Harness Your Desire 
 
 No matter if you are struggling in the valley of missed quotas or standing on highest mountain of success, filling your sales funnel daily is the one sure way to get out of a slump and stay high above the clouds. Prospecting is the most essential of all sales activities and the one thing, that if ignored, will guarantee failure.

Whether you use the telephone, direct mail, referrals, networking or do it the old fashion way by knocking on doors, prospecting is perhaps the most despised activity in sales. The monotony, rejection and, time requirements are just a few of the reasons prospecting is passed over or put off by many Sales Professionals day after day until soon, it is too late.

Far too many Sales Professionals lose their jobs or fail to achieve their true potential because prospecting was not a priority. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can easily overcome your fear or reluctance to prospect by simply harnessing your desire. Desire is driven by goals. When you define your goals and then write down your steps to success you begin to focus your desire on what you want to achieve, instead of what you don’t want to do. Suddenly prospecting becomes easy because the result of prospecting, more sales, is tied to something more tangible – your goals.

 Three PowerPrinciples for Keeping Your Sales Funnel Full

1. Value Your Time:The 80/20 rule is always in play. 80% of your time should be spent finding, qualifying and presenting to new customers, and 20% following up on existing customers and opportunities. Evaluate your activities for the last thirty days and, if needed, change your priorities.

2. A Little Bit Every Day: The real secret to effective prospecting is to do a little bit everyday. Block out time on your calendar for prospecting daily and make that appointment with yourself sacred!

3. Have Fun: Top Sales Professionals keep it fun and fresh with different approaches, games and competitive goals. Harness your desire by always keeping your goals in mind. When you are having a hard time getting started, visualize your future achievement. Here’s a game: tomorrow try counting your “nos”. How many can you get?