5 Ways To Make Sales Prospecting Easier

Prospecting is one of the most important aspects of a successful business. It is essential for growth and longevity because it allows for greater investment into a business, its offerings, and it's ability to meet demand.

There are many ways to prospect but some of them make the process a whole lot easier to do. You don't have to rely on luck or random chance.

If you simply tweak your mindset you'll find that prospecting isn't as hard as you once thought.

1. Be Willing To Put Yourself Out There

Most salespeople think that sales prospecting is not for the shy. It involves a lot of calculated risk, a lot of calls that will never be returned, people slamming doors in your face, hanging up on you, and strongly insisting you never call them again.

While in some cases this is absolutely true; it is not the only way to prospect. But in the end, as a salesperson you have to be OK with hearing the word "No"…a lot! In fact you have to move past those feelings and keep pushing on.

You can’t let your feelings be hurt.

Additionally you have to try multiple avenues to engage with customers. Calls and emails aren’t enough anymore. You ned to throw in handwritten letters, foot prospecting, social selling, sending gifts, blogging, and anything else you can think of that make them want to talk with you.

And if any one activity is not working as well as you think it should be, you have to be quick to recognize that and make a change immediately.

2. Have A Plan

You should absolutely have a plan of attack of prospecting.

• Who are you going to target?
• How are you going to reach out to them?
• When are you going to reach out?

These are the most basic questions you need to ask yourself when prospecting.

Planning serves two purposes. The first is so there is some sort of consistency in your selling. You aren’t just haphazardly calling people who are not ideal prospects and have no idea who you are.

The second purpose is so that you can track your results…

3. Track Your Results

You can’t change what you don’t measure.

Normally your Sales Manager is on top of your prospecting numbers but this is absolutely something you should be focusing on too.

• How many calls did you make this week?
• How many emails did you send this week?
• What days did you get the most responses?
• What scripts got the highest response rates?
• How many touches did it take before you received a response?
• What is the most common response of no (e.g. price, timing, functionality, etc)?

If you measure these metrics during your day you will begin to see patterns in what works and what doesn't. After a short time you will begin to see patterns that will help you focus your prospecting activities.

From there you can take those results and adjust your prospecting method appropriately.

4. Keep Your Momentum Up

Momentum is key when you've set aside time to prospect. And it’s a lot easier to control then you might think.

Lets say you've already made 22 cold calls and have only gotten 20 voicemails and two answers that said “no thanks”.

You might be feeling a little down at this point which is completely understandable. Especially for a new sales rep. When you get like that or you just had someone be REALLY angry with you over the phone (I've had my fair share) then take a break.

If you work from home like I do then go for a walk or run. If the weather is permitting go sit outside and people watch for a bit at Starbucks or read a book. Anything that will flush the bad feelings from your mind and help you get back to the task at hand.

And on the flip side, if you just got a prospect to invite you in for a demonstration you want to keep going. Keep that good momentum going and call some more prospects. Keep yourself lucky. The smile on your face from the last call will ring in your voice with the next call.

Heck, when I get really great news I call those clients who’s conversations haven’t been the best lately because I am on such a high that any bad news with them shrivels in comparison.

Another tip if you start to go down in mood during calls. Take a break and call one of your current customers who you have a good relationship with. That will help clean the palette for you.

5. Actually Do It

The last tip for better sales prospecting is that you have to actually do it.

Prospecting and using these tips require you to actually get out there in the trenches.

Your clients and prospects are your best teachers. You’ll be able to take these tips and adjust them and change them to fit their needs and yours. Then you will be unstoppable.

Don’t be afraid of a little hard work. Most things in life actually worth something require hard work. If you want to be successful in sales follow these tips, work hard, and you’ll do fine.

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Johnny Bravo has over a decade of experience as a Sales Executive in Los Angeles working with property management and real estate investment firms to better manage their operation using enterprise level accounting software.

His blog, the Sales Pro Blog, allows him to help professionals sell their brand and take their career to the next level. Businesses and professionals in every industry come to him for best practices in sales, networking and professional brand development. His LinkedIn optimization guide, Top 9 Tips For Using LinkedIn Like A Sales Pro, helps you be heard, be found and be recognized online.

Be sure to follow him on Twitter or connect on LinkedIn.

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This post originally appeared on the Sales Pro Blog.