Prospecting is like a game of tennis, it is full of strategy if you know what you are looking out for. A good tennis player knows exactly the next possible moves his opponent will take. So is the same with prospecting. A professional sales person when calling over the phone, Never Assumes. It could be the CEO or his or her spouse or partner. You can never tell.
In my early days of Sales I made some massive mistakes in regards to assuming. One of the worst ones that I will admit to (but don't tell anyone) I was working in the UK. I thought a potential female buyer was pregnant when actually she was just overweight. I asked her, "When are you expecting". She looked at me a little strange. My saving grace was my quick thinking. I answered her, "When are you expecting to go back to the States."
To this day I still don't know whether or not I got away with it. I didn't receive a slap so that is always a winner. She just kept talking and said when she was returning back home. Do yourself a favour quickly, never assume! You can blow so many sales on just one little assumptive comment. The only time you should assume is when you are using it as a tool to say gain a commitment when you are closing.
One of the biggest annoying mistakes you can make is not confirming all the important details like the address and contact details. Get as much info here as you can because there is nothing more frustrating when you get lost or are running late, not having the right contact numbers.
Also, it is very important that you spell their name right. I think you would agree that when someone spells your name, it is nice when you don't have to correct them. It is also nice when you know how to pronounce those difficult names. Check if you have the pronunciation right. It is wise to check it all at the start, so you have it right the first time.
Always try to leave the conversation with trivia. This sets you up for the next time you call so you have something to talk about to quickly build rapport with them. If it is Friday, ask them if they have a busy weekend. Then ask them if you have to call back Monday if the weekend ended well and did they get to that concert or get to go away like they where planning.
You also need to have an idea where the next ball is coming from potentially. when you have a lot of potential sales appointments booked You must keep prospecting. Sales and business are very finicky, one week you can have a full diary of potential buyer appointments and the next none at all. The only way to keep those appointments and sales coming, is to continue in daily prospecting and not letting up until you get the appointments for the day.
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