High-efficiency prospecting

You’re calling a prospect for the very first time. What’s your first objective for the call? Is it to:

1. Get the prospect to review the literature you promise to send?
2. Get the prospect to buy something?
3. Get the prospect to agree to a meeting?
4. Get the prospect to tell you no?

Number 1 is a waste of trees, time and postage. The first call is probably too soon for number 2. Unless you know the buyer is qualified, why waste your time with number 3?

Some would argue it’s the last one: Get the prospect to tell you no. Because the first thing you need to find out is whether the prospect needs, wants and can afford what you’re selling. In fact, one of the key skills of top sales performers is their ability to zoom in on high-value prospects – and disqualify non-buyers — as efficiently as possible. Make that a key objective — if not THE key objective — for every prospecting call.