"Getting Motivated to Prospect"

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Prospecting can be much like going to the health club.

It's something that you know is good for you and will produce excellent and predictable results - but that you tend to avoid. To motivate yourself, do the following: Set aside one hour each day to prospect. Prospecting, like anything else, requires discipline. It can always be put off until a later day when the circumstances will be better. The fact is, there's no perfect time to prospect. So make a daily one-hour appointment with yourself to prospect.

Consider prospecting during off-peak hours when conventional prospecting times don't work. Conventional cold-calling hours are between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Set aside one hour each day during this period to prospect.

When conventional cold-calling hours are not working for you, consider switching or supplementing your prospecting time by prospecting during off-peak hours. Some of your best work will be done between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., and between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Make your calls brief. The objective of a prospecting call is to get an appointment.

You can't sell a complex product or service over the phone, and you certainly don't want to get into a debate of some sort. Your prospecting call should last two to three minutes and should be focused on introducing yourself and your product, and getting enough of a "read" on the prospect's needs so that you can provide him or her with a good reason to spend some time with you. Be organised. Use a computerised contact management system. It will allow you to record a follow-up call three years from now with no more difficulty than recording one for tomorrow! Vary your call times.

Like the rest of us, prospects are also creatures of habit. In all likelihood, they're attending the same meeting each Monday at 10 a.m. If you can't get through at this time, learn from your lack of success and call at other times that day or on another day of the week. You'll be amazed at the results. Be prepared with a list of names before you call. Not being prepared with a list of names will force you to devote much, if not all, of your prospecting hour to finding the names you need.

You'll have been busy and feel as though you've worked hard, but you won't have made any calls! Have at least a one-month supply of names on hand at all times. Don't stop. Persistence is one of the key virtues in selling success. Most sales are made after the fifth call, but most salespeople quit after the first. See the end before you begin. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey tells us to "see the end before you begin." He's telling us to establish a goal and then develop a plan to work toward it. This advice works well in prospecting. Your goal is to get the appointment, and your plan - your cold-call script - should be designed to achieve that goal. PAUL

  "fortune favours the prepared mind"