Some companies do such a terrific job of demand generation (advertising, direct mail, telemarketing, etc.) that their salespeople never have to prospect. These lucky salespeople have access to more leads than they will ever have time to pursue. Unfortunately, the reality in most companies is that salespeople must source some or all of their own leads if they are to have any hope of achieving their sales targets. A comprehensive Prospecting Plan will help salespeople maximize their return on prospecting time invested.
What is a Prospecting Plan? Basically it is a calendar that lists the various prospecting activities in which a salesperson plans to engage and the amount of time they intend to invest in each activity. The most effective prospecting plans don’t focus on a single type of activity; rather, they include a mix of activities. A number of typical activities are examined below.
Cold Calling
Cold calling has probably dissuaded more people from pursuing a sales career than any other activity. After all, what could possibly be less fun than calling strangers, disrupting the flow of their busy day, and trying to convince them that they need to speak with you? When you receive a sales cold call, how does it make you feel? Do you enjoy the experience?
The basic challenge with cold calling is that you are asking people for something (their time) before you have given them anything of value. Author and speaker Jeffrey Gitomer makes the case that cold calling is a complete waste of time. He feels that salespeople can earn much greater returns by reallocating cold calling time to networking and seeking referrals.
If you find that you must make cold calls, pick up a copy of Anthony Parinello’s book, Selling to VITO: The Very Important Top Officer ( Suggested Reading). Parinello’s comprehensive cold calling methodology will teach you how to use quantified business impacts (see The Secret to Closing More Sales: The Secret to Closing More Sales) to stand out from other salespeople and attract the attention of C-level executives.