9 Sales Prospecting Tools and Tips that Make a Difference

“What are the sales prospecting tools you use?”

I get asked this question a lot.

Here’s my list as to what I see are the top 9 sales prospecting tools and tips that you need to be successful.

1. The telephone is the #1 tool.
2. Networking is not prospecting.
3. Schedule time each day/week to prospect.
4. Use multiple tools and targeted message.
5. Focus / focus / focus.
6. Quality of the benefit statements.
7. Cold-calling works when done right.
8. It’s up to you. You drive your leads.
9. Your confidence will drive your success.

You might be saying these aren’t tools, but rather actions. You’re right.  I agree with you.

Focus on these first.

Don’t sit there and waste your time developing what you think is going to be the best way to track things via some type of software.  Sorry — I know of far too many salespeople and companies that have invested far too much time and money into buying and installing software systems that wind up never being used.

Master the actions first, then determine what software or CRM tool you need after that.

Sales prospecting is without a doubt the number one issue salespeople deal with.  The problem is too many salespeople believe their success lies in some sort of software.  It’s as if they’re trying to pass the responsibility of prospecting onto something else.

Sorry, but sales prospecting is the salesperson’s responsibility.

Focus, focus, focus. Item #5 on the list is the key.

I’m a very firm believer in staying tightly focused against your prospect list.  Too many people believe if they just reach out to enough people, they’ll be successful.  That strategy may have worked 10 years ago, but it doesn’t work today.  If you ask me why, it’s because of the internet.

The internet does a much better job of “spraying and praying” than anything a salesperson could ever do.   Key is to keep your messages tightly focused using multiple tools.

I’ve been talking about this a lot lately and over the next few weeks, I’ll be explaining in depth each one of these items.

Until then, take a good look at the list of sales prospecting tools and tips — and decide this day what you are going to take action on.

Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.