This checklist isn’t optional — it’s your daily discipline.
I have ten actions before you start prospecting to help you work smarter, not harder.
This list gets your mindset right, your plan locked in, and your execution sharp.
1. Know Your List
This is more than just a set of names in a CRM.
Who are these people?
What’s your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)?
If you don’t know who you’re targeting — and why they belong on your list — then you’re wasting time. Make sure your list is intentional and specific.
2. Know Why They’re on Your List
What’s the trigger that moved them up the priority queue?
Is there an urgency, an external signal, or a buying behavior you noticed?
If you can’t answer that, you’re just throwing darts in the dark.
3. Know Your Outcome
Why do you sell?
It’s not just to hit a quota — it’s to help people.
Keep a list of real customer outcomes you’ve delivered nearby. Remind yourself what success looks like for the people you serve.
Read 10 Demo Mistakes that Are Killing Your Sales
4. Know How to Engage
What’s your approach?
Phone call? Email? LinkedIn message?
Don’t just hit send or pick up the phone and “see what happens.”
Plan the channel and the message ahead of time. Every engagement should feel intentional, relevant, and confident.
5. Know Your Next Step
Every outreach should have a goal.
Maybe it’s a meeting, or a second conversation. The key is to know what the next step is before you even start.
You can’t move a deal forward if you don’t know where “forward” is.
6. Know Your Previous Successes
Let your experience talk for itself.
What’s worked before?
What types of prospects have responded well to your outreach?
Revisit those past wins in your mind. They’ll help you navigate the calls and meetings ahead. Patterns matter. Trust your playbook.
7. Prep Your Mental Outlook
Mindset isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a requirement.
You’re not just making calls, you’re creating opportunities. You’re helping people win.
That only happens when your head is in the game. Start each day with clarity, belief, and purpose. No dragging energy. No second-guessing.
8. Visualize Success
See it before it happens.
Picture your ideal customer. Picture what it looks like to win — for you and for them.
Whether it’s a new deal, a personal goal, or something you’re working toward (a vacation, a house, a bonus check), get a crystal-clear mental image.
Prospecting is tough work. That vision keeps you going.
9. Know Your Goals
Set realistic activity goals.
Not “a hundred calls” — start with 5 or 10 that are focused and strategic.
Your ultimate goal might be to hit a revenue target. But to get there, you need conversations. And to get those, you need consistent outreach.
Keep your goals achievable.
10. Block Your Time
This is where most reps fall apart.
If you don’t block time for prospecting, it won’t happen. Something else will always come up.
Meetings, Slack messages, email — they’ll eat your day.Protect your prospecting time. Treat it like a meeting with your best customer. No distractions. No excuses.
How to Start Every Day Strong
Mark shares the secrets behind his own routine, focusing on the essential elements of mental, physical, and spiritual preparation.
Find episode #331 wherever you download podcasts!
How Stories Build Trust and Credibility in Sales
w/ Sheri Levitin
Shari demonstrates how stories not only capture interest, but also build trust and credibility more effectively than mere facts.
Episode #332 is out now!
Copyright 2025, 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.
