Professional Selling Skills Training: Prospecting and Cold-Call Selling

Every company needs to have some type of sales development program. It is essential for small businesses, but the idea of having one is often something they can't imagine. Therefore, the end result is that the business remains small because it can't attract enough new customers to grow.

I've seen a number of studies which all say that the number one reason small businesses fail is lack of money. In my opinion, it's a lack of customers. This past week, I had a chance to talk to a networking group comprised of small business owners. My conversation with them confirmed this opinion even more.

Every small business must be committed to spending a percentage of their time and revenue looking for new customers, all while continuing to serve their existing ones. The easiest way for a small business owner to do this is to dedicate the first 45 minutes of every day to doing nothing but prospecting. I believe that if you don't prospect first thing in the morning, you're far less likely to do it any other time of the day. By not designating this to the first part of the work day, you will find yourself challenged for time and making compromises. When this happens, the most likely thing to get cut is prospecting / cold-calling because it's probably the least enjoyable task.

If you are interested in some tips to ensure success in your prospecting, I recently posted a new article on my website and I encourage you to read it. Visit www.TheSalesHunter.com, click "articles", and you'll see it listed towards the bottom.