How to find new leads is the biggest challenge in sales. Salespeople seldom fail because they lack the requisite knowledge of their products and services or the skills to close the deal, rather they fail for one simple reason: they have no one to sell to.

I have worked with countless salespeople in many industries and they all seem stricken with the same challenge.

And yet, all of them acknowledge that each and every day, even without even trying, they continually interact with people wherever they happen to be. As Kerry George from the Canadian Imperial Business Network told me this week, “There are more people in the world you don’t know than people you do.”

The problem is, they just never seem to associate these folks with being potential customers and a potential referral source for future business.

I frequently challenge clients in business development to track and record every single person they interact with over a two-week period. I should be clear, everyone means everyone; the person who hands them their burger at the drive-through, the receptionist at their lawyer’s office, the cashier at the grocery store, the server in a restaurant, the concierge in their condo building, the teller at the bank, the person sitting next to them on the train ride home, their father-in-law’s neighbour who briefly stopped to chat during the last visit, their fellow passenger in an elevator, the mechanic who changed their oil, the owner of the dry-cleaner life they frequent, the Starbucks barista, the doctor who tended to their daughter during a recent visit to the ER, and, of course, everyone else.

How to Find 30-50 New Leads at LEAST

When we reviewed these lists, seldom were there fewer than 60 incidents of contacting, or being in close proximity with others. In some instances that number exceeded 100.

And yet when I asked a simple question, “How many of these people did you speak with regarding your business?” I was invariably met with a blank stare. When I asked why they had not done so, the invariable response began either with the word “because” or with a shrug that said, “I don’t know.”

As you know,” because” is the word we always begin with when we are proffering an excuse – a means of justifying why we did, or didn’t do something that we should, or shouldn’t have done – and a shrug of the shoulders usually suggests, “I know why, and I don’t want to talk about it.”

I know broaching certain topics with strangers is, for many of us, an uncomfortable experience. What salespeople must learn is that the size of their paycheck is directly related to the degree to which they are willing to feel discomfort.

Top salespeople have long been among the highest income earners in our society. The reason for this is simple. Successful salespeople achieve success by teaching themselves how to become very comfortable with being uncomfortable.

I ask each of my clients how successful they would be if, each week, they were presented with between 30 and 50 new people wishing to purchase their products or services? Their response is always the same; they would break sales records week after week.

Why then, do they not see that every day they are presented with that opportunity? They only must raise the subject of their business with the endless flow of new potential customers.

How Do You Know?

Many years ago, I had a boss who taught me one of the most valuable life lessons. He taught me to ask myself a simple question each time I interacted, or was in contact with someone new.

And I did, and the results were not only surprising but incredibly rewarding.

The question: how do you know? 

That’s it. Pretty simple isn’t it?

How do you know? How do you know that the person riding the elevator with you is not going to become the biggest client you’ll ever have in your career? How do you know the mechanic changing your oil is not going to refer you to his father-in-law who owns 142 locations all across North America? How do you know that barista who pours your coffee each morning is not going to go on to build a massive business that will purchase your products or services, in huge quantities for many years?

The answer: you don’t. And because you don’t know the answer, unless you begin a conversation about what you have to offer with each of those 30 to 50 people every week, you’ll never know how much business you have left for your competitors.

You will run the risk of being one of those salespeople who will fail, not because you can’t sell but because you have no one to whom you can sell.

Enlist Help

There is a solution. If your reluctance in talking to people is because of discomfort, you need a coach. You need me. I will work with you and get you past that in record time.

I’m not inexpensive, but my cost pales in significance when you compare it to the price you pay every time you look at your paycheck and wonder how it might grow if you were able to garner the leads you know are out there.

If you want your business to soar, then let’s connect. Perhaps I am one of those 30 to 50 people you have been ignoring each week.

Remember this: nothing happens until somebody sells something.

My number is (403) 203 0343 or (888) 929 0343. You can also email me at tellmemore@strategicpathways.net . Let’s start making the most of those connections.

Till we read again.