Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling (Jeb Blount)

by Jeb Blount

The 30-Day Rule “Hey, Jeb, got a minute?” The voice on the line was familiar. “Sure, Greg, what's up?” Greg is a sales pro who lives in my town. We've known each other for years. “I was wondering if you might have a minute to talk.” I was stuck in traffic on the parking lot called I-285 in Atlanta and had nowhere to go, so Greg started telling me his story. He explained that for some reason nothing he was working on was closing. He was getting frustrated, feeling that he'd lost his edge, and looking for tips that would help him get some deals closed. It was early March and he was worried that he was going to end up having a bad quarter. Slumps can quickly erode confidence and create a feeling of desperation. “Greg,” I asked, “just by chance are you calling the same prospects over and over? And are these prospects the same ones you were trying to close in February?” “Yes. They keep putting me off. I was wondering if you might have some closing techniques or something I can say to get them to pull the trigger.” “Greg, this is going to sound like a weird question, so bear with me. How much were you working in December?” “Well, we had a lot going on in December and I didn't get in as much time as I had hoped. We also took a couple of weeks off at the end of the year. You know how it is around the holidays.” “So you weren't doing as much prospecting as usual?” There was silence on the other end of the line. “Oh, crap, Jeb—the 30-Day Rule! I didn't even see it.” Greg didn't have...