced_search).
In the top box, enter the company name.
In the third box, type the title two levels above your title (your boss's boss's title).
Go back to Google's Advanced Search and put the first and last names of the person you've uncovered on the first line.
Put the company's name on the third line.
Run the search.
This strategy will give you some background information on your target contact.

If you would need professional help in the area of determining whether or not your team is working together as best as they could. Are they helping your organizational goals, or slowing the progress down? Please call us at 847-304-4500 to discuss your options on understanding how to increase your business leads with your team more fully in terms of their ability to support and achieve the business success you are looking for this year.

Have a great week and productive week, managing the changes and challenges that are currently going on in your company.
I wish you a wonderfully successful and productive week ahead.

Eleanor Anne Sweet

Hidden Sales and Revenue Expert tm

New Business Consultant, Trainer, Speaker and Author

TURBOCHARGED Sales.com

sweet@TurbochargedSales.com

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