This article originally appeared in the Jan. 2011 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY

Prospecting is question No. 1 for sales people. Without a database of prospects or old customers to sift through, how can an agent get started prospecting?

One way is the carrier lit building list. Many carriers that own fiber provide these lists to their agents and sales people. It is a ready-made prospecting list.

Yet this will be a cold calling exercise, which makes it uncomfortable. There are advantages to this list. One advantage is that you know there is lit fiber in the building already. Everyone loves fiber! This precludes the whole service inquiry procedure to go through. The carrier should be able to tell you what services are available in that building and the prices. This gives you a head start.

If you Google (News - Alert) the address of the lit building, it will give you an abundance of information. Notice that I didn’t say: Go door knock! First, you want to create a cocktail napkin plan. What will you try to sell to whom? What will you say? Who do you need to talk to?

By looking at the tenant directory, you can find out who is in the building. By cross-referencing that with your own contacts and LinkedIn (News - Alert) network, you can see if you have a contact for that business – maybe just a second degree link for an introduction. (Maybe your network will include someone who can get you into the building to door knock or drop off leave behinds.)

Also, there are a number of databases to get additional info about each business.

Now you have an idea of whom to start with. Next is what will you say? Various approaches could be used, including the telecom audit, network assessment and survey devices. You could try the promo pitch, “Hi, this is _____ calling on behalf of [carrier] with a promotional offer for a redundant Internet connection for your office. How important is Internet to your business?”

Remember that each business has different telecom (and IT) needs, depending on size, office type (branch, remote or HQ), etc. Some of this data can be gleaned ahead of time; some you can ask during the sales call.

The key is to get going!

If you want more detail on this may I suggest my latest book, LIT BUILDINGS, available at sellecom.net.

Peter Radizeski is head of telecom consulting agency RAD-INFO (News - Alert) Inc. (http://rad-info.net/).