If you're like most salespeople, chances are good that you could be way more active in your prospecting.
You obviously want to make the best use of your time. But often, I find that salespeople are staying inside their comfort zone and engaging in passive prospecting instead of active prospecting. They're being lazy!
What do I mean?
Passive prospecting is where you wait for someone to make the first move. Maybe you send out a bunch of postcards, then wait for the calls to come in. Or you spend half a day sprucing up your LinkedIn profile, then wonder why more people aren't emailing you about meeting.
Active prospecting, on the other hand, means you've put yourself in a position where you can quickly determine if someone is qualified to do business with you or not.
You may have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. Active prospecting has a lot in common with S.M.A.R.T. goals.
There are a lot of different variations on what the acronym stands for, but I prefer this one:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Result-oriented
- Timely
Active prospecting is all of those things as well! Here are some great examples of prospecting activities that are active, if done properly:
- Making cold calls
- Asking for referrals
- Contacting potential strategic partners
- Making follow-up phone calls after trade shows
Really, you want to engage in any prospecting activity that you have control over and that can be measured and improved upon. Real prospecting doesn't involve waiting for someone else to make the first move.
Quit being a lazy salesperson!
Crandall is the Principal of Sandler in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He works with business owners and motivated individuals to create and implement Professional Development Strategies to foster the growth of individuals, teams, and organizations.
