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Monday, June 12, 2000

The 10 Commandments Of Prospecting

by  Paul  S  Goldner 

Prospecting can be much like going to the health club. It's something that you know is good for you and will produce excellent and predictable results, yet is something that most sales people always seem to avoid. The Ten Commandments of Prospecting make up a proven success formula for prospecting and selling success. The Ten Commandments of Prospecting are:

COMMANDMENT I: Make an appointment with yourself for one hour each day to prospect.
Prospecting, like anything else, requires discipline. Prospecting can always be put off until a later day when the circumstances will be better. Make an appointment with yourself each day to prospect.

COMMANDMENT II: Make as many calls as possible.
Before prospecting, you should always take the time to properly define your target market. Then every call will be a quality call since you will only call those prospects who are most likely to buy large quantities of your product or service. Make as many calls as possible during the hour.

COMMANDMENT III: Make calls brief.
The objective of the prospecting call is to get the appointment. Your prospecting call should last approximately two to three minutes and should be focused on introducing yourself, your product, briefly understanding the prospects' needs, and getting the appointment.

COMMANDMENT IV: Be prepared with a list of names 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.

COMMANDMENT V: Work without interruption.
I recommend that you not take calls and not entertain meetings during your prospecting time. Take full advantage of the prospecting learning curve. As with any repetitive task, the more often you repeat the task 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 you second, and so on.

COMMANDMENT VI: Consider prospecting during off peak hours when conventional prospecting times don't work.
Conventional cold calling hours are between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Set aside one hour each day during this period to prospect. Some of your best work will be done between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM, and between 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

COMMANDMENT VII: Vary your call times.
We are all creatures of habit. So are your prospects. In all likelihood, they are attending the same meeting each Monday at 10:00 AM. If you cannot get through at this time, call this particular prospect at other times during the day or on other days.

COMMANDMENT VIII: Be organized.
Consider using a computerized contact management system. It can record a follow up call years in the future with no more difficulty than it would be to record one for tomorrow.

COMMANDMENT IX: Establish a goal and then develop a plan to work towards that goal.
In prospecting, your goal is to get the appointment and your plan, your cold call script, should be designed to achieve your goal.

COMMANDMENT X: Don't stop.
Persistence is one of the key virtues in selling success. I have often read that most sales are made after the fifth call, and most sales people quit after the first.