This episode dissects prospecting from 50 to 120 years ago...discussing five key elements:
1) The origins of the word "prospecting" as it relates to sales
2) The mindset - quality prospecting over simply focusing on metrics and scale
3) Metrics and prospecting quotes - the counterpoint of above in terms of working backwards to determine how many prospects you have to reach out to to hit your numbers
4) The use of the telephone in prospecting - some initial thoughts on multi-channel versus a reliance on the tool
5) Data around the number of touches it takes to develop a prospect

There's nothing new in the world of sales, except for the history you do not know.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on X - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - The book on revenue leadership, which includes several quotes and lessons from sales' past.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

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We've heard it all before - the "death of" this, and the "demise of" that as it relates to the sales profession. Everything is dead, right? Well, like so many other sales-related things, this concept isn't new, either. Experts have been casting the profession and its elements to the grave since the early 1900s.

In today's episode, I share multiple times when the sales profession was theoretically on its deathbed - and why it not only survived but thrived. I also take you through why things that work, specifically the "service mindset", disappear and then reappear to help us through troubled times.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes several quotes and lessons from sales' past.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

Support the Show.

Let’s explore sales discounting…it’s history, commentary, and why we haven’t been able to break this terrible habit. It's a problem that's as prominent and as recognized today as it was in the early 1900s.

@saleshistorian on Instagram - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
@saleshistorian on Twitter - daily quotes, pics & comics from the past
The Transparent Sales Leader - my newest book which includes several quotes and lessons from sales' past.
The Transparency Sale - the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

Support the Show.