"What’s the secret that separates superstars from everyone else, and why do they consistently outperform other salespeople? Fanatical Prospecting."
- Fanatical Prospecting, page 3
"There is no easy button in sales. Prospecting is hard, emotionally draining work, and it is the price you have to pay to earn a high income."- Fanatical Prospecting, page 7
So why write a book on prospecting? Well, for the most part, anyone who has a corporate job is directly impacted by the ability of your company to acquire business. If your sales people aren’t able to do that, the people in HR, accounting and IT are going to be out of a job. And as anyone that has been in sales for even for one day knows, the most difficult part of the sales process, without a doubt, is PROSPECTING!
From his years of experience in sales the author says, “Lots of sales people possess the drive, talent and hunger to succeed. Lots of sales people have the intelligence, talent skills and education to be top performers. Yet they consistently underperform the superstars.” Why is that you ask? The number one reason sales professionals struggle or flat out fail is the inability to add qualified prospects and opportunities into their pipeline.
Jeb Blount gives us very detailed and actionable items to focus on in order to improve in these areas. At a high-level, he says, “in sales, business, and life, there are only three things you can control”:
Our ability, as sales professionals, to be great at prospecting, will afford us, our company and those that we work with the ability to provide for ourselves, families and others.
"Prospecting is not for building relationships, selling or chatting up your buyer."- Fanatical Prospecting, page 73
This chapter in Fanatical Prospecting is gold and a foundational element to success in sales. Before we jump into any kind of sales activity (in this case – prospecting), we need to get clear on what our objective is for that action. The author walks us through the “four core prospecting objectives”. They are:
“The bottom line is,” Blount writes, “if you don’t have a plan and you don’t know your objectives, your prospecting blocks will be far less effective and you will waste time.”
"You must deliver results or you will be fired."- Fanatical Prospecting, page 245
The quote above is the harsh reality of the sales profession. The author says that “sales professionals are the elite athletes of the business world” and that’s exactly how we have to think of ourselves. Again, your company and the people that work there rely on you for their jobs and their paychecks and if over time you don’t produce for them, they will find someone who does.
Jeb talks a lot about the only things we can control in our lives: our actions, our reactions, and our mindset. These are magnified when it comes to individuals in sales. During this chapter, we take a deep dive into what Blount calls the “Four Pillars of Mental Toughness in Sales”:
We have to make a concerted effort to relentlessly continue to get better at our craft. We have to keep our mental edge and attitude sharp, we have to keep learning and growing our knowledge base and our technique. The moment we get complacent, someone else is right on your coattail to steal your client or take your business.
Sales is such a fun profession to be in. You have the opportunity to build relationships and work with great people, learn about different businesses and be rewarded for all of your hard work. It’s also one of the most difficult things to do in the world. Having a guide and resource like Fanatical Prospecting is such a strong asset for anyone in sales or leadership.
Jeb Blount is a Sales Acceleration Specialist who helps sales organizations reach peak performance fast by optimizing talent, leveraging training to cultivate high-performance sales culture, developing leadership and coaching skills, and applying more effective organizational design.
