Definately the quality of what you have to say to a prospective client, as well as the LEVEL of contact (are they a decision maker, for example) are just as important as knowing and monitoring your calling activity.
Jill Konrath has an article called, "Should You Make More Sales Calls" that is definately worth reading. I found the article in a sales community called Eyes On Sales. Jill writes, in part:
5. Invest in your own professional development.
Attend sales seminars. Buy sales books - and read them! Buy audio programs and listen to them. Get lots of ideas. You need to break out of your non-productive paradigm.
Think about how you might experiment with different approaches to get your foot in the door. Give yourself some time to get used to new ways of doing things before you decide if they're effective or not.
While it might be nice to dream of only making one phone call to land a new prospect, that's unrealistic too. You need to find your own "enough" factor.
If you're new to sales, you'll need to make more calls than an experienced professional. If you're an old pro in a changing market, you're biggest challenge will be letting go of your tried-and-true, but no longer effective approach.
Most importantly, if you're selling to medium-sized to large organizations, remember to focus on BETTER calls - not MORE calls.
So true! I've just refined my own sales activity numbers with MY sales coach.. have you?
