What makes prospecting such a crucial element of sales success? Why do some salespeople resist picking up the phone to make prospecting calls?
The book Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount reveals proven strategies for finding and connecting with potential customers. Blount’s insights stem from years of experience training organizations through his company, SalesGravy, and writing bestselling books on sales techniques.
Keep reading to discover practical tips for mastering various prospecting channels and learn how to fill your sales pipeline with qualified leads.
Jeb Blount’s Fanatical Prospecting: Book Overview
According to some self-proclaimed experts in sales, the art of prospecting—proactively finding and reaching out to potential customers, especially via telephone—is dead. But, according to sales specialist Jeb Blount, this opinion couldn’t be further from the truth. In his book Fanatical Prospecting, Jeb Blount argues that prospecting relentlessly is essential to reaching the pinnacle of sales.
As the founder and CEO of SalesGravy, a professional sales training company that teaches organizations how to maximize their sales and bottom line, Blount has years of experience fine-tuning sales techniques across multiple industries. Moreover, as the author of several other bestselling books on sales—including Sales EQ and People Buy You—Blount is an expert at distilling complicated sales techniques into straightforward tips that are accessible to salespeople of all levels.
In this overview, we’ll begin by briefly discussing Blount’s reasons for thinking that prospecting remains a crucial part of success in sales. Then, we’ll examine his general guidelines for prospecting effectively—including how to overcome your hesitations, use your time efficiently, build name recognition with your prospects, and prospect through various channels. To conclude, we’ll analyze Blount’s more specific recommendations for different approaches to prospecting—including prospecting in person, via the telephone, via email, and via social media.
The Importance of Prospecting
Although many salespeople dismiss prospecting as an unpleasant and unnecessary part of sales, Blount contends that prospecting remains just as important as ever. 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 proactively prospect, 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.
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.
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.
General Guidelines for Prospecting
Having seen why prospecting is so important, we’ll now explore some of Blount’s more general strategies for prospecting. In particular, we’ll see how to overcome your hesitations about prospecting, maximize your time when prospecting, and build name recognition with your prospects.
Strategy #1: Overcome Your Hesitations
Although prospecting is essential for succeeding in sales, many salespeople struggle to even pick up the phone to make a prospecting call. Blount contends that these salespeople suffer from over-analyzing each prospect, causing them to delay action and prospect inefficiently.
According to Blount, many salespeople believe that their prospecting strategies must be foolproof before they pick up the phone. In turn, these salespeople assess their prospects constantly to come up with a game plan—they review prospects’ LinkedIn accounts, their age, their geographic location, and so on. Further, they try to develop a perfect game plan for prospecting calls that anticipates every “What if?” that a prospect might ask.
But perfectionism leads salespeople to either perpetually delay their prospecting calls or make calls at an inefficient clip. After all, it takes a significant time investment to analyze each prospect and develop a plan for the prospecting call—time that could instead be spent calling additional prospects. The upshot, Blount maintains, is that these salespeople fail to fill their pipelines of potential customers, harming their own bottom line.
To overcome these hesitations, Blount recommends a simple course of action: Force yourself to make prospecting calls without preparing ahead of time. While this strategy will doubtless be uncomfortable at first, Blount suggests that it’s the best route for becoming comfortable with the uncertainty of prospecting.
Strategy #2: Maximize Your Time
Once you’ve gotten past your fears about prospecting, Blount says the next step is to maximize your time. Specifically, he recommends that you block off windows of time during your prospecting golden hours to reach your goal number of calls.
First, Blount explains that according to Parkinson’s Law, our work often fills whatever time we allocate to it. For example, if you gave yourself one hour to send 10 emails, it’s likely that the 10 emails would take up nearly all of the hour. But he points out that the inverse is also true: If we allocate less time to a work project, we’ll likely be able to finish it in that shorter window. For instance, if you only gave yourself 20 minutes to send 10 emails, you’d probably force yourself to finish them in those 20 minutes.
For this reason, Blount recommends that you allocate a relatively short window of time each day—perhaps an hour or two—to make your prospecting calls. In so doing, you’ll find yourself far more efficient at making (say) 60 calls per day, because the shorter timeframe will compel you to call efficiently.
As for when to schedule this window, Blount advises scheduling it during the golden hours—the hours when customers are most likely to answer your calls, which are typically during the workday but outside of their lunch breaks. Because customers will likely be at home outside of this window, they’ll be less keen on taking business calls, meaning that the golden hours provide the best opportunity for prospecting successfully.
Strategy #3: Build Name Recognition With Your Prospects
Although maximizing your time is essential to prospecting success, Blount clarifies that even the most efficient prospectors will struggle if they haven’t first built name recognition with their prospects. After all, potential customers are more likely to respond positively to your prospecting attempts—whether by phone, email, or in person—if they’re aware of you and your company. To that end, Blount recommends several techniques for building this recognition: Prospect relentlessly, leverage referrals from existing customers, and network constantly.
Technique #1: Prospect Relentlessly
Blount points out that one straightforward way to build awareness with potential customers is to contact them via multiple prospecting channels. For example, engaging with them on social media, leaving voicemails, and shooting them an email will all increase their awareness of you and your company. Eventually, this increased awareness will pay dividends as it makes prospects more likely to become customers.
Technique #2: Leverage Referrals
In addition to reaching out to prospects via multiple channels, Blount also encourages salespeople to lean heavily on referrals from satisfied customers. He explains that, when a satisfied customer who knows some of your prospects gives you a referral, you instantly become more trustworthy in those prospects’ eyes. For example, if you sold a software program to Bob, a manager at a local electronics store, and wanted to sell the same product to Bob’s friend, Kim, it’s much more likely that Kim would engage with you if Bob vouched for you and your product.
Technique #3: Network Constantly
Finally, Blount suggests that you attend networking events as frequently as possible, as these allow you to meet prospects in person and gain recognition. To find these networking events—for example, conferences and talks—simply reach out to your local chambers of commerce, which are organizations that bring together business professionals in your community.
Specific Prospecting Channels
To put Blount’s general guidelines into practice, you need to master each of the primary prospecting channels. To that end, we’ll discuss the importance of prospecting via multiple different channels before we dig deeper into Blount’s processes for effective prospecting in-person, via telephone, via email, and via social media.
Take a Diversified Approach to Prospecting
Having seen how to build awareness with your prospects, Blount’s last strategy involves putting it all together to create a coherent approach to prospecting. Rather than focusing exclusively on what you believe to be your best prospecting channel, Blount advises that salespeople use a combination of prospecting channels.
To show why a diversified approach is optimal, Blount draws an analogy with the stock market. He writes that savvy investors don’t simply find one promising stock in which they invest their entire savings; rather, they diversify their investments across various different stocks to reduce risk, in case one of the stocks tanks. In so doing, these investors not only set themselves up for high returns but also mitigate the risk of losing their savings.
Similarly, Blount suggests that only using one prospecting method—typically the one that you’re most comfortable with—can only lead to mediocre returns. By contrast, salespeople who use an array of prospecting methods will become more competent in each of these areas, making them more successful than salespeople who lean on only one method and don’t improve.
Channel #1: How to Prospect In-Person
Although prospecting has become increasingly remote, Blount notes that in-person prospecting remains integral—especially when selling to higher-level executives, whom you’re less likely to get a hold of via other means. We’ll examine Blount’s strategy for executing in-person prospecting, both in preparation and in the moment.
What to Do Before In-Person Prospecting
Before you’ve met your prospect, Blount highlights three pivotal tasks that you should complete: determine your goal; analyze your prospect; and tailor your approach.
Task #1: Determine Your Goal
Blount writes that before prospecting in person, it’s crucial to decide ahead of time what your goal is since that goal will shape your plan. For example, are you attempting to close a sale with a prospect, or are you merely attempting to build name recognition and gather further information about them for the future?
Task #2: Analyze Your Prospect
Next, Blount points out that you should analyze your prospect before prospecting in person. This process involves collecting any information that could be relevant to you as a salesperson—for instance, their role in the company or any recent developments that could prompt a need for your product.
Task #3: Tailor Your Prospecting Plan
Once you’ve collected information about your prospect, your next task involves using that data to create a plan that’s tailored to them and their needs. Blount notes that this might mean discussing important news about their business when starting the conversation. For example, if you’re planning on meeting someone whose company recently acquired a smaller subsidiary, you might mention that you can imagine how logistically complicated the acquisition was.
What to Do During In-Person Prospecting
After you’ve established your plan of attack, the next step is to execute it. To do so, Blount recommends these four steps: approach with composure; state your name and intention; have a conversation; and, finally, make your request.
Step #1: Approach With Composure
Blount suggests that to start off on the right foot, you must approach with composure. He contends that, when prospects sense that you’re approaching with enthusiasm and self-assuredness, they’re much more likely to hear you out than if you seem anxious or unconfident. Further, he maintains that this self-assuredness stems from having a well-researched plan, so if you complete his three previous tasks, this step should come naturally.
Step #2: State Your Name and Intention
Next, you should state your name and intention. For example, a salesperson from a fitness equipment company might walk into a local gym, introduce themselves, then say “I’m from FEC fitness equipment company, and I overheard that you were considering updating your gym equipment. I was hoping to speak to your manager to see whether my company could be the right fit for you.” According to Blount, this direct approach will help you gain credibility and not come across as a desperate salesperson.
Step #3: Have a Conversation
Blount writes that, after you’ve stated your name and purpose, you should have a conversation in which you listen carefully to your prospect, rather than trying to pitch them something. Because people enjoy talking about themselves, your prospect will be more likely to like you if you genuinely listen to their thoughts and needs. Moreover, listening to them will provide you with more information about their company that can help you convert your prospect into a sale down the road.
Step #4: Make Your Request
Finally, Blount encourages you to end your discussion with your prospect by making the request that aligns with the goal you set earlier. For instance, if you’re trying to increase the prospect’s familiarity with your company, you could ask whether they would have time to meet with you next Monday to talk more in-depth about the products that your company offers. By contrast, if you’re trying to close a sale, this step could involve asking them outright whether they’re interested in purchasing your product. In either case, asking directly gives you the best chance of fulfilling your goal as a salesperson.
Channel #2: How to Prospect Via Telephone
Blount notes that, while prospecting in-person allows you to spend time face-to-face with your prospects, prospecting via the telephone allows you to speak to prospects with unparalleled efficiency. For this reason, telephone prospecting is arguably the salesperson’s most powerful approach. To do so effectively, Blount recommends implementing a four-step process that’s similar to his in-person approach, but with a few small tweaks tailored toward phone conversations: Hook your prospect, state your name and intention, give your prospect your reason for calling, and make your request.
Step #1: Hook Your Prospect
Once your prospect answers the phone, it’s important to hook their interest by using their first name. According to Blount, most people are hard-wired to respond upon hearing their name—it naturally draws their attention, meaning they’ll be less likely to immediately hang-up the phone.
Step #2: State Your Name and Intention
Blount writes that, immediately after calling your prospect by their first name, it’s essential to state your name and give your purpose for calling. Just like during in-person prospecting, providing your name and purpose is an act of transparency that builds credibility with prospects, making them more likely to hear you out.
Step #3: Give Your Prospect Your Reason For Calling
According to Blount, after stating your purpose, it’s time for the most important part of the call—giving your prospect a reason why you’re calling. For instance, if you were selling memberships to a lawn-mowing service in the summer, your phone call might look something like this: “Hi Julie, this is Jeb from Turf Experts lawn-mowing company. I’m calling to see if you might be interested in our service because summer’s approaching and many working people don’t have the time to mow their lawn every week.”
Blount relates that, because humans naturally desire reasons that rationalize their action, the simple act of providing a “because” statement will significantly increase the likelihood of converting your prospect into a sale.
Step #4: Make Your Request
Finally, once you’ve stated your reason, it’s time to make your request as straightforwardly as possible. Just like when you’re prospecting in person, stating your request clearly and concisely offers you the best chance that your prospect will agree to it.
Turning Rejections Into Conversions
While Blount’s process can maximize your effectiveness at telephone prospecting, he acknowledges that frequent rejections will be inevitable. But, he contends that you can still turn some of these rejections into sales by adopting the following three-step process: regain control of the conversation with a simple statement, subvert prospects’ expectations by agreeing with them, and reiterate your request.
Step #1: Regain Control of the Conversation
Blount points out that, when faced with rejection, your natural fight-or-flight response kicks in, causing you to want to exit the situation. Consequently, he recommends that you issue a quick grounding statement to gain control over your emotions. For example, if your prospect said, “I don’t think we need your product right now,” you might respond, “Many of my other customers mention that at first too.” This statement gives you time to regain composure and take back control of the conversation.
Step #2: Subvert Prospects’ Expectations
Next, you should subvert your prospects’ expectations so they don’t believe you’re like all the other salespeople who try to argue them into changing their mind. To do so, Blount advises that you make a small concession and agree with them to show your understanding. For instance, after telling your prospect that many other customers initially feel that they don’t need your product, you could add, “And those customers are right—their companies were fine before I came around. However, my product might be able to improve your company, even if it’s fine without it.” Such a response shows that you understand where your prospect is coming from, rather than immediately arguing with them.
Step #3: Reiterate Your Request
Blount writes that, at this point, all that’s left is to reiterate your initial request to see whether your prospect might reconsider. For instance, you might follow up your previous statement conceding that they don’t technically need your product by asking, “So, what do you say we meet next Wednesday at 11 a.m. to see if my product could be a good fit for you?” That said, Blount maintains that if your prospect still rejects this second request, it’s time to move on—after all, you won’t be able to convert every prospect to a sale.
Channel #3: How to Prospect Via Email
Although telephone prospecting has long been a staple of sales, Blount relates that prospecting via email is becoming increasingly common. To that end, he recommends that to craft a compelling prospecting email, implement these four steps: Catch your audience’s attention, demonstrate understanding, explain how you can help, and make your request.
Step #1: Catch Your Audience’s Attention
Blount explains that the first step of email prospecting is to ensure that your audience actually reads the email you’ve sent them, rather than deleting it on the spot. To do so, he advises that you catch their attention by writing a gripping subject line and opening sentence that are clearly relevant to them. For instance, if you’re writing to the manager of a family-owned bookstore, your subject might read “Small Bookstores Suffocating Under Pressure From Amazon,” and your opening sentence might read “Many experts predict that family-owned bookstores are a dying breed.” This subject line and opening sentences are immediately relevant to your prospect and compel them to read further.
Step #2: Demonstrate Understanding
Next, you need to demonstrate an understanding of your prospect’s problems so that you can connect with them on an emotional level. According to Blount, most prospects make decisions based on emotions, so prospects will be more likely to make the decision you want if they think you understand their emotions. For example, returning to the example of the bookstore owner, your next sentence might read, “I’m sure that it’s difficult to keep your business afloat when competing against massive corporations like Amazon.”
Step #3: Explain How You Can Help
After you’ve related to your prospect, it’s time to give a concrete reason why you can help them. After all, Blount explains that most people are motivated by selfish considerations, so clarifying how exactly you can benefit your prospect will draw them in. For instance, if you ran a consulting company that focused on small businesses, you might tell your bookstore owner, “I’ve worked with several other smaller bookstores in the area and helped increase their yearly revenue by 10% through new marketing techniques.”
Step #4: Make Your Request
Finally, after you’ve explained how you can help your prospect, you need to make a formal request to take the next step toward a sale. For example, you might ask the bookstore owner, “Are you free to meet next Thursday at 2 p.m. so that I can learn more about your business and see whether my consulting company might be a good fit?”
Channel #4: How to Prospect Via Social Media
While email prospecting has been around since the mid 1990s, prospecting via social media platforms—especially LinkedIn—only burst onto the scene in the 2010s. However, Blount cautions that social media isn’t useful for directly selling to prospects, as people use social media to connect with one another, not listen to pitches from salespeople. Rather, he contends that social media is best for fostering name recognition with prospects.
Consequently, Blount lists an array of strategies for making your prospects aware of you and your company. Specifically, he encourages you to: Frequently connect with prospects, create content that’s relevant to your prospects, and share content that’s relevant to your prospects.
Strategy #1: Frequently Connect With Prospects
According to Blount, the first strategy for building rapport with prospects on social media is simple: Connect with them on various platforms. The specific connection process will look different on each platform—on LinkedIn, for example, you simply send a connection request and if your prospect accepts, you’re mutually connected. By contrast, on Twitter, you might follow a prospect without them following you back. But, in either case, reaching out to your prospects on social media will increase their recognition of your name, leading to more effective prospecting.
Strategy #2: Create Relevant Content
While connecting with prospects can create a baseline level of awareness, Blount suggests that when you publish content that’s directly relevant to your prospects’ lives, it’ll increase their engagement exponentially. He writes that producing relevant content—for example, blog posts, short articles, and explanatory videos—will instantly boost your credibility in the eyes of prospects. Rather than just another salesperson, prospects will view you as a trustworthy expert in their field—one whom they’re more likely to buy from in the future.
Strategy #3: Share Relevant Content
Nevertheless, Blount acknowledges the difficulty in constantly producing high-quality content. For this reason, he also advises that you share content from other credible posters that’s relevant to your prospect base. In so doing, you’ll add value to your prospects’ social media feed, making them more favorable toward you—especially compared with other salespersons who are constantly trying to pitch them something.
