6 techniques to boost your business

About 150 years ago when I first started in sales, we were required to cold call prospective clients. This task would usually end in sale people calling in sick or mysteriously losing their voice. It's fair to say that sales people dreaded cold calling as much as the prospects did. To make matters worse, the odds aren't in the salesperson's favor: According to the Harvard Business Review, cold calling is ineffective 90 percent of the time and more research indicates that 2 percent of cold calls result in an actual meeting.

Thank goodness times have changed and we can prospect new leads without cold calling and shameless begging. You do have to change your thinking which requires some serious energy and creativity. Here a few to get those brain juices flowing:

1. Ask for referrals

Ask some of your star clients to do the referring for you. Make it about them and offer an incentive, making you both look good. Suggest a referral luncheon (on you) or offer them something they would normally pay for.

Word-of-mouth is the best sales and marketing tool for anyone. Share their story or add their testimonial on your website or collateral.

2. Be a resource

Your prospects will be more willing to connect with you if you've made some valuable introductions. Use their criteria to match their needs with their needed resources. For instance, if you are selling widgets and your prospect mentions that they need staffing, connect him with that HR Solutions Consultant you met at the chamber event last week. They'll both be grateful for your help - and eager to return the favor by introducing you to contacts who fit your ideal client profile.

People are usually more willing to connect you with potential buyers if you've made some valuable introductions for them first. With that in mind, make a habit of asking prospects questions about their needs or how they are currently being challenged. The more leads and referrals you help others with, the better you'll feel about yourself and the more leads you will get from others.

3. Ask a better question

When you're out meeting prospects at a networking event, you'll naturally going to ask questions. Instead of struggling through the initial greeting by asking "So … what do you do?" Ask a better question, one that makes them think, but does not start from a place of mindless small talk.

Start out with openers like "Where are you from? What do you think about this event? How did you come to join this organization? or How did you get into your field of work?" Round it out with "How can I be helpful to you right now"?

This allows your conversation to start with a feeling of "let's do it" instead of a place of skepticism or "what's this person selling".

This is the part where you connect the dots to start becoming a resource (see point No. 2).

4. Follow your own interests

Guess who your new friends (code for prospects) like to hang out with?

Other people who have similar interests.

Why feign interest in a subject when there are so many special you may have a passion for? Economic Development? What to wear this season? Environment? Humanitarian Issues? Yep, there is something for everyone.

People do business with who they know, like and trust. Having a common interest is the best way to meet all three of those criteria.

5. Strategic alliances

Participate in your interest groups, workshops, and networking events. Partner with other companies with similar audiences. If you are a Subject Matter Expert, give a talk or presentation at a networking event, a conference, local service organization, or industry meeting. Design your message around the subject matter, not your company.

Introduce yourself to VIPs and speakers at other networking events or conferences. Do a little pre-research, tell them what you know about them, give them a sincere compliment, and tie in the value of your product or service to something you heard them say.

6. Widen social media footprint

Depending on which type of selling environment you're in, this will point you in the right direction of which platform to use. If you are strictly B2B, LinkedIn and Twitter are your best bets. B2C means Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn (remember everyone is also consumer).

Social media is like a companion piece to the prospecting you already do. Social media alone will most likely not drive your business, but it does keep your business top of mind and aware of any new relevant information.

Become active: Start a weekly Twitter chat. Identify a list of #Hashtags related to the industry you are targeting.

Look for tweet questions that you can answer and point to relevant content on your website. Create weekly posts on LinkedIn. Make a daily habit of reviewing your newsfeed and "like", "share" and comment on the content posted by your connections

Lastly: Don't Give Up.

Never give up on the leads you believe have gone cold. Keep in touch with prospects after the sales process and make sure you continue to send them helpful content even if they decided not to purchase. This helps you go beyond your initial follow-up and stay top of mind. By working your referrals, introductions and new prospects and connecting these people with their needed resources, you will have a steady stream of warm leads that are turning warmer and ultimately into hot leads.

• Mary Sprow is director of sales at Topgolf.