The big reason salespeople are not successful is their inability to prospect. When you prospect effectively, it’s amazing how smoothly your entire sales process goes.
Prospect right and you’ll close right. It’s really quite simple.
Each week I field inquires from companies and salespeople on this issue, and almost universally the missing link is a process they can implement day in and day out. The excuses I hear are all over the place, from the story that would fit well in a Steven King novel to the more routine excuse of simply not doing it.
Regardless of the excuse, it’s just that an excuse, and you can’t eat excuses or feed your children with them. Excuses are what people create as a way to escape reality.
For the next several weeks, I’m gong to be digging into this issue of prospecting, and along the way, I will be providing you with some great tools. If you’ve been following me for a long time, you may recognize some of them, but many of them are brand new and you’ll be the first to take advantage of them.
My assurance to you is if you stick with me on this journey and follow what I share, you will be successful. This isn’t hype. It isn’t smoke. It’s fire and it will work.
First off to help us understand prospecting and what it takes to be successful, I do need to spend time here being negative and point out what I see are the 10 big mistakes people make when it comes to prospecting.
These 10 are from an ebook I put together and I encourage you to download it. The ebook goes into a lot more depth with each one of the ten. You can get it at this link.
Below are the 10 Reasons Most Prospecting Plans Fail:
1. Using the same prospecting process for all your prospects.
2. Having too many prospects in your pipeline.
3. Not following up.
4. Not segmenting your prospects based on who they are and their needs.
5. Relying on email as your primary prospecting tool.
6. Thinking social media is your answer.
7. Not allocating the proper commitment of your time. Prospecting happens when you engage!
8. Failing to realize your prospects don’t care about you and your company.
9. Not making your messages about the prospect’s needs.
10. Failing to realize the telephone is still a great prospecting tool!
Be sure to grab the ebook, as I go much deeper into each one of the 10 reasons.
Your ability to close deals is a direct reflection of your ability to prospect. Join me back here next week and I will share with you more insights. In the meantime, read the ebook and stop making prospecting excuses.
10 Reasons Most Prospecting Programs Fail
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
2 Responses
Many thanks Mark, great tips and advice as usual. All the best Barry.
Thanks Mark, once again nuggets of wisdom.