The Chinese definition of insanity is, Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different.

How appropriate for Prospecting. I talk with sales people all the time who have trouble with Prospecting, yet continue to Prospect the same way. I dont bother to ask them why, since that is a bad question for any sales person to ask it forces someone to defend what they have done, which tends to reinforce their actions so I simply make a suggestion.

I suggest that they may have more success with their Prospecting efforts if they do their Prospecting differently.

Most of us in sales are taught sales skills all the time, but are never taught how to Prospect. That doesn't make much sense since Prospecting is the only way we can get into a situation where we can actually use those selling skills!

So most of us are on our own when it comes to Prospecting skills. We need a System for Prospecting. A learnable, repeatable, measurable system that we can use and evaluate easily.

Since most of us are never taught how to Prospect, I find that sales people are open to these new ideas. It will take a commitment on your part, but ROI is great.

Once they learn or create a system, their Prospecting success will show exponential growth.

An additional benefit, we will avoid the hills and valleys of sales by Prospecting on a regular basis, so they always have plenty of prospects in the system to work with.

In conclusion, if your Prospecting efforts are not yielding the results you want and need, stop doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result. Try a System, to show that you are really not insane.

Sell well and often!

Copyright 2006, WJ Truax

Bill Truax

Bill is President of TRUFIELD ENTERPRISES, Inc. a firm specializing in Sales Operations Consulting and skill based training programs for Managers, Sales Professionals, and Sales Managers. One of Bill?s unique qualities is that he spends a lot of time in Field Implementation ? working with sales professionals and managers in the field.

Bill holds a degree in Marketing from Indiana University where he also earned a Commercial Pilot's license and flew part time as a charter pilot.

After graduation he spent three years as an officer in the U.S. Army where he logged 3500 hours of instruction as Committee Group Chief in charge of demolition and booby trap training at Fort Lewis, Washington.

In early 1972 Bill moved to Cleveland as a salesman with the H.J. Heinz Co. and was selected by Heinz to be a member of their National Sales Training team.

He left Heinz and joined a Cleveland insurance firm prior to founding TRUFIELD in 1978.

Bill and his wife, Sue, co-authored the book, The BLITZ CALL?, A System for Fear Free Prospecting and Making Cold Calls. The book became an international best seller. They have published two more books on Prospecting, two CDs, and they developed and conduct BLITZ CALL Workshops, Seminars, and Train the Trainer programs.

Bill has spent literally thousands of hours in the field making cold calls with sales professionals to teach his BLITZ CALL System. When Bill is in the field he actually makes many of the BLITZ CALLs himself, regardless of the industry. This is to demonstrate that anyone can prospect you just need to know how.

Bill and Sue have also copy written several skill based training programs in the areas of Sales, Public Speaking, and Manners, Courtesy, and Etiquette, which they conduct for corporations throughout North America.

Along with consulting, Bill's focus is in skill-based training, designed to enhance the skills, performance, and promotability of the people with whom he works.

Bill frequently addresses Sales and Marketing classes at universities in Northern Ohio.

When Bill is not consulting or conducting programs he is involved in sales either for TRUFIELD or in the field with client salespeople and sales managers or working with managers helping to develop and share ways to increase effectiveness, motivation, and goal achievement. He has been actively involved in Selling, Speaking, Consulting, and Sales Production since 1972.