“If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail” – This is a famous quote by Benjamin Franklin that rings true today just as much as it did back then. Even though most people nowadays know this statement is true, many business owners and salespeople still don’t heed these wise words, especially when it comes to landing and securing new accounts.

They still ride around town and “wing it” with cold calls, thinking they can just walk in a business and give them their pitch. But there’s a much better way, and it involves planning.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to come up with the type of potential customer you want to target. Which sectors…

  • Have the most profit (dealer, PCMO, industrial)?
  • Have the most potential volume?
  • Will you have most success in and why?
  • Are you least likely to succeed in and why?
  • Will you target first? Which geographic areas will you target first?

Now that you have the answers to those questions, you can come up with specific companies to go to. Go online to do some preliminary research, peruse association membership lists and look into other resources that contain the pertinent information you need on those companies.

Now, you can ask yourself even more questions:

  • What products and brands do they buy?
  • How much volume are they buying in?
  • Who do they likely buy from now and why?
  • Why would they make a switch to your company?

These answers will allow you to shift your focus from the company as a whole to the person you need to speak with. And, you guessed it, there are even more questions:

  • What is the title of the decision maker for the company?
  • Who are the gatekeepers and influencers for the company?
  • How can you contact those decision makers, gate keepers and influencers (you may want to start on social media platforms like LinkedIn)

Only once you have all this information in front of you can you create a call plan that includes customer-specific introductions, questions to ask, goals to achieve on the call and a way of overcoming objections (which you most certainly will get).

When you can formulate a plan to locate and secure new customers, you will not only boost your close rate but you will also save yourself time. You won’t have to worry about missing potential accounts that can’t be found on main streets in the town you’re driving around. You won’t have to waste time looking for accounts that aren’t the best fit for your company. And best of all, you won’t waste time on low-profit accounts that every other petroleum marketer is targeting.

When you focus on the best prospects for your company, you will find success.

Get in touch with Taylor Oil today by filling out our online form.