In my continuing series on the Sandler Rules, let’s talk about Sandler rule number seven, “You never have to like prospecting, you just have to do it.”
The title speaks for itself. Why do people dislike it so much? It’s because they put too much pressure on themselves. Prospecting is about the process of reaching out to people you haven’t done business with in the hopes of making a connection. Reaching out to make connections can take form in many ways; email, social media, cold calls, cold walk-ins, networking events, talks, or even standing in line for your morning coffee.
You don’t have to enjoy every prospecting activity, but realize that each time you prospect it is an opportunity to grow your business and to meet someone new who could be very beneficial to you.
My thought process on prospecting include the following:
1. I am looking to share what I do with people who don’t know about Sandler in an effort to determine if they are open to my services.
2. I have a great product and service and there are people out there who would benefit from my services, and so I have the responsibility to tell them about it.
3. If I can share my 10 second commercial with someone, I am okay with them continuing the conversation or ending the conversation. I do what I’m committed to doing in order to grow my business.
This thought process has benefited me and allowed me to meet prospects, which have turned into great clients. One of my very first clients was actually a neighbor of mine. I was sitting outside on my porch and I saw his truck, which advertised Grennan Construction, the company he worked for. I went up to him and said "Hey, tell me about Grennan Construction." I met his boss and that's how I started doing business with them.
If I hadn’t been conscious of prospecting or willing to share my services, we would have never worked together.
If you learn anything through this post, I hope it’s this: Many people don’t have the right mindset about prospecting, but once you realize that you have something great and helpful to offer people, you’ll be more aware of all the prospecting you can do.
