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When asking sales people
which part of their job they hate or fear the most, invariably
the consensus is prospecting. Many salespeople scoff at this and
say they have no problem prospecting. Usually those are the ones
engaged in marketing activities that they call prospecting-
direct mail, fax, ads, email, etc. Certainly those activities
are valuable but they aren’t sales prospecting. In most
businesses that have salespeople, these activities won’t close a
deal or even get an appointment. They usually generate interest
and the salesperson takes it from there.
Sales prospecting is a one on one
interaction designed to make a sale or get an appointment.
Marketing activities should provide an easier transition into
the one on one interaction but regardless, prospecting usually
falls into three categories- cold calling, networking, and
generating referrals. Once those three things are laid out,
typically the scoffing salespeople retreat into their shell.
Salespeople rarely like prospecting, they just need to do it.
So why is prospecting the most hated aspect of
sales, even when marketing is effectively easing the process? It
boils down to one thing. This is the part most filled with
rejection. It’s the awkward start of a relationship with a
stranger. When we meet with clients or have next steps with
potential clients, we have some idea of what to expect. We’ve
dealt with the person before and have some sense as to their
personality and they have a sense as to how we work. The
familiarity eases our tension. None of those cushions exist for
us while prospecting.
So how do you make yourself do something you
hate? The first step is committing yourself to doing it. Don’t
let yourself make excuses. Then decide which prospecting
technique works best for you. Be honest with yourself, what are
you best at and what makes sense for your business? Don’t wimp
out either. Many people hate cold calling and come up with any
excuse to eliminate it from their list. If it truly doesn’t make
sense or you’re terrible at it, don’t do it. However, if you’ve
seen some results, keep at it. The calls will get easier to make
over time because you’ll be getting better at them and seeing
better results. Then quantify how much prospecting you need to
do.
If you decide to do networking events then you
better have a set number a month you plan to attend and a
calendar of events. If you are generating referrals you need to
have a plan for speaking with a certain number of clients in a
month to see who they know that might benefit from what you do.
Finally, make it public. No matter how hard you try you will
cheat yourself if you hate the activity. Tell a friend, family
member, or coworker that you can trust to hold you accountable
to your plan. Devise a way to report to them on a set schedule
to evaluate how you are doing. If you do these things you will
have a successful prospecting mix. A successful prospecting mix
means more opportunities and more sales.
© Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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