Sales Gravy: Jeb Blount How to Motivate Salespeople to Prospect Consistently (Ask Jeb)
If you’ve been banging your head against the wall trying to get your team (or yourself!) to prospect consistently, these tips are for you.
In this episode, I answer a question from Paul in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., who’s building and leading a remote sales team in the logistics industry and needs to find a way to get his salespeople to prospect consistently .
Then I tackle a follow-up question from a sales leader at one of our live events on how to keep his salespeople motivated to prospect every day.
Paul’s Challenge: Driving Consistent Prospecting Call Blocks
Paul leads a medium-sized logistics company with reps spread out in California, Utah, and El Salvador. He’s already done a great job by running a book club around my book, Fanatical Prospecting, but he needed practical tips for ensuring his team actually implements daily call blocks. Here’s the advice I shared:
Make Prospecting a Daily Conversation
As a leader, you need to talk about prospecting every single day. Yes, you’ll feel like a broken record, but that repetition is crucial for setting expectations.
“Show Up” for the Call Blocks
If your team was all in one building, you’d simply gather them on the sales floor and power through. Remotely, you can replicate this by scheduling a set time (e.g., 8:00 a.m. PT) and getting everyone on a video call.
You can’t stand next to them physically, but you can still see them, and they can see you. It’s social pressure and moral support rolled into one.
Run High-Intensity Sprints (HIPS)
Instead of asking for hours of uninterrupted calling, break it into short bursts—10, 15, or 20-minute sprints. Let them pause to catch their breath, then go again. Keep a virtual whiteboard and track dials, contacts, and appointments in real time. Make it fun and competitive.
Overcome the Complaints
Reps might moan about being “micromanaged,” but if you keep it fun and energetic, they’ll often appreciate the structure. Focus on results, not just the dials.
Question: How Do I Motivate My Salespeople to Keep Prospecting?
We also addressed a question from a leader who was attending one of our Sales Gravy Live events. Their team struggles to maintain high call numbers consistently. They might hit 100 dials a day for three days, then crash back down. The sales leader asked: “How do we keep our reps pumped for prospecting?”
Here’s the Reality Check
Nobody Truly “Loves” Prospecting: Prospecting is hard, and most of us won’t naturally get excited about it. But we do get excited about closing deals, landing appointments, and hitting our numbers.
You Must Be a Teflon Sales Leader: Stay relentlessly focused on prospecting, day in and day out. The moment you relax your standards, the team will follow suit. If you don’t treat prospecting as a top priority, neither will they. Be like teflon: no excuses stick.
Lead by Example
Get out on the “floor” (or on the Zoom call) and make calls with them. Don’t hide in your office. When they see you doing the work, they’ll know you mean business.
Use the Power of HIPS
Those high-intensity sprints work just as well here. Run “power hours” with quick breaks in between and track your team’s progress publicly.
Leading Prospecting Activity Is an Infinite Game
Let’s face it: prospecting is often the least-liked activity in sales. It’s easy to push aside because it involves repeated rejection, logistical juggling, and tight discipline. Yet it’s the lifeblood of any thriving pipeline—no prospecting, no leads, no deals, no revenue.
And if you have a remote team, like Paul does, you’re dealing with additional hurdles: time zones, limited supervision, and diminished peer pressure. It’s all too easy for your reps to skip their “call block” if you’re not right there to keep them accountable.
As a sales leader, you can’t just “fix” prospecting once and forget about it. The moment you move on, your team will start slacking. You have to show up, be present, keep the energy up, and run those call blocks every day.
There’s no shortcut, but with the right structure, accountability, and mindset, you’ll maintain a full pipeline and keep hitting those targets—even if your team is spread across the globe.
Key Takeaways
- Make Prospecting Non-Negotiable: If it’s not a core daily priority for you, it won’t be for your team.
- Use Technology to Close the Remote Gap: Schedule video call blocks, share screens, or split into breakout rooms. Presence leads to productivity.
- Short, Intense Bursts Outperform Marathon Sessions: Quick sprints keep energy high and reduce mental fatigue.
- Accept That Prospecting “Isn’t Fun”—But Necessary: Stop waiting for everyone to be “excited.” Focus on discipline and wins will follow.
- Lead From the Front: Consistency in your message and your personal involvement is everything.
Want to Be on the Show? If you’ve got a burning question about prospecting, sales leadership, or closing deals, I want to hear from you! Head over to salesgravy.com/ask, fill out the form, and one of our awesome producers will reach out to schedule you on a future episode of Ask Jeb.