Updated on April 19, 2021
Have not read our posts on the Law of Prospecting? Check out the first one: “Lesson 1: Law of Prospecting - The Universal Law of Need”
Ever heard someone say: “You should be in sales” or “You are born to sell”? This comment is usually made to a bright, eloquent, and outgoing person. However, facts and statistics have proven that many top salespeople are in fact not born, but made.
Sales, like any skill, takes practice. Professional musicians, for instance, have a natural talent but they practice and refine that talent to be the best they can be. Some people may have a natural skill set that lends itself to sales, but the best salespeople take that talent and refine it.
So yes, the first step to being better at prospecting is continuous prospecting. Becoming an excellent salesperson requires time, practice, patience, and a whole lot of discipline. Here are five tips to help you prospect better, which in turn, will help keep your sales funnel healthy and keep your conversion rate growing.
Set the right mindset
Sales can be a tough profession—we deal with countless rejections in a day and sometimes it can wear us down. It is totally normal to feel dejected and demotivated because we are humans. So, train yourself to not take rejections personally and learn to move on.
Focus on the [right] outcome
The ideal outcome of prospecting is to open the relationship. While it is important to schedule appointments or prove to your prospect that you can add value to them during your prospecting activity, do not get too far away from the point of prospecting. The whole idea of prospecting is to open a relationship with a total stranger. This is the preliminary stage where you introduce the possibility of creating value and doing something together.
Find a commonality
“The moment I asked them for a minute, they already hung up on me…” Sounds familiar?
Finding qualified prospects is hard enough. The second hardest step is to engage with them and keep them interested enough to stay on the line. To do this, you need to find a commonality. In his 360 BCE play Phaedrus, Plato wrote: “similarity begets friendship.” There is actually scientific evidence to prove that humans do give preference to things and people they are familiar with.
In short, before your next round of prospecting, try to do a little homework. By researching your prospect before the call, it will help establish familiarity as well as credibility.
Plans are not always great
It is good that you have a plan (or a script) as a guide, however, you should always be prepared to pivot. This brings back the last point, ‘Do your homework’. Because knowledge is power and you will feel far more confident when you are prepared. Additionally, it will also transform your role from just another “salesperson” to a subject matter expert with unique insights and advice to offer. This will further establish your credibility and build trust with your prospect.
Ask for feedback
Our strength grows out of our weakness. The best way to become better at anything is to ask for feedback, including prospecting. If you are not already doing this, try to schedule a meeting once per week with your sales managers or senior salespeople you know. Let them listen to a recorded call you have done and discuss it.
Practice makes perfect. Each sales situation is unique but certain common obstacles usually arise. You will soon realise that after making a substantial amount of calls. But for a start, try incorporating these tips into your prospecting routine and see how they can make a difference.
Interested to learn more about prospecting? Schedule a 15 mins call with our lead Marketing Consultant now!
