According to author Jeb Blount, Fanatical Prospecting is what defines a superstar salesperson. He’s an introduction to how it wins over common sales tactics. Buy the book here.
The most common reason for failure in sales is an empty sales pipeline. This, in turn, is most often a result of being unable to prospect on a consistently regular basis. For SDRs, an empty pipeline means an empty wallet.
In his book, ‘Fanatical Prospecting’ author and entrepreneur Jeb Blount refers to prospecting as more than a sales tactic, but a way of life for successful salespeople and SDRs.
According to Jeb Blount, superstar salespeople and SDRs exhibit two primary characteristics:
- They don’t let their emotions cloud the truth
- They understand that there are only three things over which they have complete control – their actions, their reactions, and their mindsets.
To do that, they must be optimistic, confident, knowledge-hungry, adaptive, and relentless.
Professional salespeople can’t afford to be afraid of prospecting, whether that involves picking up the phone for a cold call or texting or emailing their prospects. Sustained success relies on entering people’s day with a strong message, just as traditional advertising has always done. It’s easily the hardest part of prospecting to get right, not to mention the most controversial. Getting rejected hurts.
By following the fanatical prospecting mindset, salespeople develop a consistent strategy that aims to bring in a steady stream of leads. This begins with identifying the prospects who need your product or service the most, even if they’re still far from convinced of that need. As such, fanatical prospectors become unafraid of rejection, and they understand that it’s an inevitable part of their jobs and they have real value to offer their prospects.
Fanatical Prospecting places an emphasis on the continuing importance of cold calling. Social media, despite its potential as a tool to identify prospects in the first place, as well as garner a better understanding of your target audience, is rarely where sales are made. Phones do what email and social media can’t – they connect people directly, adding that vital personal touch. In fact, now that people spend so much time in front of their computers and smartphones, a phone call is arguably even more powerful than it used to be.
Jeb Blount also talks about how today’s superstar salespeople are highly data-driven. They understand that every rejection brings them closer to a positive response and that the more they prospect, the luckier they get. Furthermore, they follow the data to learn what works and what doesn’t and, in doing so, continuously hone their prospecting strategies. To do that, they track everything and have a clear picture of what they add to the sales pipeline and what they get out of it.
Another key characteristic of the fanatical prospector is personal branding. They act and think like successful CEOs and aren’t afraid to speak regularly at public events. Because they’re in control over their own territories, and they’re not afraid to lead the conversation as problem-solvers and experts in their fields. By developing a strong personal brand characterized by raw enthusiasm, they’re also unafraid of missing a sale due to overenthusiasm. After all, as Jeb Blount puts it, for every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, there are a hundred you miss because you’re not enthusiastic enough.
