Companies tend to spend considerable time and resources training and upskilling their sales staff on how to handle existing customers. And this is, no doubt, a critical task. But don’t overlook the vast pool of individuals or entities that want to buy from you but just don’t know it yet. We’re talking about prospects.

Identifying and winning over a steady flow of new buyers can safeguard your business against sudden sales drops or, better yet, push its profitability to new heights. Here are some ideas for better targeting and converting your company’s sales prospects:

Continually improve lead generation. Does your marketing department help you generate leads by doing things such as creating customer profiles for your products or services? If not, it’s probably time to create a database of prospects who may benefit from your products or services. Customer relationship management software can be of great help. When salespeople have a clear picture of a likely buyer, they’ll be able to better focus their efforts.

Use qualifications to avoid wasted sales calls. The most valuable nonrecurring asset that any company possesses is time. Effective salespeople spend their time with prospects who are the most likely to buy from them. Four aspects of a worthy prospect include having:

• Clearly discernible and fulfillable needs,
• A readily available decision maker,
• Definitively assured creditworthiness, and
• A timely desire to buy.

When business use of websites began, getting noticed was the name of the game. Remember pop-up ads? Text scrolling up the screen? How about those mesmerizing rotating banners? Yes, there were — and remain — a variety of comical and some would say annoying ways to get visitors’ attention.

Nowadays, most Internet users are savvy enough not to be impressed by flashy graphics. They tend to want simplicity and the ability to navigate intuitively. Most of all, they want to feel protected from scams and hackers. That’s why, when maintaining or updating your company’s website, trust is an essential building block.

Make it personal

Among the simplest ways to establish trust with customers and prospects is conveying to them that you’re a bona fide business staffed by actual human beings.

Include an “About Us” page with the names, photos and short bios of the owner, executives and key staff members. This will help make the site friendlier and more relatable. You don’t want to look anonymous — it makes customers suspicious and less likely to buy.