10 Questions to Create a Prospecting Mindset

You’re behind on the number of calls you need to make for the week. Worse yet, the quarter is nearing an end and making that number is looking impossible.  Is this you?

You will never have anything to close unless you first start to prospect, but just because you have a list of leads doesn’t mean they are going to instantly become customers.

As much as sales process is a mindset, I believe prospecting is at the top of the mindset.  If you don’t have the right mindset to prospect, then there is little chance you’ll prospect. This then translates into even less to close.

How do you create a prospecting mindset? First, thinking you don’t have to answer this question is a mistake.  Prospecting is not an activity of just going through the motions. No, it’s about engaging, connecting, and setting the table to create value.

You know I talk on the prospecting a lot in my keynotes. Here’s a 94-second segment from my time at the Growth Acceleration Summit hosted by Zoominfo:

Ready for my list? Here are 10 questions you need to get serious about.

1. How does the customer benefit from what I sell? Record all of the benefits your customers benefit from when they buy from you. Be specific and include not only the benefit, but also how it helped them.

2. How does my personal style connect with prospects and customers? Record what makes you special and makes you a person with whom people want to engage.

3. How does what I sell differ from other options in the marketplace? Record everything that sets what you sell apart, but do not include price.  There is no place for price in prospecting, so leave it off the table

4. What do I like about my customers? Record all of the things you like about your customers, including things that may include their personal lives.

5. What is the main obstacles in my day that block me from prospecting? Record all of the activities you get caught up in during the day you feel keep you from prospecting.

6. What is keeping you from blocking on your calendar specific time periods each day and week to prospect? You’ll never have enough time to prospect unless you dedicate the time to do it.

7. Are you relying on Marketing to provide you with leads? Why? How good are the leads they give you? What’s stopping you from getting your own leads?

8. Who are the negative voices in my life I need to get rid of? There are people with whom you associate that you really can’t afford to spend time with.  Hanging out with negative people will do nothing but create negative results.

9. What are my personal excuses? OK, here is where it gets personal.  Write down every single excuse you’ve ever had about why you didn’t prospect when you were supposed to.  Write down everything. By no means is this the time to leave anything out. When you’re done with the list, look at it closely and realize you are in control of everything.

Every excuse is your excuse. It doesn’t belong to anyone else. Each one belongs to you.  Your objective is to accept responsibility and NOT allow any one excuse stand in the way of you prospecting.

10. Who will hold me accountable? If you want to succeed, you must be willing to be held accountable. Who can you have as your partner? I like to say how sales is not a solo activity, but rather it’s a team sport, and you need somebody on your team. Who will you ask who can hold you accountable?

Take these 10 questions to heart and use them to propel you toward a more solid and productive prospecting mindset.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results