Prospects in Plain Sight: Finding Business in Everyday Moments

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in over 25 years of sales and leadership coaching is this: you never know where you might find your next client.

I mean it. Your next client could be standing in front of you at the dry cleaner. They might be your child’s soccer coach. They could even be the person who just commented on your Facebook post about your dog. Prospects are everywhere — the key is, are you paying attention?

Sales isn’t just something that happens at networking events or in back-to-back Zoom calls. Real selling — the kind that’s rooted in authentic connection — is happening all around us, all the time. It’s at the grocery store, during the neighborhood barbecue, or while waiting in line for your morning coffee. But here’s the kicker: we miss these moments when we’re too buried in our phones or wrapped up in our own thoughts.

I remember a time I struck up a conversation with the dad of one of my son’s baseball teammates. It was the first game of this summer baseball team and everyone was getting to know each other.  This dad made a comment about how his work team wasn’t working cohesively.  We talked about my workshop to create a high functioning team. What started off as a conversation about life, baseball, work, and — you guessed it — his search for a new coach to help his team work effectively. One conversation. One moment of awareness. One new client.

That’s the power of listening and being present.

We all have a Reticular Activator — that part of our brain that filters information based on what we focus on. It’s why, when you’re thinking about buying a red car, suddenly every other car on the road seems to be red. In sales, we have to train our Reticular Activator to be on the lookout for opportunities. But more than that, we have to show up in our lives as people who are open, curious, and genuinely interested in others.

I often tell my clients: don’t go into conversations with a pitch, go in with presence. Ask questions. Listen for pain points. Pay attention to what lights people up and what shuts them down. Every single interaction is a chance to build a relationship, and relationships are the heart of selling.  Two ears and one mouth is always the reminder that we can only learn with our mouths closed. 

So here’s your challenge this week: look up. Speak up. Start a conversation with someone different.  Ask a question. Be curious. Be fully present in your day-to-day life, and see how many potential prospects are right under your nose.

Because remember: opportunity doesn’t always knock loudly. Sometimes, it just stands quietly in front of you with a shopping cart and a story worth hearing.