"How many prospecting calls did you make last week?" That's the first thing most sales managers ask their reps every Monday morning.
Behind that question is the unstated belief that "selling is a numbers game." Because they believe this, companies routinely set sales prospecting quotas for their salespeople. They track phone calls made, cold calls, call backs and appointments set—all considered vital activities for sales success.
Early in my sales career, I was subject to this type of quota system. My numbers were always significantly below the sacrosanct corporate sales prospecting standards. Yet month after month, I outperformed and outsold my colleagues.
Back then this paradox confounded me. My manager was stymied as well since it went against everything he'd been taught. But he didn't stop too long to examine what was happening. Instead, he pushed me out the door to make more calls.
Since that time, I've learned that more is not always better. In fact, most top sellers make fewer calls than their less successful colleagues. And the ones they do make are so much better.
Follow these guidelines to increase the effectiveness of your sales prospecting.
Be Choosy
Some organizations are much more likely to buy your products or services than others. Identify those companies that meet your best client profile and then pursue business with them. Target those firms where you have the highest likelihood of success and forget calling everyone else.
Be Knowledgeable
Decision makers expect you to have a general understanding of their business. They expect you to be up-to-date on trends in their industry and knowledgeable about how other firms are addressing the critical challenges relevant to your offering.
Be Prepared
In today's business environment, you can't "wing it." Figure out ahead of time what you're going to say if you get a voicemail or if you talk to a real person. Determine how you'll address the common obstacles you’ll invariably encounter. Practice saying these things. Under the pressure of an actual conversation, I can assure you that you'll sound like a blathering idiot unless you're fully prepared.
Be Reflective
To be effective at sales prospecting, it's imperative to analyze the multiple variables that influence your success. As such, you might want to evaluate if you've targeted the right companies or identified the appropriate decision makers. Take a look at what you're saying in your voicemails, written correspondence or phone conversations. If you're not getting in, experiment with different approaches.
When sellers focus on these factors instead of making tons of sales prospecting calls, everything changes.
If you're a salesperson, are you making the best possible calls you can or are you just making the numbers? Have you done your homework or just dialed the phone? Did you get upset with a prospect for not "getting" your value or did you stop to figure out what your role was in creating this situation?
If you're a sales manager, where is your focus? Are you still counting the number of phone calls made or are you helping your salesperson make more effective calls? Do your reps have time to prepare for their calls or is it more important to just make them?
Selling is not simply a numbers game in today's business environment. That’s why sellers must be smart and savvy at sales prospecting in order to be successful.
Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, is a recognized sales strategist in the highly competitive business-to-business market. She helps her clients crack into corporate accounts, speed up their sales cycles and win more contracts. Sign up for her free ezine and receive a BONUS "Sales Call Planning Guide" at
SellingtoBigCompanies.com.