8/29/2023-Prospecting

Prospecting is about energy. Immense energy is needed to get started, but the energy produced by prospecting is limitless. Harnessing the energy needed to get started is easier than you think.

Stop for a moment and think about your clients. No doubt your buyer network comprises many great people…perhaps a few really close friends too.

Stay in that moment and ruminate on this: every one of those great clients was once a prospect of yours. They were once a stranger to you.

What if, during your next prospecting segment (ahem….today!), you secure a meeting with someone who turns out to be a lifelong client? …or better, a life-long client and friend?

DING DING DING DING!

Ya see how a different shine can make something look? Now go DO it.

Most sellers admit one of the greatest pleasures in their job is working with and getting to know many smart and fun clients.

Today’s prospecting assignment is to…
1. Prospect! ….any kind of prospecting is good prospecting.
2. Re-contact clients you haven’t spoken to in over six months.

Dust off those client names that used to be part of your regular rotation and get on their calendar for a 20-minute video chat to compare notes.

Who knows, you might scare up some business? Or, the catch-up will be fun and may lead to referrals.

Stay active!

Good prospecting starts with a good attitude; it only helps by repeating phrases like, "I can do this, I WILL do this." But it doesn’t get real until you start the DOing.

The sellers who continually hang out in the TOP 10% will tell you that prospecting perseverance is the number one skill needed to succeed in sales. (Objection handling is a close second.)

Ex-sales managers, sellers, and executives have written much about prospecting. But the psychologists offer the best insights into how sellers like you can fight through prospecting aversion.

This has nothing to do with time on the couch, it’s merely appreciating a few truths about behavioral modification. This is not a blame game. The game you should be playing is the change game.

What will you change that commits you to spend more prospecting time?

Like deciding to have a good attitude, deciding whether or not you want to excel at prospecting is just that, a decision. Everything else – tactics, emailing best practices, networking – is just a list of tactics that must be done to reach your goals.

"What if you only had to be brave for twenty seconds?" asks Emily Jaenson in this engaging Ted Talk titled Six Behaviors to Increase Confidence.

What if you only had to be brave and prospect for only 20 minutes?

For many sellers, prospecting is easy. (Hey, I got 15 minutes until my next thing…lemme bang out some emails and calls.)

For others, not so much. It requires a serious nudge. Maybe Emily’s message today is the nudge you need.