The Secret Ingredient to Sales and How to Cultivate It

BY Jessica Helinski
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If you had to choose, what would you say is the secret ingredient to sales success? Sure, overall success is a mix of many skills, but if you had to pick one, which would it be? For Bill Green, author and CEO of LendingOne, the secret ingredient is prospecting. And, not just how to prospect, but how often one prospects. “…the truth is that what really separates the top performers from everyone else is their relentless approach to prospecting,” he writes in a recent Inc. article. “It's a numbers game. The more people you interact with, the higher the likelihood of success.”

He goes on to share seven ways that you can improve your prospecting, including:

  • Turn off distractions. When you are ready to prospect, keep yourself on task. This is especially true if you are on the internet, looking for and researching leads. Don’t let yourself get pulled down a rabbit hole. Treat prospecting time as serious business that deserves your complete attention. 
  • Open one new relationship daily. Green encourages reps to create dialogue with at least one new person each day, whether it’s an outreach on social media or a classic cold call. This way, your pipeline will always be full. 
  • Use each and every method. Break free from your comfort zone and engage with others via any method available. At events, on the phone, LinkedIn message: You should be taking advantage of every communication tool at your disposal. If there’s one you aren’t familiar with, take the time to learn and use it. 
  • Vary your messages. You shouldn’t be using a one-​size-​fits-​all approach when speaking with your prospects. As Green writes, “It's important that you separate messages based on who it is you're speaking to–whether it's over the phone, email, direct message, etc. These scripts are your conversation starters, so take your time thinking about what you should say to get the prospect's attention.”

Use these tips (and Green's other three) to ensure you’re maximizing your prospecting efforts. Stay on the hunt and effectively nurture those warm leads, and you’ll likely see your close rates rise. 


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