Quality vs. Quantity

When selecting material for this blog I try to feature different authors, different topics, and different points of view. After all, one piece of advice will not work for everyone's situation. That's why I jumped at the chance to run this article from sales trainer Adrian Miller. She gets into the quantity vs. quality debate like Mark Hunter did on Tuesday - but offers a different take on it that might be a better fit for you.

"The age-old debate of quantity versus quality - Is one truly more important than the other? For sales professionals, the answer is unequivocally No! Quantity and quality are both important if you want to succeed. We've all heard the "experts" drone on and on about the importance of "quality" when it comes to leads. Isn't the concept of developing quality obvious enough? Of course, we'd all love to have only those leads in our funnel that turn into valuable customers. However this isn't always the reality."

"What is frequently neglected or downplayed is the necessity for quantity," says Miller. "Like it or not, sales is inherently a numbers game. If you currently have three "quality" prospects, but you need ten new customers this month, you're not going to be successful. To reach your goal, a significant amount of time must simply be spent on gathering new leads."

"To balance the demands of acquiring both quantity and quality in your sales funnel requires constant multitasking. Let one ball drop and your sales funnel will deplete. What do you need to do to maintain the balance necessary to keep the sales flowing?"

Here are a few helpful tips:

Regular Prospecting - Make it an absolute must to reach out to a set amount of new prospects each and every day. Let's face it - The more calls you make, the more opportunities you will discover. It's not rocket science!

Aggressively Network - As part of your regular routine to make contact with new prospects, networking must be a priority. You'll need to do more than just attend the quarterly get-together for your friends in the industry. Seek out online and in-person opportunities with enthusiasm. Help others by generously providing referrals and introductions and take advantage of any that you receive, too!

Keep Organized - Leads are valuable, so keep track of them efficiently. Develop your own contact management system and stay on top of where each lead is within your sales funnel. Don't let even one slip through the cracks because of an inability to manage the sales process.

Don't Make Assumptions - Sometimes the best customers come from the most unlikely of places. Don't dismiss leads or introductions because you think they have little potential for you. Value every opportunity and find out as much as you can before you drop contact with anyone.

Adrian Miller is the President of Adrian Miller Sales Training, a training and business consulting firm delivering sales-level performance training and executive-level business development consulting. A nationally recognized lecturer, she is also author of "The Blatant Truth: 50 Ways to Sales Success".