7 Steps to Building a Prospecting Plan that Works

Do you have the number of high-quality prospects you need to not just make your annual number but exceed it?

Before you answer that question, you may need to ask yourself if your prospecting plan is working as well as you need it to. Most salespeople would have to answer by saying, "No, I don't have enough leads, and no, my plan is not what it should be."

Here are 7 steps to upgrade your prospecting plan:

1. Divide your prospects by "need" and "type."

The more you can tailor your process to the specific needs of your prospects and "types" (industries, departments, etc.), the more successful you'll be. Example: One type of prospect might be looking to buy based on the need to grow their business, while another might be buying to replace your competitor. Segmentation is more important than ever and it must start at the prospecting level.

2. Develop your prospecting calendar to allow you to focus on one specific type of customer or need at a time.

Example: A salesperson who is actively selling to 4 different industries may focus one week per month on each industry. Doing so allows you to develop a level of comfort and to use information learned from one prospect to help with another in the same industry.

3. Develop 10 questions for each type of prospect you might encounter.

It's not what you say that is going to get you a customer, it's what the customer says to you that will get you a customer.  Your prospect can learn all they want from the Internet. That's not your job. Your job is to ask questions to create dialogue.

4. Set correct expectations!

When prospecting, you're contacting people who aren't expecting you, so make your goal reasonable. Focus on gaining one piece of information from the prospect and secure a time for a more in-depth discussion.

5. Never allow yourself to fall victim to the comment "just send me some information."

Your response to that statement must be strong and immediate about how what you want is a conversation to understand their needs.

6. As you develop your pipeline, allocate your time to ensure you can spend time on both prospects that might be smaller in size but you can close quickly, as well as the large opportunities that will take months to close.

Being balanced is essential. The quick close prospects will keep you motivated as you go after the larger, long-term opportunities.

7. Make prospecting your focus.

If you also manage existing accounts, use the following formula as your guide: A salesperson may have 30 existing accounts of which the top 5 deliver 60%, while the other 25 deliver the remaining 40%. The total amount of time the salesperson should spend on all of the existing accounts is 60%. The remaining 40% is for prospecting.

Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.

Mark Hunter, your next keynote speaker: 

Mark Hunter, CSP, “The Sales Hunter” is recognized globally as one of the top sales speakers, known for his challenging insights, high-energy, and passion to create change that he delivers each time he speaks, whether it be a sales kick-off meeting, corporate function or association event. Mark Hunter is the author of the best selling book, High-Profit Prospecting. Here’s what others are saying:

Mark presented "Accelerate Your Sales Prospecting" at the February 2015 Institute for Excellence in Sales program in Northern Virginia. He nailed it and gave the 150 selling professionals and business owners in attendance amazing tips, strategies and tactics they could implement that day. The sales leaders at our program universally acknowledged Mark as one of the top speakers we've ever had.

• Fred Diamond, Executive Director, IES Washington DC

At our annual company sales meeting we' ve never seen a speaker work so hard, with advance preparation, with such genuine style of delivery, and with such hunger for results. If you weren't on the edge of your seat....you were in a coma. Period! 

• Mark Allen, Regional Manager, Marlin Companies

Mark’s strategies are innovative, easy to follow and easy to use in the "real world." He customized his strategies to directly speak to the issues and challenges facing our unique business, and he helped us encompass specific selling examples. This training was very applicable to our sales staff, both at a senior and junior level, as it reinforced important sales techniques.”

• Danielle Pakradooni, Blue Man Group

Copyright 2017, Mark Hunter "The Sales Hunter." Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.

Just announced... I'm joining best-selling authors, Jeb Blount, Mike Weinberg, Anthony Iannarino, in an on-line fast-paced discussion on how to build your sales pipeline effectively at the Virtual Sales Kickoff 2017