Do you procrastinate and spin your wheels to avoid the dreaded task of prospecting for new clients?  Call reluctance is a common ailment among salespeople.  But the fact remains that nothing happens until you get that first appointment.  Top performers are better than the rest at managing their sales prospecting activities but instead of prospecting for new clients, you’re procrastinating.  Again.

Almost half of the success top salespeople enjoy comes from effective prospecting.

Top salespeople have three secrets that make them more successful prospectors.  They have a well-defined approach for getting in the door.  They identify the best prospects.  And they conquer call reluctance.  Here's how:

An Effective Prospecting Approach

1. Open the call and introduce yourself.
2. Gain the prospect's attention with a quick statement of your company's strongest capability.  (Example: "Our new packaging system shaves 20 percent off the time required by our competitors' systems.")
3. Create a vision of the benefits of your potential solution.  (Example: "Our customers in your industry have been able to cut packaging costs by as much as a third.")
4. Ask for commitment in the form of an appointment to call on the customer at a specific time and date.

Prioritize Sales Prospects

Guard your time and ensure you see the right people by dividing sales prospects into three groups:

1. Prime: Decision makers willing to take the next step.
2. Keepers: Decision makers who need more information or influencers who can get you to the decision maker.
3. Discards: Everyone else.

Overcome Call Reluctance

Unlearn negative thoughts.  If you tell yourself you hate prospecting or that you're no good at it, you’ll create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Reduce your fear factor.  List your fears.  Rank them from worst to least.  Get training on the things you fear least.  Your greater fears will be reduced by the same degree.

Eliminate escape routes.  Identify the specific things you do to avoid prospecting.  Instead of just vowing to "spend more time prospecting," stop doing those other things during business hours.

Unless you master your reluctance and adopt an effective approach to prospecting, no amount of effort to improve your sales skills will produce the results you want.  Because nothing happens until you get your foot in the door.

In The Field:

Want to increase your prospecting effectiveness by a factor of six?  Referral prospecting is six times more effective than cold calling.  Ask for a referral every time you end a call.  If you do this correctly and consistently, all of your new business will be coming from selling to referrals within five years.  You will never have to cold call again.

Here is a great sales technique that students learn in the Action Selling Sales Training Program.  As you end each call, regardless of its outcome, ask for a referral.  But don't make the common mistake of asking, "Do you know anyone who might be interested?"  That gets you a quick "no".  Instead, ask these questions:

"When was that last time you discussed (the topic of your meeting) with one of your peers in this company or another one?"

"Whom were you speaking with?"

"Would you mind if I contacted them?" (Get the contact information.)

When you contact the referral, always explain who gave you his/her name and what you were discussing that caused their name to come up.  This sales strategy works!

Author Bio:

Duane Sparks is chairman and founder of The Sales Board, a Minneapolis-based sales training company that delivers a product called ACTION SELLING.  Action Selling is a highly effective sales tool that thousands of CEO's and VP's of Sales have used to dramatically increase revenue.  Since 1990, Action Selling has been researched, refined and proven to increase sales faster than any other method. With Action Selling, salespeople become disciplined, motivated and focused. If you want a dramatic increase in revenue, protected margins and happier salespeople, call 1-800-232-3485 or visit http://www.thesalesboard.com/.

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