Why is prospecting important for salespeople?

Prospecting is essential because it helps salespeople identify and initiate contact with potential clients. Without prospecting, there’s no pipeline — and no pipeline means no sales.

What are the common ways salespeople find prospects?

Salespeople can find prospects through introductions, social media, networking, internal referrals, cold calling, email outreach, association memberships, purchased lists, and business networking groups.

What's the next step after finding a prospect's name?

The next step is to make contact — typically by phone or email — to engage the prospect, understand their situation, and determine if they are a good fit.

Why is prospecting so difficult?

Prospecting involves frequent rejection, emotional highs and lows, and a lack of immediate payoff. Salespeople face hang-ups, ignored calls, false interest, and cancellations — which makes the process emotionally taxing.

Do salespeople need to enjoy prospecting to be successful?

No, they don’t have to like it — they just have to do it. Discipline and consistency matter more than enjoyment when it comes to successful prospecting.

How can handling rejection improve sales performance?

Salespeople who are rejection-proof are more likely to ask tough questions, stay objective, push through objections, and recover quickly — all of which drive sales success.

What traits help a salesperson become rejection-proof?

Traits include emotional resilience, active listening, confidence, objectivity, and the ability to bounce back from failure without internalizing it.

What increases the chance of success when prospecting by phone?

Having a solid, distinctive phone approach that doesn’t sound like every other salesperson increases the likelihood of starting meaningful conversations.

“Grit” in Sales: Are You Driven to Succeed?

Posted September 16, 2025 in Sales Brew

Grit is often talked about in sports or in overcoming life challenges, but grit in sales looks a little different. At its core, grit in sales comes down to your will to sell. Do you have the passion and drive to succeed no matter the circumstances?

At Anthony Cole Training Group, we use the award-winning sales assessment from Objective Management Group (OMG) to measure grit in sales. This assessment identifies five key elements that make up a salesperson’s will to sell: desire, commitment, outlook, responsibility, and motivation. Let’s break these down.

Desire

How badly do you want to succeed? Salespeople with grit are fueled by a passion for success and are willing to do what it takes to reach their goals.

Commitment

Commitment asks a simple question: What are you willing to do, within legal, moral, and ethical boundaries, to find and win business? A strong commitment level separates those who talk about success from those who achieve it.

Outlook

Your outlook is your perspective on yourself, your company, your colleagues, and your market. A positive outlook keeps you moving forward, while a negative one can hold you back from reaching your potential.

Responsibility

Responsibility is the opposite of excuse-making. Salespeople with grit own their outcomes. Instead of blaming outside factors, they take accountability and focus on what they can control to improve results.

Motivation

Motivation is both about whether you are motivated and how you are motivated. There are three types:

Extrinsic: Driven by rewards like bonuses, commissions, or recognition.
Intrinsic: Motivated by personal satisfaction and pride in being the best.
Altruistic: Motivated by putting the customer’s success first.

Why Grit in Sales Matters

Understanding where your grit comes from can help you overcome challenges and build lasting success. If you have a strong desire and commitment but are not achieving the results you want, it may be time to assess your outlook, responsibility, or motivation.

FAQ

What does grit in sales mean?
Grit in sales refers to a salesperson’s will to sell, measured by their desire, commitment, outlook, responsibility, and motivation.

Why is grit important in sales?
Grit helps salespeople stay persistent, accountable, and motivated, even when facing challenges.

Can grit in sales be developed?
Yes. Through training, coaching, and self-awareness, salespeople can strengthen the elements of grit and improve performance.

What motivates salespeople the most?
It varies by person. Some are motivated extrinsically by money, others intrinsically by personal satisfaction, and others altruistically by helping clients succeed.

Free Assessment of the 21 Core Sales Competencies HERE!

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