SUCCESS THROUGH PROSPECTING

- The basis of successful selling

One of the most important keys to your success as a professional salesperson is the ability to prospect.  Prospecting is to successful selling what breathing is to living.  Prospecting is the life blood, the fiber, and the essence of effective selling.  To survive and to excel, the master salesperson prospects continuously – every day, every hour, every minute.  Prospecting is the art of finding enough of the right people to see every day.  After setting goals for success in selling, prospecting is the single most important skill to perfect.

It makes little difference what you sell: Intangibles like banking services or media advertising, or tangible items like office equipment or industrial supplies – or any other product or service.  Your success rests first on your ability to prospect.  The larger your pool of prospects, the more qualified buyers you develop, and the higher your closing average.  As a result, your possible income is virtually unlimited.

Other selling skills are necessary, but they are all meaningless without prospects.  Without people to see, you can no more sell a product than a surgeon without a patient can operate.  Outstanding performance is always preceded by outstanding preparation.  Prospecting takes time, but it pays top dividends.