In the world of sales and business, there are few guarantees. On a positive note, there are a few things we know are guaranteed to happen that we can plan for and be prepared to deal with. And one of those things is the reality that we will lose customers.

Losing customers is something sales professionals and executives fear the most. Our lives are centered around doing everything we can to keep customers happy. But, unfortunately, there will be situations completely out of your control that cause customers to stop doing business with you altogether.

So we know customers will drop off. What do we do now? The answer is easy. We develop a routine and series of habits to ensure we never stop prospecting and bringing in new customers. It's actually pretty simple.

Throughout my career, I can't tell you how many sales professionals I have seen who relied heavily on a few key accounts to hit their number. They got caught in the success they were experiencing and focused all of their time and energy on working with those customers.

But there is something common that occurs. I call it going from “hero to zero.” And it happens almost every time. The top-performing sales professional loses one of his big customers. It's catastrophic. In most cases, large customers are very difficult to replace. It takes time to develop those relationships, and it's rare for someone to be able to quickly replace the business he lost.

But don't worry. It's not all gloom and doom. There is something everyone in sales can do to ensure his business continues to grow. It's a tactic that has been in place since business was invented. And the name hasn't changed either. It's called prospecting.

Prospecting is the single most important thing sales people can do every day to ensure their long term success. Yes, I know it is challenging. And, yes, I know how busy you are. But trust me, if you don't prospect every day, there is a very good chance your business will idle and eventually decline. And neither outcomes are good.

Here are a few suggestions to help sales professionals get into the habit of dedicating time to prospecting every day.

Ÿ Block out time: This one is pretty simple. Block out time on your calendar every day that is dedicated to nothing but prospecting. Put the time on your Outlook calendar so nothing else can be scheduled over it. And make sure you stick to it. There's a good chance that if it's on your calendar, it will get done.

Ÿ Get rid of distractions: It's really easy to get distracted and sidetracked. There is always something else you could be doing. Turn off your email, turn off your phone and get rid of anything else that is likely to interrupt you when you are prospecting. Whatever else comes up, it can wait. And dedicating time to prospecting is more important than anything that can come across your desk.

Ÿ Analyze your business: One thing that can really spark motivation to prospect is to take a hard look at your business and figure out what percentage of your overall sales comes from a few accounts. Take a look and see what would happen if you lost your No. 1 or No. 2 account. Where would your business be?

Ÿ Don't make excuses: The bottom line is that you have to discipline yourself. You have to hold yourself accountable. Don't make excuses about why you can't prospect. Instead, make it happen. Commit to yourself that you will do everything to make sure it happens. And don't let anything get in your way.

Christopher Thompson (cthompson@catch22solutions.com) writes Closing the Deal weekly for the Sunday News.