The number one priority for an agent should be prospecting for potential clients. Here are five effective prospecting techniques that will help you maximize the time you spend on the phone prospecting:
1. Stand up! Your voice and energy will greatly improve when you’re actively moving around. This will help you speak with more confidence and conviction than sitting down slumped over a chair.
2. Remember that prospecting time is not research time. You should already know who you’re going to call and what you’re going to say to your prospects. This will help maximize the number of people you can reach during these hours on the phone.
3. Use an auto-dialer. Nothing wastes more time than dialing each individual number, then hanging up and dialing the next one. A great auto-dialer will help you queue up all of the prospects you want to call and allow you to dial hundreds of prospects per hour.
4. After three rings, move on. Chances are that after the phone rings three times, nobody is going to answer, so move on to the next person and talk to them live.
5. Set a goal of speaking to at least five contacts per hour. At the end of each prospecting session, ask yourself these three essential questions: What did I do right? What did I do wrong? How can I improve?
The best way to improve is to role-play. We recommend a minimum of three sessions per week – preferably one hour a day, five days a week – of role-play.
