The More You Prospect, The Luckier You Get
Find our why consistent daily prospecting creates luck in sales.
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The More You Prospect, The Luckier You Get
I spent the last week at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. As always it was an amazing experience–the holy grail of sports competition. Watching the best golfers in the world compete for the most prized trophy in sports–the Green Jacket–almost always yields lessons that can be associated with sales. This year was no different. As I walked the Augusta National Golf Course I was reminded of a quote by Arnold Palmer: “The more I practice, the luckier I get.”
The Importance of Prospecting
There are so many ways this applies to sales but none more so than prospecting. Prospecting activity is the real key to success in sales because no matter how good you are at asking questions, presenting, or closing, if you don’t have prospects to sell to you will fail.
Most salespeople only do the minimal amount of prospecting required to just squeak by. The reason why is simple; like practice in golf, prospecting in sales is hard work and not very much fun. Prospecting opens you up to tons of rejection. It is tedious. And far too often it feels like you are getting nowhere. I get more questions about prospecting than any other activity in sales. Sadly, many salespeople spend so much time asking how to prospect that they don’t actually do prospecting.
How to Become Better at Prospecting
Can training, experience, and technique make you a better prospector? Of course. However, in sales, the more you prospect, the luckier you get and the better you get. It is far more important that you prospect often than you prospect using the best techniques. When you prospect consistently–and that means every day–amazing things happen. Opportunities come to you from out of nowhere. You begin to connect with the right people, in the right accounts, at just the right time. Amazingly prospects will even begin to contact you.
Prospecting Consistently is Key
When you prospect consistently you win. It just happens that way. In sales, prospecting creates luck, or what I prefer to call Sales Gravy. But luck doesn’t come at first; it happens over time. You can’t make prospecting calls for a single day, week, or month and expect miracles any more than you could expect to go to the driving range once and then go on to win a golf tournament. No, it takes consistent commitment and discipline over time–a little bit every day. It requires faith that over time your effort will pay off, even though at the moment all you hear is the word no. So go hit the phones, knock on doors, send email requests, go to trade shows, and attend networking events. Don’t let anything or anyone stop you. Because in sales, the more you prospect, the luckier you get.
For more help with prospecting and cold calling I recommend getting the book, The Real Secrets of the Top 20% by Mike Brooks.
This is Jeb Blount, the Sales Guy. If you have a sales question please send it to salesguy@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email.