Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling (Jeb Blount)

Jeb has a very engaging and honest style of writing which makes the book really enjoyable.But that's not what this is about. He describes many examples of failures and feelings that I could relate to.I think what I'm continuing to learn about success is that a lot of it's about learning to override how you feel when you fail or don't get the successful outcome you'd hoped for. It's about acknowledging it and carrying on anyway. Not giving up. Not taking a break. Keeping going.When you read how someone as successful as Jeb has experienced the gammet of emotions all of us have and goes on to succeed, you can recognise that you can too. I think this book tells me that no matter how good your actual sales techniques are, the most important thing is to keep going. You might want to give up after 99 rejections but that last call could be a sale.Life is entirely a numbers game.

Enjoyed reading this book, really helpful for sales people no matter at what stage are they

This book is absolutely golden for all those who are in the sales profession or business development. It’s essentially written for anyone in sales. As an entrepreneur it was helpful but it’s not aimed at business owners solely, there are many facets to entrepreneurship beyond just sales. However whether you’re a business owner or in the sales profession, this book is golden, after all sales is the most important element for the survival and thriving of any venture!

This is one of the best books about sales, prospecting and other activities I've read so far. I found the book on a blog post and I was hooked by the title and it did not disappoint, but even if you are not a fanatical prospector the book is packed with the basics of how, tools & tips (the benefits of adopting a CRM tool), social media for prospecting and some really good anecdotal references which make the book easy to read and digest. The research and the references at the back are useful too. This book has pride of place in my growing library and certainly gave me a boost to my prospecting mojo and a reminder to do what you need to do to get in front of prospects, before the real work begins. Thanks for writing Jeb, love it!!

Great reading. This is more for people starting in sales. Although alot of great ideas.

Really insightful for people who lack experience

I was reading this book to help apply it to my real life and the things I was doing and I did get some real value out of it that has stuck with me from I read it but the only problem is that I could not finish it as I got 160 pages in and the chapters got longer and all they were filled with was story’s about his life and experiences that I was sick for hearing for the millionth time.Don’t get me wrong I would love to meet this guy and talk with him because he seems he provides genuine value it’s just some books I’ve noticed can be summed up a lot quicker in most chapters and this is definitely one of them.One thing I’ve learned about the internet is that people don’t really care about you all that much it’s about what you do for them like make them laugh, entertain them, provide a service or info on a topic and I think most sales people are missing that today.I get it’s important to help people understand you and what you do to help them understand why they should listen to you but people do not like too much information and when it comes to the point where you toot your own horn or talk about your life too much it kills the motivation of the person behind the screen wanting to use your service and possibly return.Overall decent read just got a bit dragged out towards the end.

Absolutely fantastic book! I recently started in a career in sales and thought that this might be a good way to learn the ropes quickly. Safe to say this was a fantastic decision! The book is written very well and has loads of helpful advice, all aided by free web content you can follow up with! Quite possibly one of the best self-improvement books I have read yet, I will be keeping it close to my desk as I'm sure i will be going back to it for advice on things when it comes to it. Would definitely recommend this to anyone starting a job in sales, its a must-have.

Al inicio del libro sentía escuchar a uno de mis directores de ventas recitando cada palabra. Sin embargo , nadie en mis 10 años de ventas se había atrevido a decirme. Puedes darle el significado que quieras pero es claro que Jeb plasmó su amor por la profesión y la comparte de una manera fácil de entender.

I love that this book outlined practical tips for a different prospecting channels, but also addressed the mindset of a winning sales professional.

From my point of view, Fanatical Prospecting is a great personal development book. It is probably good for prospecting too.I don’t prospect. I fear rejection like any sane person, and according to Jeb Blount, the author of "Fanatical Prospecting:" "prospecting is hard, grueling, rejection-dense work.”Thus, I built my business ventures to avoid prospecting and rejection. My customers come to me; I don’t look for them. I qualify them before I get on the call with them. And I don’t really need new customers. My attrition rates are low. A few new customers a month is more than enough for me. When COVID robbed me of my health and sanity, I did nothing in my business for three months. My revenue slumped only by about 50%.I didn’t really need to read this book. I read it because it was a lecture in my mastermind. And I don’t regret it at all.No CONSUsually, I start my reviews with some negatives. Well, I cannot do it with Fanatical Prospecting. I’m the guy who didn’t need the book, and I’m delighted with it! I liked everything in Fanatical Prospecting. On the other hand, I can enumerate a massive list of…PROS1. Very well written.I’m an avid reader. I read 50-100 books a year. And Fanatical Prospecting stood out, significantly.It’s a nonfiction book that reads a bit like a thriller. It has just enough stories to illustrate the points. These are real-life stories, short and to the point. The author doesn’t beat the dead horse. The material is meaty and delivered in a common, simple, understandable language.This is just a great read. Which leads me to another PRO…2. Extremely Quotable.I have 157 highlights of this book in my Kindle. It easily positions it among the top 5% of the books I read. Maybe even 1%.Most of those highlights were great soundbites – powerful one-liners, like: "In sales you are owed nothing!” “Prospecting is hard, emotionally draining work, and it is the price you have to pay to earn a high income.” “Elite salespeople, like elite athletes, track everything.” “Effective delegation begins with effective communication.”The above is just a sample out of dozens and dozens of great quotes I highlighted.3. Brother from Another Mother.I also liked the book because it was so in line with my own personal philosophy. I found myself nodding furiously in agreement about every other chapter.The importance of tracking? Checked. "You cannot be delusional and successful at the same time. Delusion gets you nowhere.”The importance of perseverance? Checked. "Just remember. In sales persistence always wins. Always.”The importance of small consistent daily actions? Checked. "Every major failure in my life has been a direct result of a collapse in my self-discipline to do the little things every day. Frankly, that is all failure really is.”Every fear is real? Checked. "This is why you feel physically anxious before you ask. Your mind reels, palms sweat, stomach tightens, and muscles become tense as you subconsciously prepare for ‘no.’ This is the root cause of your feeling of fear.”C’mon! This is the exact description of what I had felt when I worked on overcoming my shyness. To the letter. It’s like Jeb had been in my head and described my bodily sensations.4. Secrets of Trade.Jeb has the amazing ability of getting to the essence of things. Fanatical Prospecting is full of tiny tidbits revealing secrets hidden in plain sight. Just a few of them: "The secret: Speak in public, regularly.”This refers to the secret of being good with sales calls. I wouldn’t have ever thought of it. But hey, Jeb is the expert here. If he states that public speaking makes you a better salesman, who am I to argue? "There is only one technique that really works for getting what you want on a prospecting touch. Ask.”Amen to that. We overcomplicate things, not only in the sales process, but in life. One technique; drop mike. "The easiest, fastest way to get someone’s attention is to use the most beautiful word in the world to them—their name.”How to Win Friends and Influence People 101. Yet, it’s the underutilized secret even for those who read the book. "The ‘single most powerful technique’ to get past gatekeepers is to use please twice.” “Yes, it’s as easy as this. ‘Please, could you connect me with your boss, please?'”5. Ruthlessly Honest.I loved how the book started – from telling why the sales profession is so hard and so profitable at the same time. "Prospecting is hard, emotionally draining work, and it is the price you have to pay to earn a high income.”Jeb Blount doesn’t beat around the bush. He goes straight to the point and he doesn’t try to paint the sky pink. If something is “hard, grueling, rejection-dense” (another of his description of prospecting), he states it in plain words.The author is also not afraid to articulate his position on things that get on his nerves. They get on my nerves too. "Political correctness has run amuck.” “In your life, mediocrity is like a broke uncle. Once he moves into your house, it is nearly impossible to get him to leave.”6. Funny.Not hilarious. Just funny enough to crack a smile from time to time and lighten the mood. And Jeb’s sense of humor is right down my alley. "Privacy? Forget about privacy. You are in sales.” “(…)smartphone. Twenty minutes later, you find yourself watching a video of a chimpanzee riding a giraffe around a circus tent and can’t remember how you got there.” “Get it through your thick skull that nobody cares about you or what you have to say. They want to talk about themselves.”7. Productivity Tips.I consider the productivity tips sprinkled throughout the book to be the most universal message of Fanatical Prospecting. Seriously, stay-at-home moms could have used them with success. "For salespeople, though, most time management problems are self-inflicted.”Most time management problems are self-inflicted for every profession where you are free to choose your own schedule. Every freelancer, health practitioner with a private practice, business owner or even independent specialist in the corpo environment commits the same productivity sins. "The two biggest prospecting derailers for sales professionals are e-mail and mobile devices.” “Those are the two biggest derailers for everyone who works with a mobile device and/or email.” “You cannot be efficient when you are constantly being distracted.”The above applies to virtually everybody. Yet, with the stubbornness worthy of a better cause, everybody tries to multitask. "The most expensive thing you can do in sales is spend your time with the wrong prospect.”That hit too close to home. I already pre-qualify my prospects; yet, still the most worthless time I spent is on the prospecting calls with someone I shouldn’t have been speaking in the first place.8. Personal Development.Especially the last part about mental toughness was very inspiring. If Jeb wasn’t a great salesman, he could’ve become a great motivational speaker.Mental toughness is just icing on the cake. The whole book is full of powerful statements which applies directly to one’s ability to be honest with themselves and do the work. Self-discipline, self-awareness, proper planning, mental attitude – those things are the part of the sales and prospecting processes as much as they are part of life.As I already stated, I didn’t need to read Fanatical Prospecting very much. I’m a business owner, but I’m in the early stage of my business, where my sales skills are not crucial for my success.However, as a solopreneur, I am my business. So, while the prospecting message was mostly an interesting piece of research for me, the personal development teachings ‘in the background’ were the most valuable for me.SummaryI recommend this book for every entrepreneur. If your business depends on your sales skills, you will find it doubly valuable.However, I found "Fanatical Prospecting" a personal development book first and foremost. And a great one in this field too.The last time I checked, every single human being could have used some more personal development. Thus, I wholeheartedly recommend Jeb Blount’s book to everyone.

Great book jeb, gonna read twice as it prepares all you need to be good sales person recommend to all sales goat

I loved it. Each word is great and truly necessary to every sales rep that want to grow in their jobs