| If you are in any way responsible for sales | | | | critical skill of Field Sales Prospecting. And |
| coaching field sales professionals, then here is | | | | Prospecting on a regular basis all the time. |
| probably the single best information you will ever | | | | My continuing motto goes like this. |
| get for growing your corporate sales. One word - | | | | "If you were to make 6 four minute Prospecting |
| Prospecting. | | | | calls per week, that is, 240 Prospecting calls per |
| For over 30 years I have been training field sale | | | | year, how would that affect your sales life?" |
| people. I work initially with their sales managers, | | | | That is why I developed my Prospecting System |
| sales coaches, whatever the title. One thing I | | | | since it must fit seamlessly into the day of a Field |
| have learned is that everyone is very well trained | | | | Sales Professional. |
| in selling skills, but few, if any, are trained in | | | | This format provides a lot of benefits to the |
| Prospecting skills. | | | | salesperson. First of all, it makes Prospecting easy, |
| So what happens when sales begin to lag or | | | | since it is only 4 minutes in duration. |
| volume isn't growing? They conduct sales skills | | | | Second, you get a lot of Prospects at the right |
| training once again! | | | | pace. Some companies use what they call a sales |
| A few weeks ago I lead a 4 hour discussion with | | | | blitz once or twice a year. They get a lot of |
| a group of sales trainers on the East coast. | | | | names, but seldom follow up on them. I have |
| The focus of the discussion was the fact that | | | | seen this happen dozens of times. |
| most of their client company sales people aren't | | | | Third, considering the correct pace of getting |
| using their selling skills training. What these folks do | | | | Prospects again, people buy at different times. |
| is continue to call on their existing client base. | | | | We in sales never know when someone will be |
| Which, of course, is a great way to maintain their | | | | ready to buy, so we need to have a lot of folks |
| customer base. | | | | in our system. Some will buy soon, some a little |
| However, without adding new customers, the only | | | | later, some a little later still, some into the future, |
| sales growth they experience is based on the | | | | etc. |
| re-orders from their existing customers. Which | | | | Fourth, some Prospects are really bad to work |
| doesn't require selling skills. | | | | with, make life miserable and can cost more than |
| The folks in the audience had done a study to | | | | they are worth. Unless you are a glutton for |
| see how their selling skills' training was affecting | | | | punishment leave these folks for your |
| sales growth. They found that the growth was a | | | | competitors. You will have so many Prospects |
| little over 10% but was due almost entirely to the | | | | that you can choose who to work with. What a |
| growth in re-orders from existing customers. | | | | great feeling that is. |
| Virtually no new sales growth. No need for sales | | | | So for you sales coaches out there, all this is due |
| skills at all, the field sales force was actually | | | | simply to Prospecting. The only skill that gets the |
| functioning in a customer service role. | | | | sales professional into a position to actually use all |
| That was why I was asked to speak and lead | | | | those selling skills. |
| the discussion. | | | | So now you know the secret weapon for sales |
| My focus, as you know, is on that very small, but | | | | coaching - Prospecting. |