Sales Prospecting

Sales Prospecting can be easy. This page curates content about how to become better at sales prospecting. You won’t find a silver bullet. Instead, there are recipes.

Sales Prospecting 101

The most simple and potent advice I can give you about sales prospecting is this: Do it every day. 

Yep. That’s it. That’s what it takes to make it easy. You see, it’s like watching a person running who normally sits on the couch and watches Netflix compared to someone who runs daily.

Trust me, the second person looks like they are having fun. And they are. The first example is struggling and probably not having fun.

How Do You Do Sales Prospecting?

When do you think is the best time to get started with sales prospecting? Right now.

Please trust me. This. Is. The. Hardest. Step.

These Are The Steps To Sales Prospecting

Decide

Begin sales prospecting by picking a block of time when you will do it. Block the time in your calendar, turn off all your notifications on your computer, put your phone away,  and begin.

Open 

Create a document that you will use to keep track of your prospects. This can be your CRM system, an Excel spreadsheet, or a handwritten list if you want to go all Fred Flintstone.

Add

 When you created your list, add to the lit any prospects you might currently be working on. Doing this is important because part of prospecting is following-up with prospects you’ve identified. For example, market data shows that it takes somewhere between 7 and 11 “touches” to engage a prospect.

Identify

Do you know where your ideal prospects hang out? I mean this digitally or virtually. It can be physical, but that might be a little premature in the prospecting phase. Or, if you already know who your potential clients are look for common interests you might have with them.

Deliver Value

Above all else in your sales prospecting activities, deliver value in every interaction you have with your prospects. Make your emails and calls about them and what they need. Avoid peddling your service and “asking for 15 minutes to tell you about…” Insert your favorite product or service here.

Persist In Your Sales Prospecting Work

I wrote it earlier. And it can’t be said enough. Persistence is your best friend in sales prospecting. Well, perhaps your only friend. So when you stick to it, follow-up, and add value, your sales prospecting efforts will pay off. That’s a guarantee.

In Conclusion

There are many terrific books about sales prospecting. I think one of the best is, “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount (Affiliate Link). And even better is his boxed set of all of his Sales Gravy books (Affiliate Link). 

My favorite idea that Jeb teaches is the “Golden Hour” of prospecting. What I mean is that this is the one that hits closest to home for me. Because it is so easy to get distracted when sales prospecting, so setting aside a protected hour each morning and afternoon is a great strategy.

I wrote about "Nine Selling Truths I'd Teach My Younger Self" here.

Sales prospecting is critical to the health of any business or sales territory. That’s why I like to write about, discuss, and experiment with it. As a result, the content here is just the beginning.

There are blog posts below where you can learn more. 

If you’d like a free pdf that I put together about how to make your customers and prospects feel special, fill out the form below. Or, if you’d like to schedule a time to discuss something you’re working on, email me at Joel@makemarketingeasy.com.

Good luck and good marketing and selling!