By Jack Perry
Every sales professional knows that building a clientele means serious prospecting. Although prospecting is a crucial part of every successful sales career, most sales professionals absolutely hate it. They associate the task of prospecting with repeated refusals and personal feelings of failure. But the most successful, satisfied salespeople know that prospecting doesn’t have to be a negative experience.
Successful prospecting is an attitude game. As the great motivator Earl Nightingale said, “If you have a poor attitude, you’ll experience poor results. If on the other hand, you have a good attitude … good results follow. It’s that easy.”
If you want to get good results from your prospecting efforts, use these six keys and watch your success climb.
1. Replace Your Old, Negative Attitude with a New, Positive Attitude
The most successful wholesaler ever in the financial services industry, Ron Schantz, loved what he did. He saw everyone as a potential lifelong client. As the perennial leading wholesaler in the country, Ron did not need new clients to be number one. He could have rested on his laurels and cashed the checks, but he wanted more. He wanted to be the supreme leader. When he went on business trips, in each town he copied the Yellow Pages listings of every financial services firm and called them to share his exciting story. Ron really loved prospecting. And when you love it as well, you’ll see potential clients everywhere.
Every morning when you wake up, jump out of bed, look in the mirror and say, “I looove to prospect!” And when you say “love,” elongate it – really draw it out. Make it fun, because that’s your new chosen attitude. Prospecting is going to be fun from this day forward.
2. Treat Every Potential Client like the Most Important Person in the World…Because They Are
How would you feel if everyone you met treated you as if you were their Number One priority? Would you want to do business with them? Of course you would! Treating everyone like the most important person in the world is an old way of thinking that most people have forgotten. But treating others as you’d like to be treated is extremely important. Make it a new habit in your life.
Imagine you’re speaking at an educational seminar and you look forward to making contact with a room full of potential clients. Now imagine the weather is so terrible that only two people show up. In this case, you may be tempted to cancel the event. But if you want to be successful, you’ll treat those two people like the most important people in the world. And if you do, they’ll probably be your clients by the end of the night.
Treat others as you’d like to be treated. Repeat this mantra to yourself every time you’re about to communicate with a prospect, and your relationships will improve dramatically.
3. When They Say “No,” Don’t Take it Personally
Many salespeople take every “no” as an attack on their very soul. And in reality, you’ll likely be told “no” so many times throughout your career that you’ll have a Doctorate Degree in rejection. But do not allow people to reject you.
Prospects can reject your idea or product, but they can’t reject you. Not everyone is going to like you, but you must not take it personally. Don’t allow the moods and opinions of others to damage your self-image. Maintain your professional, positive attitude, and remember the “no” has nothing to do with you. Just shrug it off and call on the next potential client knowing you’re now just that much closer to getting a “yes.”
4. When You Get a “Yes” or a Series of Them, Don’t Get Comfortable or Relax
Remember , treat every morning as your first day of prospecting. Jim Cecil, a relationship-marketing guru, told a wonderful story about getting cozy with “yes.” He said that one day an experienced copier salesperson took a rookie on his first day of prospecting. They had a good day, took several orders, and the rookie was excited. He thought every day was going to be as successful as his first. The senior salesperson put it into perspective for the rookie by telling him that although the day had gone very well it would not always be so easy. In fact, he said, “We didn’t really make a sale that day; we were walking in the orchard and bumped into some low-hanging fruit.”
Every day won’t be a low-hanging fruit day. Enjoy them when they come, but treat every day with the renewed dedication it deserves.
5. Be Honest with Yourself and Others
Keep records of your sales numbers and success rates, and look at them honestly. No matter what people tell you about how to prospect or how to grow your business, the facts don’t lie. Be honest with yourself and your prospects. And if other salespeople are dishonest, don’t allow their lack of values to cloud your judgment. Stay focused on what you’re doing.
What if your competitors lie? Still be intellectually honest with yourself and in dealings with prospects and clients. You have no control over the ethics and morals of others, so rather than focus on their side of the business, brush it off and keep moving forward on your own chosen path.
6. Develop an Action Plan
Alright, your attitude is adjusted and you’re feeling fine. Now that you own a prospecting mindset, go out and get into the traffic. Relax; it won’t hurt you. To ensure that you turn more prospects into buying clients, create a plan and keep in place.
The first step of your plan is to set goals for the number of new contacts you will establish each day, week, and month. Then set goals for following up on your prospects. Be sure to maintain accurate records every day and develop a system for managing your client relationships. Finally, you must face the numbers and drive yourself to beat your goals every day and every week. Have a healthy disgust for your efforts if you ever fail to meet your prospecting goals.
Riches Are Waiting … So What Are You Waiting For?
Without a doubt, prospecting is the Number One way to build your successful business. The more prospecting you do, the more people you meet, and the more opportunities you have to create life-long clients and referrals. So why not make it easy on yourself? Use these six keys to start building your positive prospecting mindset and winning more business as a result. Good morning my name is….
Prospecting from The Respect Factor® Series
THE RESPECT FACTOR® is a trademark of Jack Perry in the United States and other countries. Used with permission. ©2009 Jack Perry. All rights reserved.
© Jack Perry, 2005
All rights reserved
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