Updated on March 10, 2021
What makes a salesperson successful lies in the prospecting practices they do. In fact, anyone can be a successful salesperson. The number one reason for failure in sales is not the lack of talent, experience, skill, desire, training, market conditions, nor product knowledge, which many of us tend to believe so, but it is really the lack of sales activity.
The lack of activity normally leads to an empty pipeline, leaving you with no options but to get upfront and personal with the Universal Law of Need. This law simply states that the more you need something, the less likely it is that you will get it. When you rest all your hope for survival on one, two, or even a handful of accounts, the probability of failing to close deals increases exponentially. In short, do not give yourself a chance to be in a state of desperation.
Before you get confused between a sales pipeline and a sales funnel, the fine distinction is that a pipeline reflects what a seller does during the sales process whilst a funnel is a visual representation of the journey from your prospect’s first contact with you until a completed purchase. In a typical sales pipeline, it consists of common stages like prospecting, meeting, proposing, and eventually, closing.
“The building is only as tall as the foundation is strong enough to build on.” Similarly, when you are prospecting inconsistently, the opportunities left in your pipeline also becomes inconsistent and scarce. In worst-case scenarios, you are likely to have zero deal to close and the vicious cycle goes on—when you are not selling, your job is on the line and then you desperately scramble to survive.
The truth is, nobody likes a desperate person. Through your actions, words, tone of voice, and body language, people can immediately sense your desperation. Prospects naturally repel needy and desperate salespeople. On the contrary, they gravitate toward those who are confident and composed.
According to the Law of Attraction, what you focus your thoughts on, you’ll most likely get. When you are desperate, your good judgement is usually gone out of the window. Instead of focusing on what is required to succeed, you are likely to dwell on the consequences if you do not get what you need, thereby attracting failure.
Whether you are a believer of these theories or not, they hold true to the fundamentals of prospecting to this present day. So, do not cease to prospect. You may quickly get discouraged after being rejected the first few times but do not give up! Prospecting becomes easier when you have the right attitude and goals in mind.
Want to know how to articulate your way to successful prospecting? Get on a 15 mins call with our lead Sales and Marketing consultant now.
