"selecting target prospects "

"In some sales positions, the list of target prospects is supplied to the salesperson. However, in the majority of small and midsize companies, that’s not the case. Often, the challenging task of identifying and choosing potential clients is left to the salesperson. And that can be pretty daunting, particularly for a new hire.
.
I like to use a series of “who” and “why” questions to help identify strategic targets when creating a list:

• Who are our best customers (by industry, size, business model, location, etc.)?

• Why did they initially become customers? Why do they still buy from us?

• Who do we compete against in the marketplace?

• Why and when do they beat us? And why do prospects choose us over them?

• Who used to be our customers (said differently, who used to buy from us)?

• Why did we lose the business?

• Who almost became a customer but didn’t (deals where we came close but lost)?

• Who has referred business to us in the past?

• Who should be referring business to us?

As discussed previously, selecting target prospects is one of our few chances to be strategic. We need answers to these questions in order to create a confidence-inspiring list of smartly chosen prospects and referral sources. I’d go as far as saying that building a great list is easy once we have these answers and just about impossible without them.
First and foremost, I want to pursue prospects that look, feel, and smell like our very best clients. We know we bring value to the equation. We have instant credibility. Our story is relevant and we have happy clients to prove it."

Trecho retirado de "New Sales. Simplified" de Mike Weinberg.