The fear of losing my home, my family, everything.  That seems to keep me on the phones when I am not in meetings with prospects or clients.  I am serious about that.

The most important thing is to never give up the prospecting habit to begin with.  A day becomes a week, a week turns into a month, a month turns into 6 months, and so on.  That being said.......

The only thing you can control in this business are your daily activities.  I would strongly suggest that you draw up a daily scorecard that tracks your new contacts, follow-up's, $ found, hours worked, new accounts, gross production, etc.  Devise a point system (see one of my previous posts' for a primer) and make yourself accountable.  Do not leave office until the point goal has been achieved.  In addition, consider reading  my "500 day war" post and apply it to your daily regime; no reason us vet's can't put in the time/effort rookies are required to do to survive. And prosper.

This is the best time to prospect, as a seasoned vet.  Imagine how much further ahead you are from where you started, in terms of knowledge/sales skills.  Take advantage of it- and make it happen.

[quote=bondo]The fear of losing my home, my family, everything.  That seems to keep me on the phones when I am not in meetings with prospects or clients.  I am serious about that.[/quote]

That is a great fear to have, thanks Bondo

[quote=The Judge]

The most important thing is to never give up the prospecting habit to begin with.  A day becomes a week, a week turns into a month, a month turns into 6 months, and so on.  That being said.......

The only thing you can control in this business are your daily activities.  I would strongly suggest that you draw up a daily scorecard that tracks your new contacts, follow-up's, $ found, hours worked, new accounts, gross production, etc.  Devise a point system (see one of my previous posts' for a primer) and make yourself accountable.  Do not leave office until the point goal has been achieved.  In addition, consider reading  my "500 day war" post and apply it to your daily regime; no reason us vet's can't put in the time/effort rookies are required to do to survive. And prosper.

This is the best time to prospect, as a seasoned vet.  Imagine how much further ahead you are from where you started, in terms of knowledge/sales skills.  Take advantage of it- and make it happen.

[/quote]

Ah Judge, I have read pretty much all of your posts, some of them many times.  I have a new contact sheet I received from a friend, so I think it will help to call until all the dials have been made.  I use the Bill Good system, so that helps to keep everything tracking.

What are some of the ways to keep myself accountable, when it is just myself to account to really?

Also, I think the frusturating thing for me is the process it takes to turn a cold call into a prospect and then into a client...sometimes it takes sooo long.  I don't take it personally, but people piss the hell out of me when they hang up.  My take is that they don't deserve my service...those idiots.

[

[quote=snaggletooth][quote=The Judge]

The most important thing is to never give up the prospecting habit to begin with.  A day becomes a week, a week turns into a month, a month turns into 6 months, and so on.  That being said.......

The only thing you can control in this business are your daily activities.  I would strongly suggest that you draw up a daily scorecard that tracks your new contacts, follow-up's, $ found, hours worked, new accounts, gross production, etc.  Devise a point system (see one of my previous posts' for a primer) and make yourself accountable.  Do not leave office until the point goal has been achieved.  In addition, consider reading  my "500 day war" post and apply it to your daily regime; no reason us vet's can't put in the time/effort rookies are required to do to survive. And prosper.

This is the best time to prospect, as a seasoned vet.  Imagine how much further ahead you are from where you started, in terms of knowledge/sales skills.  Take advantage of it- and make it happen.

[/quote]

Ah Judge, I have read pretty much all of your posts, some of them many times.  I have a new contact sheet I received from a friend, so I think it will help to call until all the dials have been made.  I use the Bill Good system, so that helps to keep everything tracking.

What are some of the ways to keep myself accountable, when it is just myself to account to really?

Also, I think the frusturating thing for me is the process it takes to turn a cold call into a prospect and then into a client...sometimes it takes sooo long.  I don't take it personally, but people piss the hell out of me when they hang up.  My take is that they don't deserve my service...those idiots.

[/quote]

When I was new and we were all cold calling, if someone was a dick to one of us on the phone, he got passed to every guy in the bullpen. "No" was perfectly ok. Being a dick was not.  

To me, cold call clients are some of the fastest conversions.  The other methods, networking, etc. all seem to take longer.  With a call, you can use the same process over and over again.  And hang ups don't bother me that much, I just look at it as a no.  At least they're saving you time, move on to the next number.  The only thing that bothers me is when people go out of their way to be rude.  Simply saying no or not interested will get rid of me quicker, I'll thank them and move on.  But some people seem to take some sort of pleasure in being as rude as they can be and venting all of their anger on the phone.  If I had anyone to pass them on to, I would, but for the moment, I'm the only guy in the office cold calling.

[quote=snaggletooth][quote=The Judge]

The most important thing is to never give up the prospecting habit to begin with.  A day becomes a week, a week turns into a month, a month turns into 6 months, and so on.  That being said.......

The only thing you can control in this business are your daily activities.  I would strongly suggest that you draw up a daily scorecard that tracks your new contacts, follow-up's, $ found, hours worked, new accounts, gross production, etc.  Devise a point system (see one of my previous posts' for a primer) and make yourself accountable.  Do not leave office until the point goal has been achieved.  In addition, consider reading  my "500 day war" post and apply it to your daily regime; no reason us vet's can't put in the time/effort rookies are required to do to survive. And prosper.

This is the best time to prospect, as a seasoned vet.  Imagine how much further ahead you are from where you started, in terms of knowledge/sales skills.  Take advantage of it- and make it happen.

[/quote]

Ah Judge, I have read pretty much all of your posts, some of them many times.  I have a new contact sheet I received from a friend, so I think it will help to call until all the dials have been made.  I use the Bill Good system, so that helps to keep everything tracking.

What are some of the ways to keep myself accountable, when it is just myself to account to really?

Also, I think the frusturating thing for me is the process it takes to turn a cold call into a prospect and then into a client...sometimes it takes sooo long.  I don't take it personally, but people piss the hell out of me when they hang up.  My take is that they don't deserve my service...those idiots.

I love how its called the bullpen.  Makes it sound like some kind of sport, and you a hot jock.  In reality, it's just some dweeb in a suit with a headset on trying to press old ladies into turning over their money.  The "Bullpen"...lol.

[quote=Bobby Hull][quote=snaggletooth][quote=The Judge]

The most important thing is to never give up the prospecting habit to begin with.  A day becomes a week, a week turns into a month, a month turns into 6 months, and so on.  That being said.......

The only thing you can control in this business are your daily activities.  I would strongly suggest that you draw up a daily scorecard that tracks your new contacts, follow-up's, $ found, hours worked, new accounts, gross production, etc.  Devise a point system (see one of my previous posts' for a primer) and make yourself accountable.  Do not leave office until the point goal has been achieved.  In addition, consider reading  my "500 day war" post and apply it to your daily regime; no reason us vet's can't put in the time/effort rookies are required to do to survive. And prosper.

This is the best time to prospect, as a seasoned vet.  Imagine how much further ahead you are from where you started, in terms of knowledge/sales skills.  Take advantage of it- and make it happen.

[/quote]

Ah Judge, I have read pretty much all of your posts, some of them many times.  I have a new contact sheet I received from a friend, so I think it will help to call until all the dials have been made.  I use the Bill Good system, so that helps to keep everything tracking.

What are some of the ways to keep myself accountable, when it is just myself to account to really?

Also, I think the frusturating thing for me is the process it takes to turn a cold call into a prospect and then into a client...sometimes it takes sooo long.  I don't take it personally, but people piss the hell out of me when they hang up.  My take is that they don't deserve my service...those idiots.

[/quote]

When I was new and we were all cold calling, if someone was a dick to one of us on the phone, he got passed to every guy in the bullpen. "No" was perfectly ok. Being a dick was not.  

[quote=Tormented Ulaf]

I love how its called the bullpen.  Makes it sound like some kind of sport, and you a hot jock.  In reality, it's just some dweeb in a suit with a headset on trying to press old ladies into turning over their money.  The "Bullpen"...lol.

[/quote]

This is an uninformed opinion. The bullpen is not a place to find a hot jock.

The origin of the term "bullpen" as it relates to baseball is somewhat in dispute. Various sources put it as having come from pitchers warming up in actual bullpens on the farm fields turned baseball fields in the sport's infancy. Other explanations are related to the Bull Durham Tobacco advertisements that adorned outfield walls during the early 1900s. Finally, late comers to games were often herded, cattlelike, into pens along the outfield foul territory. These pens were referred to as bullpens.

Our industry takes the negative herding cattle definition " bullpen" listed above as an alternate description for their offices's board rooms. The image meant and conveyed is very non hot jock. The board room/bullpen is for the rookies only. It's a large room with lots of noise, no privacy, where you get your ass chewed in public. It's a very hard place. Those who fail to produce enough to move beyond the bullpen, and that would be most, find their next spot on the street.

As you can see, your vision of what is, isn't close to reality. Next time you want to troll a board of an industry you know nothing about, try to at least sound informed.

By the way, the hot jocks have three window offices.

lol, you actually took my post seriously, that's hilarious.  Not as hilarious as you taking time out of your day in your "three window office" to respond.  And not as hilarious as you giving a definition and history on the origin of the word "bullpen."  Thanks for the comedy.

[quote=BondGuy][quote=Tormented Ulaf]

I love how its called the bullpen.  Makes it sound like some kind of sport, and you a hot jock.  In reality, it's just some dweeb in a suit with a headset on trying to press old ladies into turning over their money.  The "Bullpen"...lol.

[/quote]

This is an uninformed opinion. The bullpen is not a place to find a hot jock.

The origin of the term "bullpen" as it relates to baseball is somewhat in dispute. Various sources put it as having come from pitchers warming up in actual bullpens on the farm fields turned baseball fields in the sport's infancy. Other explanations are related to the Bull Durham Tobacco advertisements that adorned outfield walls during the early 1900s. Finally, late comers to games were often herded, cattlelike, into pens along the outfield foul territory. These pens were referred to as bullpens.

Our industry takes the negative herding cattle definition " bullpen" listed above as an alternate description for their offices's board rooms. The image meant and conveyed is very non hot jock. The board room/bullpen is for the rookies only. It's a large room with lots of noise, no privacy, where you get your ass chewed in public. It's a very hard place. Those who fail to produce enough to move beyond the bullpen, and that would be most, find their next spot on the street.

As you can see, your vision of what is, isn't close to reality. Next time you want to troll a board of an industry you know nothing about, try to at least sound informed.

By the way, the hot jocks have three window offices.

[quote=BondGuy][quote=Tormented Ulaf]

I love how its called the bullpen.  Makes it sound like some kind of sport, and you a hot jock.  In reality, it's just some dweeb in a suit with a headset on trying to press old ladies into turning over their money.  The "Bullpen"...lol.

[/quote]

This is an uninformed opinion. The bullpen is not a place to find a hot jock.

The origin of the term "bullpen" as it relates to baseball is somewhat in dispute. Various sources put it as having come from pitchers warming up in actual bullpens on the farm fields turned baseball fields in the sport's infancy. Other explanations are related to the Bull Durham Tobacco advertisements that adorned outfield walls during the early 1900s. Finally, late comers to games were often herded, cattlelike, into pens along the outfield foul territory. These pens were referred to as bullpens.

Our industry takes the negative herding cattle definition " bullpen" listed above as an alternate description for their offices's board rooms. The image meant and conveyed is very non hot jock. The board room/bullpen is for the rookies only. It's a large room with lots of noise, no privacy, where you get your ass chewed in public. It's a very hard place. Those who fail to produce enough to move beyond the bullpen, and that would be most, find their next spot on the street.

As you can see, your vision of what is, isn't close to reality. Next time you want to troll a board of an industry you know nothing about, try to at least sound informed.

By the way, the hot jocks have three window offices.

[/quote]

What a douche Ulaf is.  Can't even appreciate the history of this business.  Watch "Wall Street", that's a bullpen.  Unfortunately they don't seem to exist much anymore.  I remember hearing stories about guys sending their stock order tickets through those finned tubes to the back of the office.  You would have to have some years on you to have done that.  Anyhow, bullpen stories are great.  That's where a lot of the blood and sweat was dropped which made real brokers successful.

My bad Ulaf, I didn’t catch the sarcasm either. 

[quote=snaggletooth]

I am trying to re-start a vigorous prospecting campaign again.  About 100-150 dials a day plus monthly mailing drip campaigns.  Many of us here have prospected heavily before, then had a long period of down time.  What do you do, or what would you recommend I do to get back up on the mighty horse??? 

I know I need to time block better, and will be calling during the day and in the evenings.  I have been running into the issue of being interrupted by various things (administrative things, friggin online forums, etc...) and once these interruptions occur, I'm f'd for a good part of the day.

I equate the intial ramping up time to going to the gym.  Once you do it for 2 weeks, it becomes somewhat of a habit.  I really do want to bust my balls and grow the assets, but I need the kick in the ass until it becomes habit again.  How have some of you reignited your prospecting efforts???

Thanks in advance.

[/quote]

Ah, time to push the rock uphill once again?

How many times have I done this? How many stars are in the night sky?

Advice:

1. Just do it. Yeah, i know. But it's that simple. Stop thinking about it and do it. You already know what to expect.

2. Get most of the prospecting done early. Get a good two hours in first thing in the morning, not matter what. That way if the the day goes to hell you've already got two hours of contacts/prospects in the bag. I've actually had bets with peers throughout my career that i would accomplish a certain number of cold call contacts by noon everyday, no matter what, or I pay. If you do this, bet only one dollar a day. Believe me, it will become the most important dollar in your wallet.

3. Have your assistant, or receptionist, or whoever hold all your calls. Tell them absolutely no interuptions while you are calling. Talk to your BOM before you start and let him know what you are doing. Get the BOM"s cooperation. And speaking of talking to BOM...

4. Meet with your BOM and commit to your new plan. By the way, write down the plan. How many hours you will call, how many letters you will send etc. This talk with you mgr will commit you to moving forward. The monthly progress meeting you will suggest will be like dentist visits if you don't do it.

5. Treat yourself for accomplishing goals. OK, you can't buy yourself a new Ferrari every week(can you?)but maybe some simple pleasure? A new shirt or tie? Shop in a nicer store. You know, go to Walmart instead of the dollar store. Live big! How about a nice dinner every week. You get the idea. And speaking of a nice car, why not?

6. Try this: How are you going to feel if you fail in this industry when you know in your heart of hearts that you didn't give it all you have? That's a tough one to recover from. The time to hit the ball is when you're at the plate, not as a has been in the stands wishing you could have another at bat.

Batter up! Go for it!

[quote=snaggletooth]My bad Ulaf, I didn't catch the sarcasm either.  [/quote]

That's because it wasn't meant as sarcastic. Or, as anything other than the mean spirited post that it was.

Feigning sarcasm instead of responding to criticism is one of the oldest forum tricks in the book.

[quote=BondGuy][quote=snaggletooth]

I am trying to re-start a vigorous prospecting campaign again.  About 100-150 dials a day plus monthly mailing drip campaigns.  Many of us here have prospected heavily before, then had a long period of down time.  What do you do, or what would you recommend I do to get back up on the mighty horse??? 

I know I need to time block better, and will be calling during the day and in the evenings.  I have been running into the issue of being interrupted by various things (administrative things, friggin online forums, etc...) and once these interruptions occur, I'm f'd for a good part of the day.

I equate the intial ramping up time to going to the gym.  Once you do it for 2 weeks, it becomes somewhat of a habit.  I really do want to bust my balls and grow the assets, but I need the kick in the ass until it becomes habit again.  How have some of you reignited your prospecting efforts???

Thanks in advance.

[/quote]

Ah, time to push the rock uphill once again?

How many times have I done this? How many stars are in the night sky?

Advice:

1. Just do it. Yeah, i know. But it's that simple. Stop thinking about it and do it. You already know what to expect.

2. Get most of the prospecting done early. Get a good two hours in first thing in the morning, not matter what. That way if the the day goes to hell you've already got two hours of contacts/prospects in the bag. I've actually had bets with peers throughout my career that i would accomplish a certain number of cold call contacts by noon everyday, no matter what, or I pay. If you do this, bet only one dollar a day. Believe me, it will become the most important dollar in your wallet.

3. Have your assistant, or receptionist, or whoever hold all your calls. Tell them absolutely no interuptions while you are calling. Talk to your BOM before you start and let him know what you are doing. Get the BOM"s cooperation. And speaking of talking to BOM...

4. Meet with your BOM and commit to your new plan. By the way, write down the plan. How many hours you will call, how many letters you will send etc. This talk with you mgr will commit you to moving forward. The monthly progress meeting you will suggest will be like dentist visits if you don't do it.

5. Treat yourself for accomplishing goals. OK, you can't buy yourself a new Ferrari every week(can you?)but maybe some simple pleasure? A new shirt or tie? Shop in a nicer store. You know, go to Walmart instead of the dollar store. Live big! How about a nice dinner every week. You get the idea. And speaking of a nice car, why not?

6. Try this: How are you going to feel if you fail in this industry when you know in your heart of hearts that you didn't give it all you have? That's a tough one to recover from. The time to hit the ball is when you're at the plate, not as a has been in the stands wishing you could have another at bat.

Batter up! Go for it!

[/quote]

Inspiring, BondGuy, will do.  I will just have to DO it and not think about it.  I need to write down a plan too. 

[quote=BondGuy]

[quote=snaggletooth]My bad Ulaf, I didn't catch the sarcasm either.  [/quote]

That's because it wasn't meant as sarcastic. Or, as anything other than the mean spirited post that it was.

Feigning sarcasm instead of responding to criticism is one of the oldest forum tricks in the book.

[/quote]

I hate mean spirited people.

[quote=snaggletooth][quote=BondGuy][quote=Tormented Ulaf]

I love how its called the bullpen.  Makes it sound like some kind of sport, and you a hot jock.  In reality, it's just some dweeb in a suit with a headset on trying to press old ladies into turning over their money.  The "Bullpen"...lol.

[/quote]

This is an uninformed opinion. The bullpen is not a place to find a hot jock.

The origin of the term "bullpen" as it relates to baseball is somewhat in dispute. Various sources put it as having come from pitchers warming up in actual bullpens on the farm fields turned baseball fields in the sport's infancy. Other explanations are related to the Bull Durham Tobacco advertisements that adorned outfield walls during the early 1900s. Finally, late comers to games were often herded, cattlelike, into pens along the outfield foul territory. These pens were referred to as bullpens.

Our industry takes the negative herding cattle definition " bullpen" listed above as an alternate description for their offices's board rooms. The image meant and conveyed is very non hot jock. The board room/bullpen is for the rookies only. It's a large room with lots of noise, no privacy, where you get your ass chewed in public. It's a very hard place. Those who fail to produce enough to move beyond the bullpen, and that would be most, find their next spot on the street.

As you can see, your vision of what is, isn't close to reality. Next time you want to troll a board of an industry you know nothing about, try to at least sound informed.

By the way, the hot jocks have three window offices.

[/quote]

What a douche Ulaf is.  Can't even appreciate the history of this business.  Watch "Wall Street", that's a bullpen.  Unfortunately they don't seem to exist much anymore.  I remember hearing stories about guys sending their stock order tickets through those finned tubes to the back of the office.  You would have to have some years on you to have done that.  Anyhow, bullpen stories are great.  That's where a lot of the blood and sweat was dropped which made real brokers successful.

[/quote]

I had a blast in the bullpen. Even though we've scattered, I'm still very close to a number of my littermates.

Keep score and reward yourself.  If you ask me any time during the day I can tell you my score for the day.

If I get halfway through I reward myself with lunch, when I'm all the way through I can have dinner. If I beat the daily number I get to have desert.  If I beat my weekly record by Friday, I'll take Saturday off (Hasn't happend yet).

[quote=Billyclub]

Keep score and reward yourself.  If you ask me any time during the day I can tell you my score for the day.

If I get halfway through I reward myself with lunch, when I'm all the way through I can have dinner. If I beat the daily number I get to have desert.  If I beat my weekly record by Friday, I'll take Saturday off (Hasn't happend yet).

[/quote]

So basically if you meet your goals, you get fat?

All kidding aside, I need to find some sort of reward, thank you, point taken.