More than 40 percent of sales professionals say prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process according to a HubSpot survey. Thirty-six percent said closing was the most difficult part while 22 percent cited qualifying prospective clients as toughest.

Would you like to know what surprised me most about these survey results?

The fact that prospecting only had 40 percent.

I believe that prospecting is the most important part of the sales process and the one that causes the most stress, worry and procrastination among people who sell for a living.

When speaking to sales reps, I sometimes like to conduct an unscientific survey of the audience. With a show of hands, I ask them which part of the process is their least favorite. “Prospecting,” usually gets 60 to 70 percent of the votes.

Why is prospecting more intimidating and less enjoyed than other parts of the sales process?

A Definition

Well, to start, let’s look at the definition of prospecting: “Prospecting is the art of interrupting someone when they don’t expect to hear from you in order to provide them with something they need that they might not yet know.”

The key word in that definition is “interrupting.” Most people are uncomfortable interrupting someone especially when it’s a stranger who is not expecting to hear from you.

And we know that when you interrupt someone, you are risking rejection, one of humanity’s biggest phobias. If you research, “top 10 phobias,” the fear of rejection pops up frequently.

Most people hate being rejected. As social beings, the avoidance of rejection is a powerful motivation. It’s hard-wired into our DNA. It’s a matter of survival, because people need other people to survive. That was especially important in prehistoric times when primitive humans banded together to raise food and protect themselves from external threats. If you didn’t fit into the tribe, you were left on your own to fend off predators (both figurative and literal).

Even though we have evolved into sophisticated beings with technology at our fingertips and complicated social structures to protect us, it’s hard to shake our ancient traits. While a fear of rejection helped humans survive 5,000 years ago, it can hinder us in today’s competitive business environment.

How Can You Overcome Your Natural Predilection to Avoid Rejection at All Costs and Push Forward as an Effective Prospector?

• Envision success — Like an athlete preparing for a big game, you have a higher likelihood of succeeding if you picture yourself doing well in advance.
• Keep it in perspective — It’s not the end of the world when you get rejected. It may have meant life and death in primeval times, but in the 21st century, it’s just a speed bump. You will live to fight another battle.
• Externalize it — For most of us, it’s normal to take rejection personally, which means we internalize it. Try to see the rejection as something outside of you, external to your life and your personality. A sales rejection is not an indictment of your personality.
• No self-fulfilling prophecies — Avoid a defeatist attitude. To avoid being disappointed, some sales practitioners start to assume the prospect won’t pan out before even contacting him. That can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, meaning you’ve lost before you even begin.
• Build a big list — Make sure you have a large number of leads in your pipeline, so you’re not too dependent on any one lead or prospect. Rejection hurts more when you don’t have any other prospects to take the rejecter’s place. Plus, too few leads make you desperate.
• The right kind of leads — Study who you have been targeting in the past. Is it really the right group of people? Should you be targeting a different prospect profile?
• Have a plan — Those sales reps who have a well-developed personal plan for prospecting tend to fear rejection less. A good plan means you have a dedicated prospecting time and a step-by-step system you follow when engaging new cold prospects.
• Persistence — Because most prospects are so busy, it is now taking about nine attempts to get a cold prospect to return your call or email. However, most sales reps give up after 2.5 attempts. If you give up too soon, your pipeline will be too skinny, which makes you too dependent on too few leads.

Proactivity vs. Victimhood

The temperature in my son’s high school classroom was 85 degrees.

At least that’s what he said when I asked why he sometimes has a hard time focusing during chemistry class.

I get it. I remember certain classrooms in high school being particularly hot or cold. I also remember not liking science all that much. In fact, just about anything could cause me to lose focus during my high school career. Nevertheless, I had to find a way to get my mind back on task.

The same goes for my son.

Our conversation eventually turned to what we can control and what we can’t control. I drew a circle, and inside it, I wrote things that he could control (his focus, his attitude, the amount of work he does, willingness to ask the teacher questions, etc.). Outside the circle, we wrote things he can’t control (temperature of the classroom, the teaching style, behavior of fellow students and the fact that the school district requires four high school science classes, etc.).

But this advice doesn’t apply only to teenagers. As professionals, we too benefit by focusing more on what we can control and less on what we can’t. After all, we are just grown-up high school kids, right?

In our lives, it’s easy to get wrapped up with things we can’t control — the pandemic, inflation, supply chain problems.

Same thing applies when we’re working in our sales roles. We can’t control what motivates our prospective clients, but we can take steps to discover it. You can’t stop macro trends from disrupting your industry, but you can control your response to that disruption. You can’t single-handedly fix the global supply chain crisis, but you can find ways to not only survive it but maybe even profit from it.

All things that fall under your control can collectively be referred to as your “circle of influence.”

In his famous book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey explains the circle of influence. He tells us to focus on what we can impact. He states that a positive and proactive focus on the things we can control will actually have a secondary effect of increasing our circle of influence.

Those people who focus on the things within their circle of control tend to be proactive. Those who focus outside the circle tend to be reactive.

A proactive sales professional might say: “I lost the sale because I failed to establish how my product solved the client’s problem, next time I will pay closer attention to the prospective client’s values and motivations.”

A reactive sales professional might say: “I missed out on the deal because my team members didn’t prepare me enough for my sales presentation. They need to pull their weight next time.”

The problem with being reactive is that it turns you into a victim. You’re not going to find a lot of successful victims in the sales profession.

So, how can you help yourself focus more inside your circle of influence and consequently be more proactive?

Well, attitude is important. So are things like discipline, emotional intelligence, organization, and time management. But there are three words in particular that you must keep front of mind: Responsibility, authority and accountability.

Every individual has responsibility for himself or herself. Nobody else can or should make decisions for you. Fortunately, each of us has the authority to carry out that responsibility. Nobody has the right to take away the power you have over your own life. Finally, we are accountable for the decisions we make — good or bad. You live with the consequences of your decision-making and actions.

While responsibility, authority and accountability come with a burden, they are also liberating. Success begins and ends with you. People who abide by these three words enjoy more success and lead richer lives.

Not only will these three words make you happier and more successful, they’ll actually expand your circle of influence. People who lead healthy, proactive lives/careers, attract people.

In other words, victims’ circles of influence get smaller over time. Proactive people grow their influence.

So, in a weird little twist, if you focus only on what you can control, there will eventually be more stuff under your control. Pretty cool if you ask me.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].