tion. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever -

For years, sales managers and sales trainers have been saying that sales is a ‘numbers’ game. I can recall my first sales manager telling me over 35 years ago, “If you will see enough people, you will make enough sales.” First of all what’s enough sales? Second of all, how many is enough people? Thirdly, is this the best approach to take to prospect for new business? When I wrote Soft Sell in 1981, it was the result of trying to figure out what was the best approach. After years of doing what I was told and wasting lots of time and failing in the process I had an interesting revelation. This is why I hate clich?s and managers and sales trainers who quote them only because that is what they have heard for years.

Back to my discovery. If you see enough ‘qualified’ people you will make enough sales. It isn’t just the number folks, it is focusing on prospects who qualify for your product or service. Now with this concept I am not suggesting that you should see fewer prospects. I am only suggesting that to just focus on the numbers alone will guarantee failure – sooner or later. Why? The more people you see, the more you will tend to see who are poor prospects, thus, more rejection. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever -

irdly, is this the best approach to take to prospect for new business? When I wrote Soft Sell in 1981, it was the result of trying to figure out what was the best approach. After years of doing what I was told and wasting lots of time and failing in the process I had an interesting revelation. This is why I hate clich?s and managers and sales trainers who quote them only because that is what they have heard for years.

Back to my discovery. If you see enough ‘qualified’ people you will make enough sales. It isn’t just the number folks, it is focusing on prospects who qualify for your product or service. Now with this concept I am not suggesting that you should see fewer prospects. I am only suggesting that to just focus on the numbers alone will guarantee failure – sooner or later. Why? The more people you see, the more you will tend to see who are poor prospects, thus, more rejection. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever -

is why I hate clich?s and managers and sales trainers who quote them only because that is what they have heard for years.

Back to my discovery. If you see enough ‘qualified’ people you will make enough sales. It isn’t just the number folks, it is focusing on prospects who qualify for your product or service. Now with this concept I am not suggesting that you should see fewer prospects. I am only suggesting that to just focus on the numbers alone will guarantee failure – sooner or later. Why? The more people you see, the more you will tend to see who are poor prospects, thus, more rejection. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever -

uct or service. Now with this concept I am not suggesting that you should see fewer prospects. I am only suggesting that to just focus on the numbers alone will guarantee failure – sooner or later. Why? The more people you see, the more you will tend to see who are poor prospects, thus, more rejection. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever -

tion. The average salesperson can’t handle the amount of rejection that comes with this philosophy. This is why so many people become discouraged and fail or quit.

Think about it for yourself for just a minute. You see/call 25 prospects a week. You close 1/5 that means you spent - whatever - amount of wasted time on 20 poor prospects. I know, I know – how do you know if they are poor prospects until you see or spend time with them? Can’t answer that in the text of one week’s tip – sorry. (Read Soft Sell if you haven’t yet. It’s only $13. bucks and it has over 240 pages of answers to almost all of your sales questions) Anyway, what if you took the time you spent with the 20 poor prospects and spent it with more good prospects – or even cultivating the five sales you made for repeat/referral business. See where I am going with this? Maybe your closing ratio could be 1/3 or even 1/2.

Why are so many managers and trainers still teaching this garbage? I am not sure, but I can guess it is because they don’t know how to teach more effective prospecting so they want you to make up for poor prospecting skills with more calls. Now, here is a real winner for success. Do both. See/call more prospects and make sure they are qualified before you give them too much of your time and energy. I know this philosophy may not make me very popular with a few of my fellow sales trainers and possibly not even a few of my clients. So be it. It is what I believe. Take it for what it i