What results are you looking for from your sales prospecting efforts?
Too many times, salespeople set expectations that go way beyond what could ever be expected.
I’m all for being optimistic. I’m optimistic to a fault, but that does not give us permission to set goals so high they wind up defeating us.
The goals I’m talking about are short-term goals that salespeople set based on what they think is going to happen based off of a single round or emails or phone calls.
Here’s the way it typically starts. Sales are slow and there aren’t enough prospects, so a quick plan is developed to send out a bunch of emails make a few phone calls.
The expectation is that this single effort will produce plenty of prospects.
The problem is the plan is clearly not going to result in anything close to what is expected. Ultimately what happens is the salesperson winds up being completely de-motivated, and along the way, they’ve lost several days or even a week or two thinking up and executing this flawed plan.
When you’re setting up a prospecting plan, there are a few things that have to be understood:
First, it’s going to take frequency over a period of time for any type of substantial results to occur.
Second, it’s going to take follow-through and commitment to make sure the plan is executed.
Third, the goals being set must be established over a period of time that typically is at least a month if not several months in length.
The exact criteria for each of these three points will vary depending on the type of market the salesperson is in and the sales cycle.
If you’re reading this and questioning your own prospecting plan, wondering what the goals should be, let me leave you with this single item you can do now. At the end of each day, congratulate yourself on the most significant success you had, no matter how small it might have been. The key is to end each day on a positive note to allow you come back and start optimistically the next day.
I recently completed a 6-part sales prospecting program where I walk through every part of the sales prospecting process.
If you’re serious about increasing your sales, check it out. Just click on the below link:
Yes! I’m Serious About Increasing My Sales!
Copyright 2012, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog.
