Create a target list
Good things happen for salespeople when they create and update their target list of accounts.  This is often a list of 20-50 executives and/or businesses that an individual salesperson is trying to reach. A good target list is essentially a down-and-dirty business plan for a salesperson.  It is built by understanding who your customer is and who makes buying decisions within those organizations.  With a target list, you have a tool for managing your own time and managing the time of salespeople who work for you.  Without this target list, salespeople get reactive and spend their time responding to whoever calls them vs. actively pursuing quality meetings with decision makers. 

While most salespeople know they should have a prospect list, few sales organizations do a great job of creating and using them consistently.  Mike Weinberg, VP-Sales for Gabriel Communications, is a top-producing salesperson who also leads other salespeople for his organization.  Mike's point is simple.  "If you have the wrong prospects, you are not going to succeed...The leaders and managers of most sales organizations don't spend near enough time focused on ensuring that their people are focused on the right, specific targets."

Questions to Consider: 

1. What makes someone a great addition to your prospect list?
2. When was the last time you updated your own target list? 
3. How up-to-date are the target lists of the other salespeople in your company?
4. What names should be added to your target list?
5. What names should be eliminated?

Strategically Develop Referral Sources
A strategic view of networking grows naturally out of a well-defined and up-to-date prospect list.  If you define your prospect list correctly, two things will happen.  First, you will have the names of executives on the list who you do not know and to whom you don't have direct access.  Second, you will realize that as your own list of personal contacts gets depleted, you need to find new ways to meet more solid prospects.  Strategically building your business network is one tool for gaining access and generating more prospects.