Job Description
There’s a strange silence that hangs in the air when a sales team that’s been working tirelessly still fails to meet its targets. It’s the silence of exhaustion, of people who’ve done everything they know, yet have nothing to show for it.
As a sales manager you walk in and everyone seems engaged: phones ringing, follow-ups happening, proposals flying out by email. On the surface, it looks like business is thriving. But when you look closer, you realise the effort isn’t translating into results. The calls don’t turn into meetings, the meetings don’t turn into deals, and the deals, when they happen, are few and far between.
The problem is the direction. Most sales teams are prospecting, yes, but they’re doing it wrong. They chase leads that were never qualified, pour energy into contacts that have long gone cold, and spend hours convincing people who were never going to buy in the first place. And by the time they realise it, the month is gone, the pressure is up, and the same old story repeats itself.
That’s the reality many Kenyan businesses live in. And what’s worse is that managers often mistake activity for progress. A noisy sales floor feels like productivity, but noise is not momentum. If anything, it can disguise the cracks until it’s too late.
So, let’s strip away the buzzwords and the motivational talk for a minute. If your team is doing everything “right” yet still falling short, maybe it’s time to look at what they’ve stopped doing, or never learned to do properly. Because sometimes, the most effective prospecting techniques aren’t the fancy new ones you see online. They’re the simple, human, and often-overlooked practices that bring clarity back to the chaos.
Here are three of them.
1. The Warm Circle That Everyone Forgets
Some of your best prospects aren’t strangers, they’re people who already know your name. Maybe they’ve bought from you before or showed interest once and disappeared.
But many sales teams overlook them, chasing “new leads” instead. In Kenya, where business runs on trust and relationships, that’s a costly mistake.
A simple check-in, “How’s business going?”, can open more doors than a hundred cold calls. It’s not about selling again; it’s about staying visible and reminding them you’re still around.
A great salesperson doesn’t just hunt for new ground, they nurture old soil. That’s where loyalty and referrals grow.
2. The Missed Gold in Your Backyard
Too often, sales teams look far and wide for “big clients” and miss the opportunities right next to them. The businesses in your estate, your building, even your town, they’re full of potential, yet they’re invisible to teams that only wait for inquiries.
In Kenya, presence matters. Walking in, introducing yourself, having a real conversation, that’s what people remember.
Sometimes the smartest move isn’t to expand your reach, but to dig deeper where you already stand.
3. The Follow-Up That Dies Too Early
So many deals die quietly, not because the client said no, but because the salesperson stopped calling.
Most people don’t reject you; they’re just busy, waiting for the right moment. The trick is to follow up with value, not pressure. Send a short update, a testimonial, or even a helpful idea. Stay useful. Stay remembered.
In a market where decisions take time, patience often closes the deal.
When teams start applying these simple techniques, reconnecting with their warm circle, exploring their own backyard, and following up with intent, everything shifts.
Sales stops feeling like a chase and starts feeling like a conversation.
If your team has the energy but not the results, maybe it’s time to train differently.
Our Sales Training helps teams rediscover what selling really is: understanding people, nurturing trust, and closing with confidence.
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