R&R Business Development Blog

“I really do not like prospecting - that’s just the way it is for me!”

No one has ever quite said that to me but I believe it is how too many professionals think.  The problem with this outlook is that it locks you solidly into a cycle.  This is a cycle that will be impossible to break out of.

Since all ideas flow from expectations (“I will never be able to, because I don’t like it”), this outlook eliminates any new ideas, energy and solutions to the challenge of having to prospect.

Starting from the assumption that you do have the capacity to create new concepts, you also have access to new ideas any time you seek them.  The way is to want those new ideas as a starting point.  Not only will you receive new ideas, those ideas will be exactly right for what you are trying to accomplish.

This orientation is a skill that must be developed. It is effective in developing your selling skill because its orientation is exactly opposite from:

• I don’t expect a better way is possible
• I have accepted this condition as true for me. It is just the way I am.
• There is not much I can do about x.
• I can’t think of any new ideas on this topic.
• There is nothing that can be done to change it.

The need for high potential prospects

A big challenge for all professionals is maintaining a full and active list of valid prospects. Prospects are the new business life line. It has to be one of the most important factors in any business. Imagine how differently you would feel knowing that you have a steady supply of interested people wanting to learn about your service and how it might help them.  That is the end goal of good prospecting.

The results from your prospecting are directly proportional to the freshness of your ideas, expectations, vision and most of all, action plans.

Action steps – a creative exercise:

There is no problem in prospecting that a change in perspective, freshness in your actions and access to your creative ideas cannot solve.  If you identify prospecting as a being a problem for you, try this:

• Specify exactly what you believe the problem is.  Write it in question form.

• Brainstorm (alone) several answers to the question. Take your time, imagine what you want, create an entirely new approach that answers the problem defined.

• Create 10 to 15 ideas on how that problem could be solved. Give your creative imagination a stretch.  Get beyond your old worn out ideas and tired expectations.

• Make your solution (Let’s call it “The New and Improved 2008 Prospecting Process”) reflect your essence and your enjoyment.  This is quite important for if you don’t enjoy it, you will tend to avoid implementation. You must enjoy this solution. Enjoyment is key to this self-generated creative process.

• Choose one idea from the list, only one, and take action on it right away.

• Continue the process for 30 days. Be ready to add, revise or even eliminate the ideas you created. This is an open process. Do not look for a magic bullet. There is no magic, just good ideas.  Make this a commitment to see it finally solved through sustained action.  By the end of 30 days, you will have made significant progress.

Summary

You will be impressed with your native ability to transcend any problem and to go far beyond the challenge it presents. 

To your long-term success

Richard

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