If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, maybe this has happened to you:
It’s the end of the month or the end of the quarter, you’ve exceeded your budget and met all your goals, and you’re expecting a nice, fat commission check. Now, the meter goes back to zero, your boss has raised your quota and you don’t have enough qualified prospects in your pipeline. So, what is your prospecting plan for the next month?
Most salespeople think they’re pretty good at what they do; they’re likable, can make a good presentation and, if they play their cards correctly, have a decent chance of closing the deal if their price is right. They’re great at servicing the customer or client after the deal is done: phone calls, emails and texts, just to make sure that “things are ok.” The problem is that many salespeople don’t put a high-enough priority on prospecting for new business; it’s something they do when they have no calls to return or proposals to write. The fact is that wildly-successful salespeople will spend up to 50 percent of their daily and weekly activities prospecting for new business. They have a prospecting plan that includes at least three elements:
1) They know exactly what kinds of prospects they’re looking for. They know which companies and industries are ideal fits for their products and services, and they target those with a vengeance: size, location, company profile, current vendors, etc.
2) They know where and how to get in front of those prospects, whether it’s referrals and introductions, networking, LinkedIn, trade associations, social media or simply picking up the phone.
3) They schedule time in their day for prospecting activities. They will reserve blocks of time in their daily schedule – an hour, two hours, three hours – and that time is every bit as important to them as a sales call or a doctor’s appointment. Firm, non-cancellable and non-preemptable.
If you don’t have a new business prospecting plan in place and in writing, a good first step is to schedule time in your day today to put one together.
[FREE REPORT] How to Overcome Prospecting Mistakes and Increase Your Sales Pipeline
Jim brings over 35 years of sales, management and marketing experience to the "training table." He has coached hundreds of business owners, sales executives, managers, and corporations to help them achieve greater levels of success and productivity. His areas of expertise range from sales and management training in the advertising and sports marketing fields to professional and business-to-business services, continuing education, new business development, staff hiring and assessments.
