Fanatical Military Recruiting

3Fanatical Prospecting

Let’s keep it 100. If you had a choice between calling prospects and taking live fire, you would choose the bullets.

—Jeb Blount

Ultra-high-performing recruiters are relentless, unstoppable prospectors. They are obsessive about outmaneuvering their competition and keeping the funnel full of qualified prospects. They prospect anywhere and anytime—constantly kicking down doors looking for their next opportunity. They prospect day and night—they ask, and ask, and ask, until they get a qualified prospect to say yes.

Ultra-high performers (UHPs) are unstoppable and always on—fanatical. My favorite definition of the word fanatical is “motivated or characterized by an extreme, uncritical enthusiasm.”

Top military recruiters view prospecting as a way of life. They prospect with single-minded focus, worrying little about what other people think of them. They enthusiastically dive into telephone prospecting, area canvassing, cold calling, networking, asking for referrals, social media, following up on leads, working schools, setting up at school and community events, and striking up conversations with strangers.

• They don’t make excuses: “This is not a good time to call.” “The system is down.”
• They don’t complain: “Nobody is calling me back.” “The leads are bad.”
• They don’t whine: “Nobody answers the phone.” “No one is qualified.” “The other branches are offering a better deal.”
• They don’t live in fear: “What if she says no?” “What if this is a bad time?” “What ...