5 Things All Sellers Should Do Before Prospecting Many salespeople find prospecting daunting. Prospecting is one of the most critical actions a sales rep can do to develop leads.Donald has worked with many salespeople and he still sees sales reps who don’t prepare as much as they should when prospecting. Even people who are high in the organizational chart need to prospect.  In this episode, Donald is sharing 5 actions that all sellers should take before prospecting. Set goals Plan ahead of time Focus on your list Do your research and find the right information about your prospects Have the proper mindset   Setting your goals  You must have a goal whenever you prospect. Having a goal allows you to have focused action in the time you’ve set aside for prospecting. Set a goal for how many prospects you want to contact in your scheduled time frame. Evaluate what you want to achieve. For example:   Do you plan on getting three new prospects? Are you setting two new appointments? Will you be making X number of calls?   To stay accountable, you can share your goals with somebody on your team. By doing this, you have someone to check on whether or not you’ve achieved your goals. For additional accountability, you can also check out The Sales Evangelizers, on Facebook and LinkedIn, to talk with the other sales reps who share similar goals.    Plan it  For many sales reps, prospecting can be treated as an afterthought. The best approach to prospecting is to have an action. Block out the time on your calendar and treat it as sacred so you can focus on your prospecting efforts.    Use your dedicated time for prospecting and focus your efforts on that. Don’t use this time to check company emails,  Facebook notifications,or LinkedIn.    Sales reps need to prepare more than you think you should. #SalesPreparedness Focus on your list Before you prospect, build a list first. Regardless of the tool you use,putting together this clearly defined list should be part of the planning process. Use LinkedIn or some other software or company to make sure the information is updated so you’re not wasting time when it’s time to make contact. Clean up the data beforehand so you make the most of your time prospecting    Do basic research  Donald uses a three by three approach when doing research about a new prospect: He finds three things about the prospect within three minutes using LinkedIn or their own company site. Some of this information includes their position or roles in the company, any new acquisition, new announcements in the company, new promotions, and more.   You can use the information you gathered when you’re reaching out to them to personalize the correspondence. In your research, you can find out their roles and vary your approaches accordingly. Depending on the positions they have in their organization, you can adjust the value proposition. Research can take time but it’s worth it. If you need to, ask for help from the members of your sales team or marketing and sales research departments.   The Mindset  Meditating is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for the day. It’s a time where you can get quiet and focus. Get into the zone and picture your success. Professional athletes spend thousands of dollars on coaches to help them get the right mindset so they can stay top of their game.  You can join Donald’s mastermind classes as they have sales reps from a variety of fields who come together and partner with us. There, you can find accountability, support, and guidance. To join, check out the website at www.thesalesevangelist.com/mastermind to fill out an application. Getting your right mind is critical for your success. You need the mindset and belief you can get those appointments and close the deals. “5 Things All Sellers Should Do Before Prospecting” episode resources  If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any s