Feb 04, 2015 By Salesforce

Don’t Start What You Can’t Finish—the Dilemma with Prospecting

in Sales, Small Business

In this blog post, Mark Hunter shares with us the dilemma with prospecting and how you can avoid the pitfalls with one simple phrase. So strap yourselves in and take note!

The days of “one-call closing” are long gone, yet that is exactly what far too many salespeople are doing. They make one call, don’t get the response they want and move on to the next prospect.

Prospecting is all about creating confidence and competence, and this is simply not going to be done with a single contact. This is why it’s so important to embrace the simple line, “Don’t start what you can’t finish.”

When building out your prospecting plan, determine the length of time and the number of messages it’s going to take to turn the prospect into a customer. Once you know this, you can then work backward to begin figuring out the number of contacts you should be making each week or each day.

Using this approach, you’re able to close more sales and it is because of several key reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to use your time much more effectively, because it takes out all of the false starts that occur when someone embraces a “prospecting blitz.” Second, it immensely helps your attitude and level of motivation. When there are no results from prospecting, you can’t help but become demotivated. Executing a balanced plan helps to minimize the emotional lows. Third, it creates higher value customers.

Let’s talk about the impact this strategy can have on creating higher value customers. Using this approach, you’re less likely to gain an economic-oriented customer, as these people are looking for price and are less responsive to longer term messaging.

Conversely, the high-value customer – the one who sees real value in what you have to offer – is going to be far more attuned to your messaging that is creating confidence and competence. These customers also are seeing value in you and what you’re selling, thus creating still more value.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish” works! It’s not an excuse as to why you shouldn’t make any prospecting calls today. No, it’s the reason why do need to make prospecting calls today and do it again tomorrow and every day thereafter.

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is author of High-Profit Selling: Win the Sale Without Compromising on Price. He is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. He was named one of the Top 50 Influencers in Sales by Top Sales World. To receive a free weekly sales tip and read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on Twitter, on Facebook and on LinkedIn.