Over the years, and after working with thousands of salespeople, I’ve found these ten questions determine your success in prospecting.
I’m going to walk you through ten questions, and I want you to answer truthfully. The total number of yes’s or no’s are going to help you determine whether or not you’re going to be successful prospecting.
At the end, scroll down to see what your results mean!
1. Do I have a dedicated time to prospect daily or weekly, and do I honor those times?
People who are successful do not deviate from prospecting. They have a regular time and they stick with it.
2. Do I know the number of conversations I need to have each week to keep my pipeline full?
In other words, salespeople who succeed know the numbers they need to achieve, and they’re absolutely fixated on achieving those numbers. They know if they do, they can meet or exceed their goals.
3. Do I have a clear definition of who my ideal customer is?
How clear is your ICP—Ideal customer profile? It’s not just throwing mud against the wall, but rather making sure I’m absolutely laser-focused on just those who are my ideal customers. Otherwise your pipeline gets clogged with dead ends.
4. Do I have at least five questions I can ask a prospect to engage them quickly?
What am I going to do if they actually answer the phone? I need five questions I can ask a leader or prospect to foster a conversation that will lead to another one.
5. Do I have a clear definition of what it takes to move someone from just a name to a qualified lead?
Do I know exactly what the criteria is that they have to achieve?
I have to see something to know this is more than just a name.
Read these four questions to qualify leads earlier.
6. Do I review my prospecting activities before each day to ensure I’m clear on my goals?
If I don’t know where I’m starting, and I don’t know where I finish, I’m lost. Instead, get absolutely focused on what your specific prospecting activities for the next day are.
The key is to do it the night before, or work day before. Write it down and you’ll hit the ground running each morning.
7. Do I have a defined process to get referrals?
So many salespeople fail to leverage referrals. That’s part of prospecting, too.
Referrals are a key way to get more business because they’re practically pre-qualified.
8. Do I have a detailed follow-up process?
We don’t close deals with one call unless you’re selling pencils. Do I have a very succinct follow-up process as part of my cadence?
9. Is all my prospecting communication centered around the needs of the prospect or are they screaming of how wonderful I am?
Sometimes you can tell this by who talks more on a prospecting call. Do you get caught up talking about your experience or resume, or do you ask questions in order to sit back and listen?
10. Do I hold firm to a solid discovery process with any lead before even thinking about a demo?
I don’t try to race forward until I’ve first done discovery to truly understand what their need is.
If you answered YES to eight or more, you’re a top performer when it comes to prospecting.
YES to five to seven? You’ve got potential, but you need to step it up.
YES to four or fewer… in your current state, you have little chance at being successful.
…Ask yourself this question. Was I truthful? Would someone who knows me, or someone who works beside me score me the same way?
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Copyright 2024, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
