Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! Evan Signature
Evan Carmichael Top Header
Share for a Cause









Sales Prospecting is the most important skill©

Guest post by: Bill Truax

Article Overview: All Sales skills are important. The most important is the one we do the poorest. For most of us in sales, that is Prospecting. here is an easy way to change that.

Free Download - Some sales managers are Idiots By Bill Truax
Name: Email:

Sales Prospecting is the most important skill©

Sales Prospecting is the most important skill©

Those of us in commercial/industrial sales must use a variety of skills.

I have been a sales training consultant since 1978. One thing that virtually every sales person asks me at some time during our work together is, “which sales skill is most important?”

Now there is a common list of sales skills we all need:
Prospecting
Questioning
Features
Benefits
Objection Handling
Closing
Product information and several others.

My response is always the same. Every one of these skills is equally important in selling. The Most Important is the one skill which is your weakest!

That’s right, the one you do poorly or the least. The one skill that you should do more often and/or better becomes the most important.

And guess which one that is for most sales professionals? Prospecting. Yes, the skill that allows us to use all those other skills. Without Prospecting we don’t have enough people on which we can use our sales technique skills.

That is why we developed our Blitz Call® prospecting system (www.BlitzCall.com). When we are in the field and come to a good Prospect or potential Prospect, why not stop. Yes, Fact to Face Prospecting can be very rewarding.

Remember, it takes a minimum of 4 calls to make a sale. Therefore, your first call should be a Blitz Call – a pure Prospecting call, not a sales call. Your objective with a Blitz Call is simply to get an appointment for the 2nd call. I suggest that a typical Blitz Call should take less than 4 minutes, including parking the car.

Just think, if you made 3 Blitz Calls on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday that would be 9 a week. If you are in the field 40 weeks this year that would be 360 Prospecting calls. How would that change your life?

The Blitz Call system has tracking and follow up methods to get you to those next 3 calls.

So now you can make Sales Prospecting, NOT the most important skill.

Sell Well and Often

Bill Truax

© Copyright 2007 WJ Truax

Bill Truax is a sales training consultant living outside Cleveland, OH. He has 3 books, 2 CD’s, seminars, and workshops on Prospecting and Making Cold Calls. Visit www.BlitzCall.com for product and contact information.

Related Articles
  Prospecting it is simple only DOING counts
  Sales Prospecting Techniques
  Field Sales Prospecting, just do it!©
  Sales Management, Prospecting, and a Sense of Urgency©
  What is the Most Important Selling Technique?©

Home > Sales > Bill Truax > Sales Prospecting is the most important skill
Article Tags:

About the Author: Bill Truax
RSS for Bill's articles - Visit Bill's website

Bill Truax is a Cleveland, Oh based speaker and consultant. He specializes in two skill bases. First, Goal setting and achievement motivational presentations. Second, Prospecting and making cold calls in the commercial/industrial market place. He has been involved in sales, sales training and consulting since 1972 and has trained thousands of people in the skills of goal achievement. Bill has written 4 books on Prospecting as well as skill based training programs on public speaking and manners, courtesy, and etiquette for the business professional. He has written dozens of articles on Goal setting and achievement and Prospecting Take aways from Bill's programs are the skills and abilities to set and achieve all your goals, increase your sales, acquire more prospects and customers, dramatically increase time efficiency and have a lot more fun on the job. visit www.blitzcall.com

Click here to visit Bill's website
Dashed Line

More from Bill Truax
Maximize Revenues
Remember it is only the Behaviors that count
Prospecting it is simple only DOING counts
How to Prospect Common Sense Isnt so Common
The 3 Laws of ProspectingTM


Related Forum Posts
Prime Means of Selling Prime Means of Selling - Prospecting and Selling aren't the same. Prospecting is finding the few within a target group who are prime candidates for your service. I don't think everyone will agree on what "prime" means but I'd say if the prospects actively want what you're offering and have the ability to pay for what you're offering then they qualify as "prime".
Re: Finance is the primary requirement of business Re: Finance is the primary requirement of business - [quote="rauljoseph":36x8dadn]Finance is very important in a business. It is all about managing the business' money and other assets. Finance includes the study and analysis of processes, financial institutions, markets and instruments that are involved in the transfer of money or anything that has a monetary value among consumers, businesses and government.[/quote:36x8dadn] Good point. I'll just add that if I was going into business for myself and could only have one skill it would be Sales & Marketing. You need to be able to create customers first and foremost. Finance is more of a support function for entrepreneurs.
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Why are skill testing questions required in contests? Why are skill testing questions required in contests? - Why are skill testing questions required in most promotional contests? Wouldn't it be mean (and pointless) to notify someone that he/she has won the lottery, only for that person to fail the skill testing question and then be disqualified?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.



Featured Article


Bottom Footer
Share for a Cause












Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Name:
Email:
Popular Articles

How To Be A Management Legend

How To Calculate A Minimum Fee For Your Services

In the Year 2020 . . . Process

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.