Not every person is cut out to help you prospect for new customers. You've been told before and you'll hear it again: Hire for attitude; train for aptitude. The people in your business who meet and greet customers have to do it with a smile. Prospecting for customers requires people with a pleasing, positive, and agreeable attitude. Anyone without that mindset needs to leave your business!
ACTION ITEM
If you have people who are not willing to work to bring in new customers, evaluate whether they should stay in your business. Good prospectors evaluate the people who are helping them achieve their goals.
When an Illinois farm-implement dealership confronted the fact that their parts manager was a walking encyclopedia on tractors, combines, and implement equipment, they also had to admit he was the most cantankerous guy east of the Rocky Mountains. He constantly aggravated fellow employees and drove away customers. They finally reached a decision and invited him to pursue other employment. Immediately after this problem employee left, many prospects returned to the company and became customers. It seems that he had alienated a great number of people over the years who had decided to avoid the dealership. Once he was gone, however, things changed, and business soon picked up.
TAKEAWAY
The only thing worse than allowing rogue
employees to destroy your attempts to get
new customers is paying them to do it!