What makes top salespeople consistently outperform their peers? Why do so many sales professionals fail to reach their full potential?
In Fanatical Prospecting, Jeb Blount reveals the importance of prospecting in sales as the fundamental driver of success. Despite the rise of social media and modern sales techniques, proactive prospecting remains the key difference between thriving and struggling in sales.
Keep reading to discover why prospecting is non-negotiable for sales professionals who want to build and maintain a healthy pipeline of potential customers.
The Importance of Prospecting in Sales
Although many salespeople dismiss prospecting as unpleasant and unnecessary, Blount emphasizes the continued importance of prospecting in sales. Contrary to contemporary critics who argue that you can rely wholly on social media to convince prospects to reach out to you, Blount maintains that you need to prospect proactively or you’ll perish as a salesperson. We’ll explore Blount’s argument that prospecting is the only way to avoid the death knell for salespeople—namely, an empty pipeline of potential customers.
(Shortform note: Although Blount writes as if new-school salespeople are opposed to prospecting in general, he later clarifies that social media is itself a form of prospecting. So, it stands to reason that these salespeople aren’t opposed to all forms of prospecting, just particularly confrontational forms of prospecting such as cold-calling.)
Why Prospect in the First Place?
Blount acknowledges that prospecting is often unpleasant—it exposes you to constant rejection and the awkwardness of interrupting someone’s day. Nonetheless, he argues that prospecting is essential to succeeding as a salesperson, despite what critics may say.
According to Blount, it’s clear how important prospecting is when you consider the main reason why salespeople fail when they don’t prospect: Their sales pipeline is empty, meaning they lack a steady stream of customers to sell to. He relates that there’s only one way to remedy an empty pipeline—prospecting. When salespeople consistently prospect, they ensure that they have a full pipeline and consequently avoid the primary route to failure.
(Shortform note: Although a lack of prospecting can cause salespeople to fail, sales experts contend that several other factors can also lead to underwhelming sales. For example, many salespeople are reluctant to use new technology—including social media platforms like LinkedIn—which can hinder their effectiveness. Moreover, many other salespeople become complacent with their current sales strategies rather than constantly trying to improve, making them more likely to plateau in the long run.)
Moreover, Blount contends that even among successful salespeople, the truly elite distinguish themselves by prospecting constantly. He writes that, in his experience, the salespeople who devote themselves to prospecting guarantee that their sales pipeline is always brimming with potential customers. Consequently, these salespeople consistently dominate their coworkers, earning the highest commission checks year-in and year-out.
(Shortform note: In some industries, the highest commission earners are often veteran salespeople who earn residual commission on their earlier sales. For example, insurance salespeople earn a commission payment whenever a policyholder renews their policy and pays a premium, meaning they passively earn commission regardless of how many recent sales they’ve made.)
