A seller of asset-management services specializes in marketing his services to people connected with the publishing business, such as authors, book distributors, and bookstore owners. He often gets leads by scanning newspapers and magazines, looking for new authors whose books are favorably reviewed. This searching takes place in the _________ stage of the personal selling process.
a. follow-up
b. sales presentation
c. closing
d. prospecting
e. prequalification
Answer: d. prospecting