How confident are you with regard to prospecting?  Recently I received two notes from people stating how they dread prospecting and they don’t feel confident doing it.

These two people are not alone. I suspect at one time or another, you have struggled with prospecting. Or maybe you are struggling with it now.

The biggest issue that will impact a person’s ability to prospect is the level of confidence they have. Unless you’re confident, there is little chance you’ll be successful prospecting.

Check out this video as I talk about confidence and the role of questions when it comes to prospecting:

Here are 10 ways to build your confidence to prospect better:

1. Write down all of the ways you’ve helped customers in the past.  Use this list as fuel to allow you to realize what you do for customers does make a big difference.

2. Keep a list of all of great things customers have told you about how you’ve helped them. Keep any emails and also write up any positive telephone calls or voicemails you get.  Keep these next to your phone and they will serve as further evidence as to why you need to be making your prospecting calls.

3. Each day contact one current customer and explore with them all the ways they’ve benefited from what you’ve provided them. This is a great exercise to do just before you begin making your prospecting calls.

4. Never fly solo! Sales is a team sport. It’s not played well when you’re the only one involved.  Link up with a couple of other salespeople and each morning text each other with a comment about how the day is going to be awesome or challenge them on goals.  Naturally, they’ll do the same, and as you help pump up others, they’ll be pumping you up. A rising tide lifts all boats, and you’ll find the tide rising quickly.

5. Set hourly goals as to the number of calls you will make. Set them at a level you know you can achieve and congratulate yourself by taking a 5-minute break when you do.  As you progress, over time begin increasing the number of calls you’ll make each hour.

6. At the end of each day, take a moment to record your two most successful activities of the day. Congratulate yourself and then lay out what your goals will be for the next day.

7. Before you end the day, build your plan as to who you are going to call tomorrow and the reason why. By building the plan today, you won’t waste time tomorrow and the speed with which you can start calling will increase your confidence.

8. Record all the questions you ask prospects. Make a note of the ones that worked great and scratch out those that didn’t work well. Over a couple of weeks, you’ll find yourself with a list of questions you’re very confident in using.

9. Keep your expectations in check. Confidence is lost when the goals are set too high for each call. Remember what your objective is. For most salespeople, it’s merely to gain one piece of information and to set a time for a follow-up conversation.  If you can do that with just a few calls each day, then you’ll be incredibly successful.

10. Don’t expect everyone to respond nicely to your calls. We can never forget that when we are reaching out to someone, we have zero clue as to what else is going on in their life at that moment.  We knew we were calling them, but they didn’t know it. Their negative reaction to us could easily be a culmination of a series of events in their day and they’re merely venting on us.

Remember, sales and prospecting are something few people choose to do, and the fact you’re doing it makes you part of an elite group of professionals. Your activity is helping others — not only the customers to whom you sell, but also others in your company and, of course, you and your family.

Sales is something you can be proud of.  Each day you will hear “no” far more than you will “yes,” but that only means when you do hear a “yes,” it’s very special.  Don’t sweat the “no” response, as “no” is only a moment in time, and you have no idea what the next call will bring.

I believe strongly each “no” I hear brings me that much closer to the next “yes.”

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