What is it that strategic account managers must do to grow their accounts? Surely, most would agree SAMs should be proactively driving strategic sales opportunities rather than simply waiting and reacting to buyer queries. That is to say: to make new sales, SAMs should be prospecting inside their accounts. Yet, in most organizations, this doesn't happen.
![[Take the Survey] New Research: What’s Working in Sales Prospecting, What’s Not?](https://www.rainsalestraining.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/Prospecting_Whats_Working_Whats_Not_Survey.jpg?t=1539970511780)
By: Mary Flaherty and Mike Schultz
If there's a black box in the world of sales, it's prospecting. What to do, how to do it, and what it means to be good at it. And with all the conflicting advice out there, it's especially difficult to figure out where to start and how to get better.
Referrals are among the top ways sellers get leads and new business, but many struggle with generating them consistently.
We know our buyers rely on colleagues, associates, and friends to recommend providers. So when a prospect comes to us via this route, some of the work is already done for us. Referrals build a seller's trustworthiness and credibility—two cornerstones of effective selling.
Much of sales is about making connections.
