blog-21-convictions-the-professional-sales-prospecting-oath-1I woke up at 4:30 AM with this nagging thought in my mind ...

It’s time for professional sales prospectors to make an oath to our employers, our bosses, our prospects, ourselves, and each other. It’s time to revolt against the telemarketers and spammers who give us a bad name!  

I know it sounds corny, but if you feel the same way I do, read the 21 convictions below -- then sign the oath by leaving a comment on this post with your name. Feel free to click on any conviction to share your favorite ones on Twitter, too.

21-convictions-the-professional-sales-prospecting-oathI will never “sell” when prospecting; The beginning of the buyer’s journey leaves no place for pushing products/services on prospects.

I will work hard to help prospects realize they have needs they didn’t know they had – to do less would be remiss to the prospects I serve.

I will not sell to a prospect if I realize that they do not have a need for what I am selling.

I will use a buyer-centric approach with less of the word ‘I’ and more of the word ‘you.’

I will make phone calls in addition to solely relying on emails, InMails, and other social media messages.

I will leave tailored voicemails that add value to my prospects as a part of my process.

When asking for an appointment, I will accept the answer ‘No’ with grace.

I will make proper attempts to turn the ‘No’ into a ‘Yes’ when I know I can make the prospect’s life better.

I will morph my schedule to the habits of my prospects.

I will prepare before reaching out to show my prospects that I have have an understanding of them and their organization.

I will form a Hypothesis of Need to have a good reason for why I am calling.

I will respect my prospect's time and not launch straight into a pitch. Instead, I’ll seek their permission before continuing a conversation.

I will not ask probing questions before I have earned the right to.

Once I’ve earned the right to ask questions, I will listen carefully to learn about my prospect and their organizations before selling.

I will take notes in my CRM system so my prospects don’t have to repeat themselves in future interactions with my organization.

I will always keep my commitments and show up on time.

My time is as valuable as the time of my prospects and the most valuable commodity that I have.

In meetings with my peers or bosses, I will be fully present and will not look at my emails or texts until breaks.

I will thank those who help me in my role and remember that, “victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”

I will never stop reading, absorbing, experimenting, and growing as a sales professional

My role as a sales professional is to change the course of history and make things happen that would not have happened without me.

signature-21-convictions-the-professional-sales-prospecting-oath

A big thank you to Bob Perkins, Jill Konrath, Matt Bertuzzi, and Chad Burmeister for helping form this list.

Will you join us and "comment your signature" below?

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Originally published Mar 11, 2014 8:00:00 AM, updated February 01 2017

Topics:

Sales Prospecting