PART ONE – IDENTIFYING BULLSEYE PROSPECTS
I’ve made reference in previous installments of this Blog to Bullseye Account prospecting and several of you have asked for more information about this unique and effective way of targeting and LANDING large accounts. I am breaking up this info into two parts, and they are Identifying Bullseye Prospects and Targeting Bullseye Prospects. We are starting with Part One because I’m a temporal being. I have traveled through time, but it makes my intestines burble.
I developed targeting Bullseye Accounts as a way for my salespeople to get to the next sales level, and the level beyond that, about 15 years ago. It’s been very successful for a lot of folks who took this process to heart and made a commitment to Bullseye prospecting.
Introduction
The way to become a Million Dollar producer in our industry—the BEST way—is to prospect and land Bullseye Accounts. Successful superstar AE’s in our industry do NOT have one big account. They have three to five big accounts.
A Bullseye Account is a large account—a big company that takes 6 months or more to penetrate and turn into a client. You aren’t doing Bullseye prospecting instead of every day new account prospecting—you are doing Bullseye prospecting IN ADDITION to your ongoing prospecting efforts. You MUST do BOTH as Bullseye accounts take a few months to land.
Your challenge is to identify and target 5 Bullseye Accounts—you should ALWAYS be working 5 Bullseye Accounts!
Every time you turn a Bullseye target into an account, ADD A NEW ONE to your Bullseye prospect list. Keep this list, in big bold letters, on your wall or bulletin board. Look at it every day! And every day, every single Monday thru Friday work day, you will touch one Bullseye Account some way. Do not let one day pass without touching a Bullseye account or this won’t work.
Conversely, you should work smart. If six months have passed with little or no interest, MOVE ON. Take them off your list and replace them with another potential Bullseye account. Because, if you are regular reader of Be Bold, Be Different, Be Memorable, you already know that IT TAKES 13 TOUCHES TO TURN A PROSPECT INTO A CLIENT. Bullseye Account prospecting is all about making those WEEKLY touches.
Identifying Bullseye Accounts
They are Fortune 1000 companies.
They are companies that post $10 Million a year or more in sales. These are accounts that spend $100K or more annually on promotional products.
Your goal is to become their preferred branded merchandise consultant. Your challenge is they already HAVE a preferred branded merchandise consultant. Or two. Or three. And they are hearing from your competitors every day of every week. You’ve got to cut through the clutter and differentiate yourself and penetrate their consciousness. That won’t happen with two or three calls and emails.
Here are some ways to find them.
First—you already KNOW who they are… they’re Coca-Cola, Disney, Apple, Johnson & Johnson and so on. Everyone and their brother’s uncle is already calling on these companies. If you have an in or a solid hook, go for some of these high profile companies. Otherwise, hunt for lower profile gems.
Subscribe to your weekly Business Journal newspaper—we have the Los Angeles Business Journal and the San Fernando Valley Business Journal and Orange County Business Journal in my area. Get them all.
- Weekly List—Top 50 or Top 100 in various industries
- Annual Publication—Book of Lists
- 52 lists—worth it’s weight in GOLD—for ALL prospecting, not just Bullseye!
- Sunday paper—Help Wanted ads—WHO IS HIRING? They are Busy and Successful.
- e-Prospecting—Watch my article soon on this topic
Do your homework—identify your target person in that account. Google is MAGIC and will reveal just about anything you need to know.
- Google name of company with “VP Marketing” or “Marketing Manager” in the search.
- Talk to their Assistant or the Receptionist—uncover info, make a new bestie: “I’m going to send Mr. Tubbingham a package with marketing info on my company—what is the best address to send that to? I’d like to send YOU a little something as a ‘thank you’, is that okay?”
- Get their mailing address, email address and phone number
- Get their company logo art
In Part Two we’ll cover TARGETING your Bullseye Accounts! Be ready for it. Think about YOUR five Bullseye Accounts and MAKE YOUR LIST today! Start doing the research about who your contacts will be and get ready to hit it hard after you read the final half of this article.
You’re welcome.
Rick Greene, MAS, is the Western Regional Vice President for Halo Branded Solutions, a Past President of SAAC and the Editor of The SAAC Times and the author of two comic fantasy novels entitled “Boofalo!” and “Shroom!” available at www.amazon.com. He thinks “The Rockford Files” with James Garner is one of the Top 10 TV Shows of All Time. And he’s right.
