Buying a single lottery ticket is not going to make you rich, and making a single prospecting call is not going to result in you getting a customer.
Too many salespeople think that prospecting for customers simply doesn’t work in today’s environment. When I probe them on how they’re prospecting, I discover they’re not following up. They’re not repeating the process as many times as necessary to be successful.
Some of the best advice we’ll ever get when it comes to prospecting can be found on any bottle of shampoo. It’s a single word: Repeat. Think of “repeat” as being the magic word when it comes to prospecting. Too many salespeople are not successful because they fail to put in place a plan to follow up with their prospects. This is why I say, “Don’t start what you can’t finish!”
Sending out a single blast of emails or making a bunch of one-and-done calls is simply a waste of time. Build your prospects to allow you to make follow-up contacts. A simple plan I suggest is 6 contacts in a 30-day period. Depending on the industry you’re selling to, what you’re selling, and who you’re selling to, the actual number and frequency will vary, but the key is to have a plan.
Check out the video to see what I mean:
Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
Mark Hunter, your next keynote speaker:
Mark Hunter, CSP, “The Sales Hunter” is recognized globally as one of the top sales speakers, known for his challenging insights, high-energy, and passion to create change that he delivers each time he speaks, whether it be a sales kick-off meeting, corporate function or association event. Mark Hunter is the author of the best selling book, High-Profit Prospecting. Here’s what others are saying:
Mark presented “Accelerate Your Sales Prospecting” at the February 2015 Institute for Excellence in Sales program in Northern Virginia. He nailed it and gave the 150 selling professionals and business owners in attendance amazing tips, strategies and tactics they could implement that day. The sales leaders at our program universally acknowledged Mark as one of the top speakers we’ve ever had.
- Fred Diamond, Executive Director, IES Washington DC
At our annual company sales meeting we’ ve never seen a speaker work so hard, with advance preparation, with such genuine style of delivery, and with such hunger for results. If you weren’t on the edge of your seat….you were in a coma. Period!
- Mark Allen, Regional Manager, Marlin Companies
Mark’s strategies are innovative, easy to follow and easy to use in the “real world.” He customized his strategies to directly speak to the issues and challenges facing our unique business, and he helped us encompass specific selling examples. This training was very applicable to our sales staff, both at a senior and junior level, as it reinforced important sales techniques.”
- Danielle Pakradooni, Blue Man Group
Copyright 2017, 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.
