The Importance of a Prospecting Routine

I love this advice from sales trainer Adrian Miller - it just makes sense!

Most of us have routines. We may get up at the same time each work day, follow a regular pattern of shower, coffee, morning news and then our commute with little deviation day by day.

How about at the gym? We work through a series of exercises and maybe machines, methodically working each muscle group. There's very little in the way of thought process; we just "know" what comes next.

And while being routinized 24/7 can be mind-numbing, there's something to be said with knowing what you have to do, when you have to do it and how to execute it to experience the desired outcomes.

And that's the way it should be with sales prospecting as well. You shouldn't be in the position of "reinventing the wheel" every time you engage in prospecting. I'll go one step further. Prospecting should be part and parcel of your "ongoing" business development efforts, not just a stopgap measure to do when sales dip down.

Yes, make sales prospecting part of your routine. It doesn't have to be a daily endeavor but you do have to know the following:

How many contacts do you need in your sales pipeline in order to win the volume of business that you need/want? (What is your "close" rate?)

What is your sales cycle (average length of time from the start of the sales dialogue to booking the business)?

How will you prospect (by phone, in-person canvassing, email, direct mail)? The mode will determine timing, follow-up, etc.

If you know these statistics you'll be better able to plan (routinize) the scope of prospecting effort that is required to meet your sales revenue goals.

So take the time to develop your plan and then make it a routine, something that you don't need to think about and reflect on.

Get into a "just do it" mindset and just like exercising and showering it will become part of your "regular" activities.

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".