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Complete Story
12/04/2024
Prospecting Bias
Source: Bill Farquharson, The Sales Vault, December 2, 2024
My sales process back when I started selling began with an introductory letter. What followed were phone calls, an email, and even a handwritten postcard. It was multiple touches stretched out over a 4-week time period.
And it worked…until it didn’t. Why? Because people change.
Somewhere along the way, the phone stopped being used to make phone calls. Younger buyers shunned talking and with it, checking their voice mail. The world got colder and people lost the skill of interpersonal communication. Texting became a primary form of sharing and getting information. Attention spans dropped to a few seconds. It became okay not to return a phone call.
And don’t get me started on common courtesies.
Personally, I still like phone calls. I see texts as a nuisance. I love getting US mail but get overwhelmed with email. I’m okay with people connecting with me on LinkedIn, but don’t you dare go from “Thanks for accepting my request” to “…and let me tell you what I can sell you” without at least buying me a drink first.
But because I have preferences, I have bias as well. I like things the way I like things. And I find myself prospecting the way I like to be prospected to.
And so do you.
You are likely selling to yourself. You are choosing a path you’d approve of if you were the prospect. But you might also be ignoring the communication styles of those who are not like you, and therefor, missing out.
Don’t let your own prospecting bias get in the way. Accept the fact that everyone buys differently and work different mediums and messages into the mix.
If this bonehead can change, so can you.
The Sales Vault, created by Bill Farquharson, is a subscription-based resource and sales community featuring a calendar packed with live workshops, on-demand sales courses, peer-to-peer discussion groups, and 35+ years of sales training content all searchable by sales challenge. Think of it as a sales conference where the seminars and workshops, full of instantly applicable ideas, are ongoing and more programs are added constantly.
The Sales Vault is available on a monthly subscription basis, normally at a no-brainer monthly price of $45/participant, but… GMA members can take advantage of an exclusive offer: FREE membership for 30 days followed by a discounted monthly subscription price of just $40/participant.
Bill has been a friend of GMA for many years and is, no doubt, known to our members as a top sales trainer and content creator for the graphic arts.
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