“You must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” - Zig Ziglar Even when you've established a prospecting process, it's crucial to acknowledge there will still be variations. You will encounter outcomes that are not what they could or should be. Although it requires additional time to tailor your approach based on the specific customer type, doing so will lead to more success. You must slow down to speed up. Every salesperson should have an overall prospecting plan (on paper). It's also advisable you have a plan for each prospect. Have you ever heard the saying, "If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail"? Your customers are not all nails. You cannot use the same tool to fix everything. Prospecting is no different. For example, you're not going to reach the C-suite using the same process you would to reach an individual lower in the organization. You must segment your prospects by the type of message and strategy that will most likely engage them. An individual lower in the organization is more likely to take a phone call than someone in the C-suite who is not going to talk to anyone they don't know and trust. Your efforts must also have different timelines associated with them. Your prospecting timelines and the frequency of your efforts are going to vary based on who you are trying to reach. For example, if you are selling into academia, trying to reach a professor at the start of the academic year is simply not going to work. Conversely, if you are trying to reach a graduate student, the start of the academic year might be perfect. In the corporate world dominated by meetings, calling someone 5 or 10 minutes after the hour is almost guaranteed to result in voicemail. But 5 to 10 minutes before the hour, you have a chance. This is about when works best for your customer; not for you. You also need to keep in mind the higher up in the organization a person is, the more likely you'll run into gatekeepers. You need to have a plan for when a gatekeeper answers your call rather than your target. And the more likely you'll be able to reach your target and avoid the gatekeeper by using contacts with whom they are already comfortable with. Think referrals (more to come on this in a later #InfinitePositivity post).
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Sales Speaker, Keynote Speaker, Coach to Sales Leaders. 🎯 Enabling B2B Sales Leaders and Sales Teams to Achieve Unstoppable Sales℠. 🔥Author of The Unstoppable Sales Machine.📚
Think all leads are worth your time? Guess again. Let me show you why being selective is your pathway to optimal performance in prospecting. You must be critical of who you spend your time pursuing. Time is the great equalizer, and if you want to be a top-performing sales professional, you need to manage your time wisely. What does this mean? Well, for starters, don’t spend it pursuing prospects who aren’t a good fit for what you sell. They might be too small, too locked in with your competition, or possibly too difficult to reach (although there are strategies I teach to address this!). Get crystal clear on who your ideal prospect is so that you can ensure you are spending your time wisely. Because you don’t have any time to waste. Here are some critical steps you can use to define your ideal prospects (taken from my book The Unstoppable Sales Machine). Shawn’s Ideal Prospect Checklist 1. They have a need for what you sell. 2. They are of a sufficient size to support your product or service. 3. They offer you a substantial new sales opportunity. 4. They serve markets you have experience serving or supporting. 5. You can provide references or testimonials to prove the value of your solution to them. 6. You can demonstrate a clear return on their investment (ROTI). 7. The decision-maker is easily identifiable. 8. The company is reachable (if in-person visits are part of your proven sales process). 9. You can gain sufficient information to support your outreach (i.e., contact info, website). 10. You are excited by the opportunity the prospect presents. Depending on what you sell, there are other more specific criteria you’ll want to use. However, remember that not every prospect is a good prospect. Be careful with how you invest your time. You only have so much of it to go around. #success #sales #prospecting
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Teaching Sales Professionals How to Convert Qualified, Interested Buyers into Customers on LinkedIn | Founder of the CREATE Sales Method | LinkedIn Top Voice
Your prospecting fails when it doesn't lead a client to these 5 internal conclusions. Getting a potential client to respond to you is about leading them through a series of internal conclusions. Contrary to popular belief, they are not about your company or its products or services. They are actually about you. Here are the 5 most essential conclusions they must reach: 1️⃣ I've asked myself the same question. This could be in exact or general terms. Have you defined what you can solve for people? 2️⃣ This person understands me and/or my situation. Discuss what it feels like to be in this position, how someone gets there, and the frustrations around dealing with and trying to correct it. 3️⃣ That's what I need help with. Demonstrate that you have worked with many problems like theirs and have provided successful solutions and outcomes. 4️⃣ I believe I could trust this person. It's important here to have an apparent yet low-pressure call to action. This allows your prospect to feel in control of the decision to reach out to you rather than feel pressured to have a meeting. 5️⃣ This is someone I want to see about working with. Everything you've done to this point has brought them to the conclusion that you could be the person they have been looking for to help them solve their issue. Many companies sell solutions similar to yours, and many sales representatives reach out to your prospects. Top salespeople ensure that their messages lead prospects to these 5 conclusions that get more responses and close more deals. Make prospecting suck less. ✅ Subscribe to my newsletter 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile to follow me. ➡ Connect with me or DM me. #sales #makeprospectingsuckless
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Teaching Sales Professionals How to Convert Qualified, Interested Buyers into Customers on LinkedIn | Founder of the CREATE Sales Method | LinkedIn Top Voice
Your prospecting fails when it doesn't lead a client to these 5 internal conclusions. Getting a potential client to respond to you is about leading them through a series of internal conclusions. Contrary to popular belief, they are not about your company or its products or services. They are actually about you. Here are the 5 most essential conclusions they must reach: 1️⃣ I've asked myself the same question. This could be in exact or general terms. Have you defined what you can solve for people? 2️⃣ This person understands me and/or my situation. Discuss what it feels like to be in this position, how someone gets there, and the frustrations around dealing with and trying to correct it. 3️⃣ That's what I need help with. Demonstrate that you have worked with many problems like theirs and have provided successful solutions and outcomes. 4️⃣ I believe I could trust this person. It's important here to have an apparent yet low-pressure call to action. This allows your prospect to feel in control of the decision to reach out to you rather than feel pressured to have a meeting. 5️⃣ This is someone I want to see about working with. Everything you've done to this point has brought them to the conclusion that you could be the person they have been looking for to help them solve their issue. Many companies sell solutions similar to yours, and many sales representatives reach out to your prospects. Top salespeople ensure that their messages lead prospects to these 5 conclusions that get more responses and close more deals. Make prospecting suck less. ✅ Subscribe to my newsletter 🔔 Ring the bell on my profile to follow me. ➡ Connect with me or DM me. #sales #makeprospectingsuckless
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Think all leads are worth your time? Guess again. Let me show you why being selective is your pathway to optimal performance in prospecting. You must be critical of who you spend your time pursuing. Time is the great equalizer, and if you want to be a top-performing sales professional, you need to manage your time wisely. What does this mean? Well, for starters, don’t spend it pursuing prospects who aren’t a good fit for what you sell. They might be too small, too locked in with your competition, or possibly too difficult to reach (although there are strategies I teach to address this!). Get crystal clear on who your ideal prospect is so that you can ensure you are spending your time wisely. Because you don’t have any time to waste. Here are some critical steps you can use to define your ideal prospects (taken from my book The Unstoppable Sales Machine). Shawn’s Ideal Prospect Checklist 1. They have a need for what you sell. 2. They are of a sufficient size to support your product or service. 3. They offer you a substantial new sales opportunity. 4. They serve markets you have experience serving or supporting. 5. You can provide references or testimonials to prove the value of your solution to them. 6. You can demonstrate a clear return on their investment (ROTI). 7. The decision-maker is easily identifiable. 8. The company is reachable (if in-person visits are part of your proven sales process). 9. You can gain sufficient information to support your outreach (i.e., contact info, website). 10. You are excited by the opportunity the prospect presents. Depending on what you sell, there are other more specific criteria you’ll want to use. However, remember that not every prospect is a good prospect. Be careful with how you invest your time. You only have so much of it to go around. #success #sales #prospecting
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Working with Sales & Sales Leadership professionals to help you become a stronger leader of your sales team.
How many excuses does your sales team have for not prospecting? Prospecting for new business is a critical requirement to maintaining your business and growing your sales. But prospecting is also something most sales reps dislike more than any other function of their job. The only proven way to maintain strong ongoing prospecting is when it becomes an ongoing expectation of management. Three ideas that can help increase your team’s prospecting efforts. 1st idea - Prospecting tends to work best when it’s an ongoing job requirement defined by specific prospecting times or minimum number of prospecting efforts expected every week. Some companies hold “Prospecting Thursdays” each week when the sales team is expected to only be working on new business opportunities. Others define a specific hour each day to be outbound calling for new opportunities. 2nd idea – You need to track new business prospecting efforts and results. There’s an old saying “Continuous tracking produces continuous results.” 3rd and final idea - Make sure your reps do research before attempting to contact a new prospect. You need to make sure they can sound competent and can offer ideas or applications to any new company they try to reach. Prospecting is such a critical aspect of selling today. What can you do to help increase your team's prospecting efforts? Today’s video talks about these three ideas to help increase the prospecting efforts of your team…so they can sell even more! Want an even easier way to follow my three-a-week videos…all aimed at helping you and your team to sell even more? Subscribe to my weekly LinkedIn newsletter to stay updated on last week’s video posts. https://lnkd.in/gTR2E-ey #PanceroVids #SalesManagement #SalesLeadership #UID
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Project Preparation & Sales Coaching | Learn the power of the unspoken word | Grow your relationships | Book a Meeting.
Top 5 Mistakes Salespeople Make When Prospecting Prospecting is the lifeblood of sales. It's the crucial first step in building relationships with potential customers. However, even experienced salespeople can stumble when it comes to prospecting. Here are five common mistakes to avoid: 1. Neglecting Research Mistake: Failing to research prospects before reaching out can lead to missed opportunities. Without understanding your prospect's business, you risk wasting their time or pitching irrelevant solutions. Solution: Always do your homework. Investigate the prospect's industry, pain points, and goals. Enter each call with at least one assumption based on research. 2. Ignoring Buyer Personas Mistake: Not all leads are created equal. If you're not checking leads against your buyer personas, you might end up chasing dead ends. Solution: Qualify prospects over the phone. Ensure they fit your ideal customer profile. Consider factors like industry, seniority level, and company size. 3. Using Generic Outreach Mistake: Sending canned emails or following voicemail scripts can make you sound robotic. Prospects can spot generic communication from a mile away. Solution: Customize your outreach. Address specific pain points, mention recent news about their company, or highlight how your solution can benefit them. 4. Ignoring Conversion Points Mistake: Inbound leads are valuable, but not all are ready to buy. Not understanding their conversion point can lead to frustration. Solution: Ask where they are in their buying journey. Tailor your approach accordingly. Are they researching? Evaluating options? Be relevant. 5. Trying to Do Too Much at Once Mistake: Overwhelming prospects with multiple objectives in a single interaction can backfire. Focus on a clear goal for each contact. Solution: Whether it's gathering information, setting an appointment, or providing value, be intentional. Avoid spreading yourself too thin. Remember, effective prospecting requires preparation, empathy, and adaptability. Avoid these pitfalls, and you'll be on your way to building stronger connections with potential clients! Learn how statement based cold calling works with a free trial at Kossie. Link to myself is in my LinkedIn profile. #kossie #coldcalling #statements #prospecting
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W𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀; 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀. 👉Think about the title of this article for a moment: what does it mean to you? Prospecting is the foundation upon which sales are built, and sales are the foundation upon which business is built. Our economy is driven by sales. When sales accelerate, so does the economy. 👉Do you believe in prospecting? Does your company not only have a sales culture but also a prospecting culture? Early in my sales career, I struggled with prospecting because I saw it as a wicked activity. Over the years, that negativity has faded and been replaced by passion—a passion for helping others through what I’m selling. 👉Prospecting cannot be an afterthought. Prospecting cannot be done only when necessary. Prospecting must be done regularly. Only when you move from seeing sales as a job to seeing it as a lifestyle will you begin to fully understand what prospecting is all about. Prospecting drives sales, drives business, and drives the economy. 👉I challenge you to see prospecting for all that it can be—not only in your own life but in the lives of the clients you sell to. Regardless of what you sell, whether B2B or B2C, it all comes down to impacting others. 🔷In the weeks, months, quarters, and years to come, your goal should be to make prospecting your mission. Prospecting is your tool to positively influence others, and it is a powerful tool. Count every prospecting opportunity as your mission. If you accept sales, and particularly prospecting, as something more than a job, I guarantee that everything will change… for the better. #Sales #Prospecting #BusinessGrowth #SalesCulture #Impact #PassionInSales Read an excerpt from the book 👉https://lnkd.in/dC__u5BU
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Cold calling is easy. Or at least it can be. Success in prospecting is mostly showing up. And then doing the work. Easier said than done. I know. 1. Getting told ‘no’ is not motivating. 2. Just finding the time is hard enough. 3. Figuring out where to start is overwhelming. This is why I put Prospect Genius together. Inside there are: 1. Systems and metrics designed to motivate. 2. Speak your prospect’s language to a point where ‘no’ is not an option. 3. Preparation practices that drive time-friendly and results-oriented prospecting. Beyond just preparation, Prospect Genius demonstrates: 1. How to develop a comprehensive seller’s profile. 2. How to define prospect need and solution awareness. 3. How to understand buyer’s and creating buyer profiles. 4. How to use seller and buyer profiles to prepare talking tracks. 5. How to build custom contact cadences to tailor follow-up touches. Prospect Genius makes cold outbound easy and exciting. Results will come quicker and with a lot less effort. Click here to start: https://loom.ly/yzC7InY
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As India’s first talentpreneur mentor, I coach MSME’s and SME’s to build effective Sales Teams in 120 days using my STARS framework that enables them to double their turnover.
STOP your sales team from making this deadly mistake!!! . . . I have spoken to numerous business owners from the SME and MSME sector and most of them complain about the Conversion Rates. When I get into their sales systems then I find one common problem...... PROSPECTING Prospecting is NOT About Spraying and Praying Sales calls feel like throwing darts blindfolded, hoping something sticks. Endless email blasts, cold calls? More like shouting into the void. If your prospecting feels like a soul-sucking grind, it's time for a change. The old ways are dead. Today's buyers are savvy, skeptical, and bombarded with noise. To stand out, you need a smarter, more human approach. Use my battle tested TARGET framework : T - Target with Precision- Forget casting a wide net. Identify your ideal customer profile and laser-focus your efforts. A - Add Value Upfront- Don't lead with a pitch. Offer something valuable – an insight, a resource, a solution to their pain points. R - Research, Research, Research- Know your prospects inside and out. Personalize your outreach and show them you've done your homework. G - Genuine Engagement- Build relationships, not just leads. Listen actively, ask thoughtful questions, and show genuine interest that you care. E - Experiment & Evolve- Don't be afraid to try new approaches. Track your results, learn from your failures, and constantly refine your strategy. T - Tenacity Wins- Prospecting takes time and persistence. Don't give up after one "NO". Nurture those relationships, and you'll be surprised at the doors that open. Stop wasting time on outdated tactics. Embrace the TARGET framework and watch your pipeline fill with qualified leads who are eager to hear from you. 𝑷.𝑺. If you liked this, REPOST to help someone who needs to see this. #salessuccess #salesgrowth #businessgrowth #salescoach #sanjeypawah
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Sandler Training by Sales San Antonio, LLC. Sales Training, Sales Management & Business Development Coaching.
🚨 "You don't have to like prospecting; you just have to do it." 🚨 In sales, prospecting is often the least loved activity. But it's also the most critical. Success in sales doesn't come from waiting for the perfect moment or motivation—it comes from consistent action. 🔑 Attitude: Find Your WHY! It all starts with your mindset. Shift your perspective from seeing prospecting as a chore to viewing it as an opportunity to fulfill your personal goals. Let your personal goals be your driver! 🎯 Behaviors: Consistency is key. Build prospecting into your daily routine. Set aside dedicated time each day, create a system, and stick to it. Prospecting activity should be focused on Keeping, Attaining, Expanding and Recapturing accounts. 🛠️ Techniques: Sharpen your skills! PreCall Planning, for example, allows you to tailor your approach for each prospect. Focus on asking the right questions, building rapport, and identifying pain points. It's not just about the quantity of outreach—it's about quality. You don’t have to love prospecting, but by cultivating the right attitude, adopting consistent behaviors, and refining your techniques, you can turn it into a powerful tool in your sales arsenal. Let’s make prospecting a strength, not a struggle. Cody Harris Eric Zeder Jason Phillips Jeff Warren Jenni Richardson James Zolty Joe Roddey Mike Bailiff Brody McCuiston Erik Abston Paul Kaper Christopher Sood Hector Rodriguez Jr. Sophia DeJong @dakotajayne #CISChallenge
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