Prospecting is Not What You Think It Is

Watch this week's Short Attention Span Sales Tip here.

Good morning!

I asked a new sales rep to do some word association around the subject of prospecting and just “Say whatever comes to mind.”

By the time I was done, I thought he’d pass out:

“Strangers”

“Interruption”

“Annoying”

“Rejection”

“Daily”

YIKES! Dude, simmer.

Prospecting is simply starting conversations that can lead to business.

That includes:

• Following up with someone you met
• Reaching out on LinkedIn
• Calling a past customer
• Asking a question in a real conversation

The problem is, most new salespeople define prospecting too narrowly.

So they avoid it entirely.

And when that happens, pipeline = zero.

This is why people struggle with how to generate new sales opportunities as a beginner without feeling uncomfortable.

Because they think the only option is cold calling.

It’s not.

Cold calling is a tool. Not the whole job.

If you expand your definition of prospecting, everything changes.

It becomes less intimidating.

More natural.

And most importantly—more consistent.

If prospecting feels overwhelming, it’s probably because you’re thinking about it the wrong way.

If you want a simpler, more practical way to approach it as a beginner, I’m happy to walk you through it.

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.