As all sales pros know, prospecting is one of the biggest keys to success. Check out these 5 habits of highly effective sales prospectors that can help you fine-tune your path to closing more deals!

1. Dedicating a set amount of time each week to prospect & making it a routine.

The most successful sales professionals make it a point to spend time prospecting every week. Consistent effort on the prospecting side can ensure you never run into an nonexistent pipeline. By continually adding to your list of potential targets, you’ll become more organized overall.

Prospecting can also be time consuming if you let it accumulate. Do it consistently and avoid getting bogged down looking for people to call.

2. Knowing what potential clients make the most sense.

Prospecting isn’t all about numbers & building a huge list. While one person may be great at filling up a spreadsheet with names and numbers, another person may outsell them with only a couple of well-researched leads. The best prospectors do thorough research in advance that allows them to pinpoint businesses who have a true need for their products and services. Keeping a keen eye on prospects’ potential volume & properly categorizing their value is extremely important.

3. Using technology to its full potential.

Staying on top of the latest advances in technology will save you time and improve your close-rate. The best prospectors use all tools available to their full capabilities. Whether you’re hand-picking top executives on LinkedIn, fully leveraging your CRM, or replacing your dated Rolodex with a digital business card app, be sure you’re staying up-to-date on all of the latest in the world of technology.

4. Nurturing leads and avoiding hard-selling tactics.

The best sales prospectors know how to work their way into a selling conversation without overdoing it. If you throw a hard sales pitch at a prospect right out of the gate, you’re probably going to scare them away. Make sure you are focused on identifying the potential customer’s problems & contributing toward a solution – in a conversational, non-obtrusive fashion. Selling is about building relationships.