If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, you have more than likely experienced the ebb and flow of prospects in your pipeline from time to time. We all know there will be certain days, weeks, and months that are heavy with appointments, servicing of accounts, and other items that make it difficult to find time to prospect. That said, here are some ideas to ensure that you always have plenty of prospects in the pipeline.
How to Always Have Plenty of Prospects
First, you have to be prospecting every day.
Even on your busiest day, you’ve got to make some prospecting calls. No matter what you have going on personally or professionally, there are always 10 to 20 minutes in the day, probably more, to make some calls. Over a year, even a few calls a day really adds up. Prospecting every day also ensures that you stay sharp and get in the habit of doing it.
Note: Assuming it only takes about 2 minutes to make a call, or 5 minutes if you actually contact someone, you can make anywhere from 2 to 10 calls in 10 to 20 minutes. Shoot for a minimum of at least 5 calls even on the busiest days. If you fall short, and do 3 or 4, that’s still 720 to 960 calls a year over a 48 week working year.
Note 2: If you don’t think you have any time, track your time and where each minute goes during the day. If you do this, you will literally find hours in your day. In any case, you can always find 15 to 30 minutes somewhere.
Second, take advantage of the slow times.
When times are slow in terms of sales and other activities, you have to take advantage of these times by making a significant number of prospecting calls. For example, if your goal is 20 calls a day, shoot for 40 or more calls a day, when times are slow. This is when you will get the majority of your prospects and also when you will make up for the crazy-busy days in which you had little time to prospect.
One of the biggest prospecting issues is that when people have time to prospect, they either don’t do enough or they hit their daily goal and stop. The people who always have plenty of prospects make two to three times the amount of daily prospecting calls when they have the time.
Third, make prospecting a priority.
When your primary job is to produce revenue (sell), you have three priorities: prospecting, presenting, and closing. Those three activities simply have to come before the other things you’re doing during the day and they are all important. Many times, when there is plenty of time to prospect, salespeople find ways to “kill” time. Most salespeople get really creative when it comes to avoiding the hard work of prospecting. Cleaning the desk, looking up information on a prospect or customer (for more than a few minutes), reading articles during prime calling hours, going to doctor or dentist appointments during prime calling hours, answering an e-mail that isn’t important but is quick, making a phone call that isn’t important but is quick, are all examples of items that are less important than prospecting. Make sure that during prime calling time you are focused on closing sales, appointments, and prospecting.
Forth, get better at sales and prospecting.
When is the last time you read a book on sales or prospecting? When the last time you changed or refined any part of your sales or prospecting process? It’s critical that you continue to get better in these areas. The better you are at prospecting and selling, the fewer calls you have to make and the fewer people you need to talk to. Practice, drill, and rehearse your prospecting calls. You have to be practicing you lines with other salespeople and/or friends and family. This goes for prospecting as well as other sales situations such as: presentations, objections, questions you ask prospects, etc.
Fifth, work more hours when there is less time to prospect.
There will be times when you simply have to work more hours. Even if you only work an average of an extra 30 minutes a day, or 2 ½ hour a week, on average, that’s enough time for 10 phone calls per day or 50 per week.
Here are some other ideas that can help hit your prospecting goals:
- Time block your prospecting. Treat prospecting as an appointment on your schedule.
- Have someone hold you accountable.
- Team up with someone and make calls at the same time.
- Have a contest with someone. Who can make the most calls and get the most appointments?
Finally, remember: Someone out there is keeping their pipeline full at all times. Actually, lots of people are. Whatever your excuse is, how bad you have it, how busy your day is, there is someone out there who has it worse than you and has overcome that to achieve a full sales pipeline at all times. Is it the majority of people? No. But there are many who are getting it done. Executing on most of the above items will simply come down to sheer determination and effort to do what must be done. Is it going to be easy? No. Can you do it and will it be worth it? Yes.
Note: The examples I used for this article involve making phone calls versus in-person calls. Whatever types of calls you’re making, the thing to keep in mind is that even on the busiest days you can always make 1 or 2 in-person visits or 5 to 10 phone calls. Either way, you’ve got to do some prospecting every day.
John Chapin is a sales and motivational speaker and trainer. For his free newsletter, or if you would like him to speak at your next event, go to: www.completeselling.com John has over 27 years of sales experience as a number one sales rep and is the author of the 2010 sales book of the year: Sales Encyclopedia. For permission to reprint, e-mail: johnchapin@completeselling.com.
