How to Get More Customers – 7 Steps to Setting Killer Prospect Meetings That Close the Sale

Do you want to make more money in sales? How about get more customers? I’m willing to bet the answer is yes—and that means you have to set more prospect meetings.

And in order to set more prospect meetings, you need a reliable, tried-and-true strategy in place.

I know this might sound obvious. But hear me out.

Setting that first meeting with a prospect is one of the most challenging, frustrating parts of the job for the vast majority of salespeople. Why?

Because most salespeople are still haphazardly cold calling their prospects with no real strategy in place.

Let me make one thing clear: Cold calls aren’t going to get you anywhere if you want to start setting better prospect meetings, more frequently.

That’s exactly why I wrote this article, designed specifically for salespeople who want to learn how to get more customers.

In reality, there are 7 simple, strategic steps you should be taking—right now—to set killer prospect meetings that close the sale, earning you more customers every time.

If you can master the science of setting an outstanding initial sales meeting, you’ll have mastered the art of how to get more customers.

In this video, I’ll teach you the 7 key steps to setting killer prospect meetings that close the sale, so you can get more customers than ever before:

Why You Need a New Strategy for How to Get More Customers

What if you never have to make a cold call ever again? No, this isn’t a dream. It’s simply a matter of putting the right strategy in place.

For decades, cold calls have been the dreaded backbone of setting meetings with new prospects. It’s no surprise that when I ask salespeople around the country about their biggest fears in sales, “cold calls” are the number one answer I get.

Unfortunately, when we’re first taught how to get more customers in sales, cold calls are the foundation of every salesperson’s first lesson.

Get ready to put cold calls in your rear-view mirror.

Finding new customers is top-of-mind for everyone who makes a living in sales. If you can’t get in front of qualified, interested prospects on a regular basis, you’re dead in the water.

So it’s time to break from tradition and the status quo, stop cold calling, and jump head-first into my foolproof, 7-step strategy for setting killer meetings with brand new prospects.

This is how to get more customers.

Let’s begin.

#1 Let someone else do the hard part.

If introducing yourself—cold—to new prospects is one of the hardest parts of how to get more customers, then why not outsource that introduction entirely? In other words, let someone else do the hard part.

The best part is, they can do it better than you can, while you reap all the rewards: more customers.

It might sound like an impossible feat, but it’s actually a simple question of leveraging your existing network.

The best way to get your foot in the door for an initial prospect conversation is to get yourself an introduction from a mutual contact.

Notice that I didn’t use the word “referral” here. That’s on purpose.

It’s time to start specifically asking for introductions to people who are a good fit for what you sell. This is different from asking for referrals, which can be a vague request that causes confusion, ending without a solid lead.

The key is to let someone else do the heavy lifting for you.

When you consistently ask customers, friends, family, and prospects to introduce you to others who might want to buy from you, you’ll not only set more meetings with qualified prospects—you’ll also do it with less effort on your part, and zero cold calls.

What have you done today or this week to get more introductions to potential prospects? If you want to master how to get more customers, this is the first step to take.

#2 Host private events.

This next step is surprising to most salespeople. Hosting targeted in-person events is one of the most effective cold lead generation strategies out there for mastering how to get more customers. But it’s also one of the most underutilized.

Organizing and hosting an in-person event might seem like overkill. But I’m here to tell you it’s well worth the effort if you really want to grow your customer base.

Seriously, don’t skip over this part of your new strategy for how to get more customers. Everyone loves an exclusive event, and it’s the perfect opportunity for everyone you know to introduce you to new leads.

Start by renting out a space that feels exclusive and special, such as a nice hotel or university club. Then, prepare valuable content to share with attendees. Invite your existing customers and top prospects—and ask each person to bring someone else with them.

People who know you will be excited to come, and they’ll invite others you don’t know. Once prospects realize you have something of value to say at the event, they’ll be eager to set up a meeting with you to learn more.

I suggest hosting up to 3 of these events per year if you’re really committed to mastering how to get more customers.

You’ll be amazed at how many new customers you’ll find this way.

#3 Volunteer to write Articles or trade  publications.

Whether you realize it or not, you’re already an expert in your field. The problem is, very few people actually know it.

In fact, according to a powerful study by leading sales researcher Steve W. Martin, only 18% of salespeople are classified by buyers as trusted advisors whom they respect.

That’s why this next step is all about getting your name, your expertise, and your knowledge out there for new prospects to see.

If you’re really serious about learning how to get more customers, make sure you pay attention here.

One of the most powerful ways to become known as a subject matter expert is to volunteer to write articles for trade publications in your field. Whatever industry you’re in, I guarantee you there are scores of publications that are constantly seeking article submissions from people with your know-how.

While your prospects only see what’s going on in their own organizations, you have a bird’s eye view of the entire industry. Share that in these trade publications, and you’ll catch their attention.

Take an hour to sit down and put your unique perspective down on paper in the form of an article. Make sure it’s edited, then submit it to a trade publication—most of which are dying for great content.

When you’re the one to provide it, you get free advertising that establishes you as an expert to your target audience, helping you to set killer prospect meetings with qualified prospects, without ever picking up the phone.

This new strategy will lead to far more meetings—and show you how to get more customers—than random cold-calling ever will.

#4 Speak to a trade group or association.

I know, I know: Public speaking is the #1 phobia in America. But if you can get over the fear of speaking in front of a crowd (which I know you can!) then you’ll be on your way to mastering how to get more customers.

This step in your new strategy to setting killer prospect meetings will have the highest return on time invested, in terms of sheer volume of new customers. Just one speech can get you in front of 70, 100, 200, or more of your ideal prospects at once.

Just think about that for a moment: exposure as an expert to 100s of prospects, in just an hour or less.

Amazing, right?

If you’re anxious about not knowing what to say, let me put your concern to rest. You simply need to share something of value to your audience, and you’ll immediately establish yourself as a trusted advisor in their eyes.

It’s truly as simple as that.

Talk about what you currently see in the industry, best practices you’ve found, and key challenges your clients are facing. This is all stuff you already know, and it’s easy for you to share your knowledge—but it’s all incredibly valuable to your prospects.

Once prospects realize they could benefit from meeting with you, they’ll be far more interested in setting up those one-on-one meetings to learn more. As a result, you’re on your way to mastering how to get more customers, once again.

#5 Send your prospects a special report.

If you’ve ever received a truly valuable report on something you care about, then you understand why this step is so effective. Sending your prospects a special report might seem like a small thing, but it creates a tremendous sense of value in the eyes of your prospects.

This brings me to my main point: If you want to learn how to get more customers, and you want to set more meetings, then you simply must offer your prospects something of real value.

That’s what the special report is all about—and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

In fact, the best special reports are the simplest, shortest, and most concise.

Here’s how to create your own:

• Collect some information or data on what’s going on in your industry.

• Organize the information into a short report.
• Include your own insights about what you see from your unique position.

When your prospects receive a report like this, with usable information that pertains to them, they’re far more likely to give you a second chance to see what else they might learn.

What’s more, when you reach out to the prospect again by email or phone, it’s no longer a true cold call—because you’ve already made contact once before through the sharing of this report.

They know who you are, and they’re waiting to hear more from you. That’s how you get more customers.

#6 Conduct a study and share your findings.

I’m not asking you to become a statistician, a researcher, or a scientist. And don’t worry: You won’t need to survey hundreds or thousands of people. But conducting a study is something you should do, if you want to master how to get more customers.

I’m here to tell you that “conducting a study”—while it sounds super fancy—can be done with just a handful of clients, over the course of a couple of days.

Anyone can do it, but only you can do it with your specific clients—and for your ideal prospects. This is what makes it so incredibly valuable.

Now, I know some studies take years and tons of samples, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. You can conduct a valuable study with a much smaller sample and anecdotal data.

Try surveying 20 clients, and then compile their answers and share your findings with others in the sector. This is tremendously useful information to your prospects—and when they start to see you as an expert, they’ll be eager to meet with you to learn more.

#7 Master how to get more customers with a sales prospecting campaign.

Learning how to get more customers is all well and good. But you also need to be organized about implementing everything you learn.

As we’ve talked about throughout this article, if you’re making sales calls to people who have never heard of you before, you’re going to find it extremely difficult to set meetings. That’s why your new strategy includes all the strategies above, designed to keep cold calls at bay forever.

But the last step that ties everything together is this: a sales prospecting campaign. Steps 1 to 6 of this new strategy for how to get more customers will only be effective if you do them with consistency, the right way, with every single prospect.

So this brings us to our final, and most important, piece of the puzzle.

It’s time for you to get organized with a sales prospecting campaign that ensures you never have to make another cold call again. Instead, you’ll map out your entire process with intentional “touches” for each prospect, including direct mail or special packages.

This sets the stage so that when you do call, the prospect knows who you are and is much more open to hear what you have to say.

Conclusion

As you can see, there’s no magic bullet to mastering how to get more customers. Instead, it simply requires that you follow these 7 steps to setting killer prospect meetings—every single time.

Having worked with thousands of salespeople over the years, I can tell you that cold calling is dead.

If you’re ready to kick cold calls to the curb for good, make a commitment to follow the 7 steps in this article from now on.

Once you dedicate yourself to implementing these creative yet simple strategies for how to get more customers, you’ll start setting more prospect meetings, more frequently, right away.

I want to hear from you in the comments right below. Which one of these 7 steps are you most excited about starting today? Let me know what you’re thinking, and I’ll respond.

For more powerful sales advice that will help you learn how to get more customers, check out my free Ultimate 3-Step Prospecting Call Script Template. Here’s to creating a clear, strong strategy for exceeding your sales goals.