The most challenging part to any process is getting started.
Whether it’s a writer’s blinking cursor on a blank page, an artist’s first stroke of paint on a white canvas, or a salesperson’s first call of 100 — that first lunge off the starting block is the hardest.
In sales development, a curated prospect list is the foundation for call success. Take it from Salesloft Director of Sales Anthony Zhang and VP of Sales Derek Grant — two sales leaders who still believe prospecting to be the most valuable tool in kicking off your sales process.
Even at the Director and Vice President level, prospecting is considered to be the key tool to getting started in sales. Anthony’s advice on nurturing prospects through a cadence of touchpoints like emails, calls, and social touches turns a cold, hard prospect into a warm qualified opportunity. But in order to get each of those prospects on a cadence, the list must first exist.
That’s where Derek’s sales tip comes into play. You have to make prospecting a part of your daily routine. If you treat prospecting it as if it’s the most important step of your entire sales process, and make it a priority, then you will reap the rewards down the road.
Take that curated list of prospects, follow Anthony’s nurturing advice, and you’ll find yourself lightyears ahead just from taking the time to focus on prospecting.
What advice do you have for sales prospecting and data integration? Comment below if you have any tools or tips that have helped you in kickstarting your sales process.