Popcorn Prospeting
Image via Wikipedia
Imagine watching someone making popcorn on the stove. They put oil in a skillet and put it on the hot stove. Once it gets hot, they throw into the skillet a single kernel of popcorn. When it pops, they gently pick it up, dip it in melted butter, sprinkle a pinch of salt on it, and finally they eat is slowly. When they are done, they throw another kernel of popcorn into the skillet and wait for it to pop.
As you continue to watch, you notice that some of the kernels don't pop. After watching and waiting (and occasionally shaking the skillet) this person gives up on the kernel and throws another one in.
How long will it take for this person to get full? Forever?
This is the way many business owners and sales people try to develop business. They find a few prospects that appear promising and they completely focus on them waiting for them to pop. As a few of them pop, they are well cared for by the business owner and sales professional. Once the deal is done, they look to throw in another prospect into the skillet to see what happens.
Obviously, the lesson here is to throw in a lot more kernels. How much? Well, how big is your skillet? Throw in as many as you can manage without having "popped" kernels spill out of the skillet onto the floor.
How do you know if you are one trying to develop business just "a few kernels at a time?"
Use a sheet of paper, a spreadsheet, or some sales/CRM software to track what you are doing. The low tech version is to list all of your prospects on a piece of paper and record the date they became a prospect.
Wait one week and review the list. Did you add a prospect? Wait another week. Did you add a prospect? If your list tends to stay the same, then you are waiting for just a few kernels to pop.
This week, set a realistic goal to add some new kernels. Over time, test the capacity of your skillet and you will find yourself getting closer to "full."
Of course, there is a whole lot more that one can track to help them manage their pipeline. What advice to you have? What has worked for you in the past?
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