We’ve all heard the same old tired phrases about sales time and time again; “Sales is a numbers game,” “Beat the streets, knock on doors,” “The more calls you make the more appointments you make the more sales you get” etc.

While the logic of increasing your activity to increase your sales and thus your income does have some merit for sales people who are just plain lazy, most of the time it just means working harder, not smarter.

The key to increasing your productivity dramatically in sales is working smarter and making more out of the time you spend working. What does working smarter mean? One word; qualification.

Effective qualification is the difference between enjoying a six figure salary and scraping by in the business suffering rejection after rejection. Qualified prospects often don’t have to be ‘sold,’ they already want to buy. Doesn’t it make more sense selling to people who actually want to buy your product? Cold calling or presenting to businesses or people who are not properly qualified is not a productive use of your time and is detrimental to your career in sales.

What do you do to get more pre-qualified leads? Well you don’t rely on your company, that’s for sure. If really want to get those valuable qualified prospects that result in more sales and more money you have to effectively position yourself in front of them. Luckily enough for us we have a lot of ways to do this using a combination of modern technology and more traditional methods of communication too.

Direct mail has been effective more a long time, and it still is. If you write a good informative letter to a qualified decision maker in a company which is qualified for your product/service you will have a good response rate. Email is also extremely useful and effective. Personally I prefer an integrated approach to positioning. What I mean by that is that I lay down strict criteria for what a qualified prospect is in my line of work, I find out who they are and where they’re located, and finally I position myself in front of them using every reasonable method of communication I can.

I’ll send them a letter, but I’ll also use email. You have to be careful not to be considered a nuisance when you take this approach but if your communication is sincere and up front and not seen as pushy that shouldn’t happen. What I have outlined there for you is a general approach to getting qualified prospects without referrals. It is crucial to remember, however, that referrals are your most valuable leads and you should always be looking for ways to get them. Whether it’s a friend of a friend, a friend of a client or even someone you yourself are a customer of, referrals are more productive.

Ciaran Ryan is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, professional salesperson and the founder of http://www.irishsalesprofessional.com a website devoted to the sole purpose of educating sales people to increase their income. The website produces a free newsletter full of useful selling advice. Learn more to earn more.