Because most salespeople work reactively, we spend our days dealing with calls from customers.

Some call this order‐taking.

Some call it gathering.

Some call it serving the customer.

All of these are correct. But when you sell this way—and most people do—you're limiting yourself almost entirely to interactions with customers.

You sell to people who are already buying from you.

The prospects aren't calling with problems or urgent orders.

By definition, only customers are making those calls.

And that's who we talk to all day.

When I ask salespeople at my clients' companies what percent of their communications are with prospects, the answers almost always come in at under 10 percent.

So: Yes, it's easy to sell more to existing customers.

They want to buy more from you.

But: you have many prospects out there who are currently doing business with your competition. These people would be so much better off with you.

You would help them more than the competition is.

You would be timelier with your delivery.

You would be more available when they call.

You would save them more time than the competition currently does because of how well and how quickly you work.

Prospects would get far more value from you than they do from the competition.

Why Prospects Are Sales Growth Gold

Whether you manufacture or distribute products, or deliver services, prospects are revenue gold.

Why?

Because they buy for the first time only once. After this, they become a repeat customer.

And that's where you make your living, on repeat business.

One of my clients—an owner of a large pipe and valve distributor—says that my customers eat a pizza from him and then they need more pizza because they get hungry again. Your customers use your products or services and then they need some more.

Prospects are incredibly valuable because they are only one order away from being a repeat customer.

So don't forget about the prospects.

Make it a part of your day to spend some time talking with people who are not current customers.

Use the “Proactive Call Planner” to make a concrete list of prospects you can communicate with. Download your free copy at Goldfayn.com.

The bottom half of the planner has four different kinds of prospects you can talk to. There is more about these prospects in the next chapter on using the phone.

Don't forget about the prospects.

They deserve your great value too.

And you deserve the significant new revenue that comes from them.