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Prospecting

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 11/11/2014

In the 1840’s California had a population boom like none other in previous centuries and probably not any since. Gold was discovered, and the rest, as they say is history. Prospecting for this high valued mineral became the name of the game. The population moved to where the mineral and wealth was available.

Take that lesson with you every where you go in sales. Go where the wealth is available. For most industries, the wealth is available throughout the country, making opportunity in the United States plentiful.

So why do you ever run out of prospects? Most likely because business can be so good in certain areas that you leave prospecting to the side and your new opportunities become depleted. Prospecting should be done on a regular basis and it should be done with reckless abandon.

Most sales positions have turnover in their clientele, some more than others. If for no other reason, prospecting should be a high percentage of your activity on a weekly basis. Resources for prospecting are plentiful, from formal lists of prospects in your industry, to networking on LinkedIn, to in–person networking in groups that are attached to your industry. Whatever works for you, you need to do it consistently.

Prospecting can become laborious, if you let it be. Or you can make a game out of it and have fun. This is your choice. My suggestion is to take the stress away, and have fun with it!

What are your challenges when it comes to prospecting? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time...