What are the different ways of finding sales prospects?

What will be an ideal response?

A salesperson must often approach many prospects to get only a few sales. Although the company supplies some leads, salespeople need skill in finding their own. The best source is referrals. Salespeople can ask current customers for referrals and cultivate other referral sources, such as suppliers, dealers, noncompeting salespeople, and Web or other social media contacts. They can also search for prospects in directories or on the Internet and track down leads using the telephone, e-mail, and social media. Or, as a last resort, they can drop in unannounced on various offices (a practice known as cold calling). Salespeople also need to know how to qualify leads — that is, how to identify the good ones and screen out the poor ones. Prospects can be qualified by looking at their financial ability, volume of business, special needs, location, and possibilities for growth.