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Every sales manager prods their sales staff to prospect, prospect, prospect. Sales managers provide all kinds of goals and instruction when it comes to prospecting, but what follows is the real truth and one that sales managers don’t want to hear or admit.

Most sales managers don’t like prospecting and really hate the idea of prospecting with their sales force.

Think about it; sales managers make sales calls every day with individual salespersons. How hard is that? The salesperson sets up the appointment and the salesperson has already created the relationship. The sales manager walks in and everyone is all grins because the “boss” is there. When it comes to prospecting with the salesperson, however, things are different. The sales manager doesn’t really like to prospect anyway; if he or she has to demonstrate their prospecting skills with an audience (the salesperson) then things get downright scary.

Sales professionals are most assuredly affected by this. They ask themselves, how important can prospecting really be when my sales manager only gives it lip service? Here is the Rx for sales managers.

1. Admit to yourself and to your sales staff that prospecting is not your favorite thing.
2. Admit to yourself and to your sales staff that you could stand to work on your prospecting skills, and will.
3. Schedule and make prospecting calls with your sales staff.

The sales manager will grow as a result of this and prospecting efforts will mushroom with the sales staff.

Tags: Prospecting

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