Choosing your style of prospecting
Dreams become realities when you are able to generate regular income in your small business. It’s important to choose a prospecting style that you can and will do each day. Most people have the capability to prospect, however many choose a method that is inconsistent with their personality and business style. When you are doing actions that are out of consistency with your personal style and natural instincts, the feeling of being out of integrity will cause you to stop prospecting. Once stopped, you may find guilt setting in because you’re not doing the actions that you need to do to build your business. Eventually, a lack of cash flow or economic concerns will push or force you to go back to prospecting – and the cycle starts all over again.
Keys to active prospecting
Everyone has a different style that they have found works best for them. Some people prospect on the run as they make their way to another appointment; some prefer to call at a specific time each day; while others set daily objectives and work on it throughout the day staying focused on the challenge. There are as many different styles of prospecting as there are personalities. It’s important to remember that you will benefit the most by finding your own specific style, rather than using someone else’s methodology.
A number of aspects need to be considered for you to customize an active prospecting style. To find your personal prospecting combination, you will need to consider how you work best and customize your prospecting to work with you – not against you.
Things to consider
Consider your natural instincts and personality when you are finding your personal prospecting style by noticing what and how you get things done in other areas of your business and life.
Coaching questions to ask yourself
- What type of prospecting suits your small business best and why?
- What type of prospecting suits your personality best and why?
- What type of prospecting do you have the greatest success with?
- Do you prefer a regular time and day for making contacts or do you prefer to work from a goal?
- What will motivate you to prospect regularly?
- What will hold you back from prospecting regularly?
Set the Time
Setting the time to do your prospecting will be important to your success. Each person will have to customize their prospecting to their natural genius. Do you prefer to do a certain amount of prospecting at the same time each day? Or perhaps you prefer to make goals to contact a certain number of people per day? Maybe having a flexible schedule is your jam? Regardless of what works for you, prospecting needs to be done. If you find that you’ve set all the goals but still don’t do any prospecting, one of two things might be happening: You may be experiencing a lack of confidence in what to say; or you’re not doing prospecting in a way that motivates you. Both of these causes are common and will be discussed further in this document.
Prepare in Advance
Reaching your goal in business and sales requires a focused approach to prospecting. Preparing in advance for prospecting is the best way you can keep good momentum while you’re making your calls and it is the best way to gain better results. You will learn from and build confidence with each call you make, so keep the momentum going. Making call after call allows you to get over the jitters you may feel when you initially start those first calls. Your prospecting set-up routine (or what we call pre-performance routine) is a series of actions that you do to get ready to prospect. You need to be in the right mental state to prospect effectively. Here are some regular routines you may want to implement:
1. Develop a pre-performance routine
- Take 30 minutes prior to prospecting to prepare yourself mentally.
- Use meditation or music to relax.
- Focus on your vision and goals for this session of prospecting.
- Roll play your scripts just prior to making calls.
2. Collect all the information in advance
- Be 100% prepared before you start.
- Have all the names, phone numbers and any important information that you need ready and easily accessible.
3. Prepare your environment
- Surround yourself with positive influences.
- Prospect totally undisturbed.
- Stand up and use a headset. Moving around gives you better tone and helps with your nerves.
- Have your scripts hung on the wall before your phone station.
4. Prepare yourself mentally
- Always use a script and ask all the questions.
- Memorize and internalize the scripts.
- Have a specific hourly goal or number before you start.
- Have responses to most common objections committed to memory.
- Focus your business-generating time on setting appointments.
5. Record Your Results
- Only let the phone ring 4 times and move on.
- Track your results daily.
Having a powerful routine to find new clients can give you peace of mind and confidence. Practice your routine regularly and customize it to your business style, you’ll never regret it.