It has been said that successful people develop the habits of doing those things that unsuccessful people choose not to do. This theory is especially true in evaluating the success of sales people.

My experience in recruiting, training and leading sales people bears this out. The most successful people I have ever worked with developed strong habits they followed day after day. For many, this habit involved prospecting or finding more people to tell their story to.

An acquaintance of mine who has been highly successful in personal sales as well as sales management really amplifies this rule when he tells me there really is a secret to success in sales. It involves three parts and goes like this: You have to see the people; you have to see the people; and you have to see the people. If you will do that you can't help but be successful. That's all well and good, but let's face facts. In order to see the people, first you have to find them.

Ask any group of sales people which step in the sales cycle they find most challenging, (and the least desirable) and you will be sure to hear the word "prospecting" from a large percentage of those responding. Simply stated, many consider the task of prospecting "drudge" work and not a lot of fun. It involves the greatest potential for rejection of any step in the sales cycle and is the single most significant reason people leave the profession for other less stressful positions. Every sales person I have ever met is positively convinced that if they can get face to face with a prospect, they can make a sale.