Chapter 1: The case for Prospecting
The fastest way for a salesperson to achieve targets is by prospecting.
Most sales people have the hunger to succeed and know how to manage the sales
process, ask great questions, deliver winning presentations, and close the deal.
The l diffe e ce i i P ec i g . The best salespeople are obsessive about keeping
their pipelines full of qualified leads.
Chapter 2: Seven mindsets of fanatical prospectors
In sales, there is always something to complain about. There are obstacles, roadblocks,
bad managers, rude prospects, product and service challenges, and changes to the
commission plan.
Successful salespeople have these 7 mindsets that sets them up for success
Chapter 3: To cold call or not to cold call
Most arguments given against outbound calls are excuses to not do that.
The biggest and most lucrative accounts rarely respond to inbound marketing efforts.
They already have a long line of salespeople knocking on their door.
If we want sustained sales success, then we have to interrupt the prospects. This is a
proven way to start a conversation with them.
Chapter 4: Adopt a balanced prospecting methodology
The foundation of any prospecting strategy is balance.
There isn t one size fits all. Every territory, industry, product, service, and prospect base
responds to different prospecting strategies differently.
Chapter 5: The more you prospect, the luckier you get
Top sales people spend 80% time on prospecting and qualification.
Three laws of prospecting:
o Universal law of need: D f c a handful of accounts for your success.
Other people can also sense your desperation in your actions, tone of voice,
words and body language. Prospects naturally repel salespeople who are needy.
o 30-day rule: Prospecting you do in the 30-day period will pay off 90 days later.
o Law of replacement: Constantly push for new opportunities to replace those
who are not converting.
Success in sales is a simple equation of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual
prospecting activity. The more we prospect, the luckier we get.
Chapter 6: Know your numbers manage your ratio
Sales is and will always be governed by numbers. We need to track everything from
prospects to qualified to sales.
The entire sales process can make us delusional. We might think that we have achieved
enough even when we haven t undertaken much activity. The numbers keep us
grounded in reality.
Once we track everything, we can look at both effectiveness (how much activity) and
efficiency (outcome of those activities) of our sales process.
Different variables that can impact the sales process:
We need to measure the impact of each of these variables and constantly iterate on our
approach.
Chapter 7: The three Ps that are holding you back
Procrastination
o We delude ourselves into believing that all prospecting can be done in 1 day. This
delusion is the number #1 cause of procrastination and leads to failure.
o Best way is to prospect every day.
Perfectionism
o It is highly correlated with the fear of failure and self-defeating behavior, such as
excessive protectionism.
o Messy success is better than perfect mediocrity. Doing research and being
prepared is good but not at the cost of shielding you from potential rejection.
Paralysis
o I he sales e le ge i a ha if e.
Best way to get around is by start making the first call and then the next and then the
next. We abhor the unknown and the best way to overcome is to jump into it.
Chapter 8: Time: The great equalizer of sales
A salesperson s day is usually filled with the following tasks: Create proposals, get the
contracts approved, maintain CRM, attend meetings, etc.
A salesperson should dedicate time blocks for specific activities:
Prioritization and saying no are indispensable to achieve sales targets. A best
practice is to delegate unimportant tasks.
Delegation best practices:
o Trust people and communicate effectively
o Make sure everyone knows what they are doing and have a map to get there.
o Once you have delegated, follow-up consistently.
o Invest in building relationship with the support staff
Chapter 9: Four objectives of prospecting
There should be a defined objective for each prospecting effort and every
prospecting effort should build on the previous one to bridge the prospect s problem
and our solution.
Four core prospecting objectives:
o Set an appointment, i.e. get commitment on time on both and the
ec cale da .
o Gather information and qualify: Focus on the right deals: Profitable, qualified,
in the buying window, having a budget and a defined decision maker and having
the ability to buy.
Note: We should proceed with the appointment if the product / service is non-
contractual, there is no budgetary period and the decision maker is fairly
consistent.
o Close a sale: Identify trigger points, uncover buying roles, engage the buyer and
strike at the optimal time.
o Build familiarity: It requires a long-term focus and is improved through the
cumulative impact of ongoing prospecting activity.
Prospecting objectives are different for different industries and solution areas:
It is important to keep it straight and simple: D build relationships. Just build
familiarity and when it makes sense, move into the sales process.
Chapter 10: Leveraging the prospecting pyramid
Our goal should be to close sales. Look at your prospect list as a pyramid. Start the day
with highly qualified prospects and then move to the others.
Chapter 11: Own your database: Why the CRM is your most important
sales tool
CRM is the most important tool in our arsenal:
o Manages everything without us having to remember anything
o Keeps us organized and ensures that there are not any derailed efforts
o Allows segmentation and sorting
o Helps in systematic prospect qualification
Own your CRM like a CEO
o Be accountable for maintaining the database integrity
o Update it regularly and not when your manager asks you to do
o Record notes after every call
o Put new leads in the system rather than storing cards
o Take time to learn it through online learning tools
Chapter 12: The law of familiarity
Familiarity leads to better engagement across all channels. I make he ec
decision to give you their time feel less risky.
Crossing the familiarity threshold requires time, intellect, emotion, energy and
technology.
Five levers of familiarity:
Chapter 13: Social selling
Social selling helps in 2 ways:
o Gives information into ec beha i , de i e , efe e ce , a d igge s
that drive buying behavior and open buying windows.
o Gives us the ability to easily and economically build familiarity through low
impact, non-intrusive techniques.
Social prospecting framework
Social selling is not a panacea but when combined with other approaches, it can
enhance, elevate and sometimes accelerates your prospecting efforts.
It is important to understand that unlike on e-mail, prospects do not expect to be sold
on social media. Instead, they seek connections and valuable resources.
Thus, the best approach is to connect with prospects on social media once you have
engaged with them on some other channel.
Chapter 14: Message matters
Words and how you use those words can either increase the severity of the rejection or
reduce resistance and break down emotional walls.
What you say:
o Define prospecting objective:
Get more information
Set-up initial meeting
Introduction to another person
o Focus on what s in it for them: Prospects don t give time for feature bundles or
marketing brochures. They are seeking emotional value, insight value or tangible
value.
Focus on business objective that is measured
Disrupt status quo
Offer proof or evidence
o Be straight to the point. You have mere seconds to influence them.
o Be clear and direct about what you want from them.
o Focus on emotions in your value proposition: frustration, anxiety, stress, fear,
greed and peace of mind.
o Sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and words in written
communication matter.
o Assume yo ll ge ha o an : It shows in our confidence and makes our
message more compelling.
How you say:
o Delivery matters: If prospect senses fear, weakness or lack of confidence, they
will shut down or bulldoze right over us.
o A relaxed, confident demeanor opens doors
o Best practices to maintain a confident demeanor:
Remembe ha a ld kill .
Practice managing your internal self-talk and outward physical reaction to
that fear.
Ask what you want and shut-up for the prospect to reply.
Your only objective should be:
Get to yes fast and proceed
Get to no fast and proceed with the next call
Get to maybe fast and face objections
Chapter 15: Telephone prospecting excellence
Tele-prospecting works because of three reasons:
o Phones are anchored to people, not desks.
o No one is calling because communication is shifting to other channels.
o Prospects are getting burned out on impersonal, irrelevant prospecting emails.
Many salespeople find it awkward because of the following reasons:
o The d k ha a . This generates resistance.
o The d ha e a ea e ec e ele h e ec i g ce .
o The d k h deal i h bjec i
o They are afraid of rejection.
The ultimate key to success is the scheduling phone block. D ake a a e. A
soon as you do it, you are wasting time and then getting delusional.
Five-step telephone prospecting framework:
o Get their attention S a b hei ame a d ide a ele a c e (D
ask how are you doing)
o Identify yourself
o Tell them what they want and give them a because by establishing credibility.
o Ask for what you want and shut up.
Chapter 16: Turning around reflex responses, brush-offs and
objections
Telephone prospecting is abhorred due to its uncertain nature and the fear of failure.
This fear is accentuated the moment we get a reflect response, brush-off, or objection.
Reflex responses: Responses that we give impulsively to evade interruptions by
salespeople. Examples We a e i e e ed , We a e all e , I am b , e c.
Brush-offs: Responses to avoid confrontation with salespeople. Examples Ge back
me i a m h , Call me la e , e c.
Objections: Logical rebuttals to salespeople s request.
3-step turnaround framework: D e c me he ec and make them feel they
are wrong. This is why they brush us off and have reflex responses. Instead, win without
causing any injury.
o Anchor: Rejections cause disruptive
emotions in the brain. We need to quickly
change that thought by holding on to a
piece of information that kicks the logical
brain back into believing that there is no
danger.
o Disrupt: Make a a eme ha di ec e ec a i from
salespeople:
D a g e i h hem. I ead, agree with them.
If they say, send me some information, ask what is it that they were
looking for.
D e he h a e, I de a d . I dem a e e em a h f
the prospect and is far too overused.
o Ask: Always get a commitment from them. Never fight and be prepared for more
reflex responses, brush-offs and objections.
When the horse is dead, dismount. It s important that we understand the difference
between the prospect rejecting us and the prospect rejecting our proposal.
Chapter 17: The secret lives of gatekeepers
There are no secret techniques that will get you past gatekeepers.
Seven ways of dealing with gatekeepers:
o Be likeable
o U e lea e ice
o Be transparent about yourself and your intentions
o Connect with them on a personal level
o D e chee cheme a d ick
o Ask for help and if possible, sprinkle some humor.
Some hacks for gathering information and reaching out to the right person:
o Call some e el e e e i a d ga he information from them.
o Get info from the salespeople. They will empathize with you.
o Go around back and check with staff in loading and offloading etc.
Chapter 18: In-person prospecting (IPP)
Works best for: B2B sales people who work in a specific territory and sell transactional
to semi-complex products and services primarily to SMBs.
Of all the prospecting methods, this is the least efficient one.
Yet people do it because of the following reasons:
o A false belief that driving aimlessly in their territory is somehow working
o Managers believe the only good salesperson is that which cannot be seen
o Overcoming the fear of getting on the phone
5 step hub and spoke system:
o Plan IPPs and preset appointments
o Leverage your CRM and develop a list of prospects close by.
o Plot 3-4 prospects on a map around your preset appointments
o Develop the most efficient driving routine
o Give yourself time between appointments
Steps to plan for a preset IPP:
o Research
o Personalize your approach
o Develop an objective for every call
o Be prepared to close
o Log calls, notes and set follow-up tasks in your CRM
Always be on the lookout for other opportunities. Walk through the doors and gather
information. Be acutely aware of the surroundings and see how can you qualify your
prospects.
Chapter 19: E-mail prospecting
Create your e-mails post golden hours and schedule them to go during the time when
you are making the calls.
Three cardinal rules of e-mails:
o Your e-mail must get delivered:
D e d b lk e-mail
Avoid attaching images
Avoid hyperlinks: If at all you are including it, write the full link for
transparency.
Avoid attachments
Skip spammy words and phrases
D e d ma e le i he ame c m a a e ime
Don e d many emails to the same person
Scrub bounces
Be careful with sensitive industries
o Your e-mail must get opened:
Familiarity gets your e-mails opened: Leveraging phone and social
channels before sending an e-mail increases their chances of getting
opened. Layer of channel to build familiarity is extremely powerful. I
important to plan your touches.
Subject line should be optimized to open: Short and personalized
o Your e-mail must convert:
Developing and crafting prospecting e-mails takes a significant
investment of time.
Personalize with respect to industry verticals, markets, and decision maker
roles.
Four elements of a great e-mail:
o Hook: Compelling subject line
o Relate: Show empathy and authenticity
o Bridge: Sh hem ha i i f hem
o Ask: Be clear and straightforward
For timing, it is important to continuously test
Pa e bef e e e d a d ee he he ha e made a mi ake .
Measure open rates and response rates and improve messaging.
E-mail list building tools: eG abbe E-mail prospector, Toofr, Prospect Ace, Voila
Norbert etc.
Chapter 20: Text messaging
It is a powerful sales channel due to its personal nature.
Texting works once you have established familiarity with the prospect.
o Setting appointments after trigger events: Face to face interactions at
networking events, trade shows, conferences a d he i a i he e e
had positive interactions with people.
o Prospect nurturing by regularly sharing educational articles.
Chapter 21: Developing mental toughness
M e le d la m ch i ale a he a e af aid f ejec i . Thus, salespeople
need to have elite athlete s level mental toughness.
7 core dimensions of mental toughness
4 pillars of achieving mental toughness
o Desire to achieve: I he a k, he de i e ea m e. Defi e ha a
a d iei d . If d ha e a la , ill ha e f ll me e
el e .
o Mental resilience: Constantly invest in yourself to increase knowledge, gain
insight and sharpen skills.
o Outlearn = Outearn: Be voracious about content consumption
o Physical resilience
There is no time for complacency. Always be in the attack mode. Create new goals and
new challenges.
Chapter 22: Eleven words that changed my life
Whe i ime g h me, make e m e call.
Chapter 23: The only question that matters
How badly do you want it?
