Know-How Exchange : Strategy

Nothing succeeds like the personal touch. If you have the time, I would try to call as many as possible. I would try to send e-mails to set up a good time. I would send a snail-mail postcard suggesting that you would like to talk to them about needs they might have - even outside the products you supply.

If this is your first time in sales, get used to rejection - it happens. You need to learn how to probe and find their point of pain. If they do not think they have one, find one that they did not realize they should have.

Sales requires untiring and unrelenting effort. Be a service to the customers. You will not know if you can be until you talk to them.

John

I agree with John... the leads may be dead but somewhere out there may be an old friend of the boss.. National Sales Manager... who will provide strong feedback on your efforts. And, who knows, there may be a sale in the bushes too.

I do not know what industry you are in. It does matter.
Anyway even if is car sales 5 years is a way too long not to be in touch with customers. Those one I would treat at best like suspects and nothing more.Those who are 1 year old should be a bit easier to deal with. That way or other first off trace, if available, the history of transactions or contacts with your customers/prospects. When it was exactly, who was the contact person on the other end, what's her role in the buying process- decision-maker, buyer, influencer,etc.
On having maximum possible data available on contacts I would check each and every company's status as it is now.
Use web and any other possibility to find out about your prospects.Then you can work on your short selling pitch, it maybe more than 1 version, as most probably you have not been told to focus on one segment of customers.

Adam

If you have a fresh set of leads from marketing, lead generation programs, referrals, or Web responses, I would spend the majority of time on the lowest hanging fruit and not on stale leads.

If you don't have a lot of prospects, than yes, spend some time on these, otherwise go with what's the hottest and maybe follow up on the newest set of leads from the National Sales Manager as time permits.

No lead is dead unless the client is dead.

Do not mail them, mailing to a contact that is probably not even at the firm anymore is a waste of time and effort.

Get on the phone and call them. Do not call and say, "im following up on an old lead" but spend some time on the script. Assume while the person who sent in the inquiry isn't there, or at best remember the inquiry, but they are a person who at one time was interested in the product or service.

Turn the negative into a positive. Maybe they weren't ready to buy but considering-- they could be ready now. You could have a shorter sales cycle. Also, the suplier they had could have screwed up -- giving you a shot-- or the person who made the inquiry who left-- might have resisted the idea-- the new person is ready to go.

Sell the appointment on your call and the appointment only. You have a stack of people that probably could use your product or service. Now go sell something.

Carol
Sell Well and Prosper tm

Ah, I was a stale lead, until the new sales gal called me and asked me to lunch. She is the brand new rep for my State and wanted to get back in touch with customers that have not placed an order in years. She was personable and informative. Her goal was to meet face to face to get the order.

It worked. We placed an order. However the sizes were wrong, and there's been no followup on my several emails.

I would suggest a similar approach to those old leads.

Janine