The 7 Habits of Prospecting 2.0

You’ve left tons of voice mail messages followed by well-written emails and talked with an army of gatekeepers but you have yet to receive a return call. You are convinced you have lost your prospecting mojo and have started considering moving out of a sales role. Wait–don’t despair, this is one of the most exciting times to be in sales and prospecting has never been so rich and colorful-full of opportunities and special effects.

It’s time you let go of old habits–simply because they will give you the same old response–which is nada. Forget any long sales habits–sending out long emails, leaving long voice mails, asking for long meetings and having long conversations that go nowhere.

Today’s prospecting requires that you reboot and press “refresh” in your cold calling efforts. The new bite-sized, bold, confident, fresh, friendly, quick and smart sales habits have arrived. And they are here to give you the hunting superpowers you need.

1. Set your non-negotiable time–Say No to interruptions and focus- it’s your private and focused time you dedicate to your prospecting efforts.
2. Do your homework–If you want to stop sounding like every other vendor, take the time to learn about your prospects pains, needs, wants and you will earn more time. A well-researched intelligent call will get response—especially if supported by a brief email.
3. Pump up your Tool IQ–Pump up the volume when it comes to learning your sales tools and integrating them throughout the entire sales process: from pre-call research to enhanced phone and email to web conferencing to sales intelligence that helps them calls deeper and wider.
4. Feed bite-sized pieces–Prospects want the lite version of everything- give them tiny morsels along the way by educating them instead of the full menu. Take the time to inventory your content and develop a lead nurturing/educating strategy—whether it’s a YouTube video, webinar, ebook, podcast, blog, or case study.
5. Build your Social Graph–Remember that prospects make purchase decisions based on peer recommendations and testimonials–become socially savvy and well connecting by building your networks.
6. Synchronize email and voice mail effort–These two must work together simultaneously for maximum response.
7. Move at lightning speed–Prospecting should be quick, confident and brave. Don’t be shy to quickly move through prospects listening for key opportunities and letting go of the ones that will clog your forecast. Remember to travel safe!

Josiane Feigon is author of the book, Smart Selling on the Phone and Online–the sourcebook for inside sales. Her Cubicle Chronicles blog is voted among the top 25 sales blogs. She’s founder and CEO of TeleSmart Communications, a 20-year veteran and thought leader of the industry, Josiane is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on inside sales team and manager talent, providing consulting, coaching, and training solutions for hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies.