Staying sane in the mad world of sales prospecting

I meet a lot of consultants who get extremely frustrated by the prospecting process. The things which they’d like to be predictable aren’t; the conversations that seemed to have gone very well stall; the opportunities that they’re told are high-priority disappear; and the people they’re trying to build relationships with promise one thing … then immediately do the opposite.

Do any of those situations sound familiar to you? If so, here are 5 ways to stay sane in the mad world of sales prospecting.

1. Let go. Attachment to prospecting outcomes just causes you stress. Accept that there are a lot of things you simply can’t control.
2. Don't push. Nobody likes to be on the receiving end of driving, pushy, sales behaviours. And they don’t work anyway. Prospecting is about attraction and wooing.
3. Stop judging. Clients tell me prospects are rude for not returning calls. Maybe they're not. Look at things differently - from their viewpoint.
4. Their agenda comes first. Prospects have their own priorities and timeline. Engage using that agenda, not yours.
5. Keep being helpful. Ultimately consultancy is about helping clients succeed. Model that in all of your pre-sales behaviour.

Your mindset toward prospecting will change and your confidence will improve when you apply these. Of course it’s much easier when you already have a full and healthy sales pipeline.

Let me know how you get on.