The Keys to Prospecting Success
Ever notice how difficult it is to start a project? Then once you start it, it easily becomes a creature of habit. Take for example an exercise program. We keep putting it off but once we start, we ask ourselves, "why didn't do this earlier?" We seem to have the same mindset with proactive prospecting. We continue to find excuses not to prospect even though we know how productive and the positive results that will come from it. So why is it that we will make every excuse in the world not to do it?
The key word is commitment. Commit to setting an appointment with yourself for one or two hours each day. Start with utilizing your resources such as your sphere of influence. It is easy to say to ourselves, "Well, I have a lot to do today so I'll start prospecting tomorrow or next week". Prospecting not only requires commitment but discipline as well. You are important so make that daily appointment with yourself just as you would will any potentially important customer or client.
Write down what you are going to say and practice saying it to yourself in the mirror. You will come across more confident to the person on the other side of the phone. Consider talking about something of value to the customer. It might be something related to the economy or the real estate housing market. People love knowledge and education. Provide them with information that will draw their interest.
Make as many contacts as possible. Before prospecting, you should always take the time to properly define your target market, and try to reach as many of those people as possible.
Be prepared with a list of names from your personal Sphere of Influence before you call. Not being prepared with a list of names will force you to devote much, if not all of your prospecting hour, to finding the names you need. Have at least a one month supply of names on hand at all times.
Work without interruption. Do not take calls or schedule meetings during your scheduled prospecting time. Take full advantage of the prospecting learning curveas with any repetitive task, the more often you repeat it during a contiguous block of time, the better you become. Prospecting is no exception to the rule. Your second call will be better than your first, your third better than the second, and so on.
Experience and surveys have shown that the best times to contact customers is 8 AM to 9 AM, between Noon and 1 PM and 5 PM to 6:30 PM. If you are missing a customer between certain hours, then it's best to make note of that and call them at a different time. Chances are if you continue to call at the same time and the customer is not available, they will continue to be unavailable during that time block.
Be persistent. Be motivated. Be disciplined. These will be some of your best merits. Most quality contacts are made after the fifth call. Don't stop or give up. Keep pursuing your dreams. Hard work and dedication will always lead to success.
The key word is commitment. Commit to setting an appointment with yourself for one or two hours each day. Start with utilizing your resources such as your sphere of influence. It is easy to say to ourselves, "Well, I have a lot to do today so I'll start prospecting tomorrow or next week". Prospecting not only requires commitment but discipline as well. You are important so make that daily appointment with yourself just as you would will any potentially important customer or client.
Write down what you are going to say and practice saying it to yourself in the mirror. You will come across more confident to the person on the other side of the phone. Consider talking about something of value to the customer. It might be something related to the economy or the real estate housing market. People love knowledge and education. Provide them with information that will draw their interest.
Make as many contacts as possible. Before prospecting, you should always take the time to properly define your target market, and try to reach as many of those people as possible.
Be prepared with a list of names from your personal Sphere of Influence before you call. Not being prepared with a list of names will force you to devote much, if not all of your prospecting hour, to finding the names you need. Have at least a one month supply of names on hand at all times.
Work without interruption. Do not take calls or schedule meetings during your scheduled prospecting time. Take full advantage of the prospecting learning curveas with any repetitive task, the more often you repeat it during a contiguous block of time, the better you become. Prospecting is no exception to the rule. Your second call will be better than your first, your third better than the second, and so on.
Experience and surveys have shown that the best times to contact customers is 8 AM to 9 AM, between Noon and 1 PM and 5 PM to 6:30 PM. If you are missing a customer between certain hours, then it's best to make note of that and call them at a different time. Chances are if you continue to call at the same time and the customer is not available, they will continue to be unavailable during that time block.
Be persistent. Be motivated. Be disciplined. These will be some of your best merits. Most quality contacts are made after the fifth call. Don't stop or give up. Keep pursuing your dreams. Hard work and dedication will always lead to success.