Part of the challenge with prospecting in the pressure of the situation. In most cases, stakes are high. Three in four companies generating fewer than 50 new opportunities a month fail to achieve their revenue goals<\/a>, versus just one in 25 companies that bring in 101 to 200 new opportunities a month.<\/p>\n In other words? If your prospecting isn\u2019t up to scratch, the chances you\u2019ll hit your sales targets are pretty slim. Sales prospecting is all about finding potential buyers or clients \u2013 also known as prospects \u2013 for your product and reaching out to them, with the aim of entering them into a sales funnel they\u2019ll stay in until, hopefully, they\u2019re ready to buy from you.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why good <\/em>prospecting is so essential: the better you are at finding prospects<\/a> whose needs and pain points are met by your product, the more likely you\u2019ll to convert them into sales down the line.<\/p>\n Importantly, \u201cprospect\u201d and \u201clead\u201d aren\u2019t the same thing, and they shouldn\u2019t be used interchangeably. Every prospect is a lead, but not every lead is a prospect:<\/p>\n To understand why sales prospecting is important, you need to understand the sales process<\/a> and how people make buying decisions.<\/p>\n Joe Latchow<\/a>, Lead Development Manager at Intelligence North America<\/a>, shares four primary reasons you need to master sales prospecting<\/a>.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/em><\/strong>The Modern Salesperson\u2019s Guide to B2B Sales Prospecting in 2019<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Sales prospecting is the lifeline that keeps your business growing.<\/p>\n \u201cPipeline is lifeline\u201d is a saying that I keep top of mind each and every day I report into the office. Working for a SaaS company now, I sit within Marketing and I\u2019m in command of our internal sales teams.<\/p>\n We develop pipeline in a variety of ways, but the main areas of focus for us are<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t have a way of building pipeline, your sales teams are going to struggle.<\/p>\n Pipeline is invaluable to business growth because it explains what has been achieved, what is in process, and who you are targeting. It also holds your team accountable to projections. Without pipeline, none of this can be achieved, and without documentation of efforts and targets, your business will have more questions than answers.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to start small, so work internally to understand who your ideal customer is, build out your personas, and commit to KPIs that can be measured, reviewed, and adjusted as needed.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/em><\/strong>The 10 Golden Rules of Effective Sales Prospecting<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Being in sales prospecting is about much more than the title may indicate. In this role, you are a trusted advisor for the business you represent.<\/p>\n I loved becoming the SME (subject matter expert<\/a>) on everything for clients, products, services, etc. Becoming an SME, though, is no easy task \u2014 and it\u2019s not going to come overnight.<\/p>\n In addition to your prospecting efforts, you will need a focus on enablement<\/a> and learning \/ development to keep your team sharp. If you\u2019re not in the scaling process, don\u2019t fret. You can have a frontline manager handle this until you can dedicate someone to a sales enablement function.<\/p>\n I remember getting countless callbacks from customers who had been with a product for years but would contact me back for trends, new findings, or even just to chat about their experience. They valued the personal touch I brought to their account and didn\u2019t want that to go unnoticed. One business even wanted to send me a custom guitar; however, it would have been a violation of our contract with the client, so I had to respectfully decline.<\/p>\n Sales Prospecting allows your team to feel this, too. Each call, each email, each LinkedIn message is another stage for them to introduce themselves and provide value to the potential target.<\/p>\n Having a sales prospecting team allows for an increase in productivity.<\/p>\n First, when you track the results of their prospecting efforts in a CRM, you can identify their strengths and weaknesses. This allows you to find inefficiencies and optimize efforts over time.<\/p>\n Be aware, there are many good CRMs out there. If your budget is tight, there are even free CRMs that work well until you can afford a more robust option that has advanced reporting and features.<\/p>\n Second, you need a system of measurement that gives your team a central place to access the leads you are going after \u2014 even if it\u2019s an Excel spreadsheet. (Don\u2019t everyone cringe at once! You need something to keep you and your team motivated.)<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/em><\/strong>The Complete List of Sales Prospecting Tools<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n When I was calling, I viewed my production as a game. This was before gamification was even thought of. If I made 40 calls in a day, the next day I would shoot for 50, and then 60, and so forth.<\/p>\n Finally, you need a Sales Prospecting plan in place. Aside from the gamification mentioned above, this helps you hone in on your target \/ ideal customer<\/a>, so you aren\u2019t spinning wheels on prospects who not only aren\u2019t a fit but, quite frankly, don\u2019t matter to your business.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say there shouldn\u2019t be a \u201cholding pen\u201d for those. As those of us in sales know, the year ebbs and flows at certain points, and supplemental work can be extremely valuable.<\/p>\n Getting your team focused on the accounts that matter pushes them to make more calls and send more emails, mailers, etc. I can personally attest to this: I was always more willing to contact someone who fit the ideal persona than someone whose contact information we did a Google search for and only hoped <\/em>was accurate.<\/p>\n Sales Prospecting is an easy source of competitive insights.<\/p>\n These days, it rare to be the only option in your industry. Competition is stiff, and of course you want to know about the other brands your prospects are considering! The insights you gather from talking with your prospects can help you know precisely how to position your products and services.<\/p>\n I recommend creating play cards with your competitor\u2019s advantages\/disadvantages so your sales team<\/a> is ready to speak to these points as they are come up in their sales discussions.<\/p>\n RELATED: <\/em><\/strong>How to Set Up a Winning Sales Cadence For Prospecting<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n It is important to note, it is in poor taste to \u201cbash\u201d or badmouth your competitors. Unfortunately, this was a lesson I learned the hard way. While selling financial services, I was quick to slander a top competitor, which immediately turned off my prospect. DO NOT BE THIS PERSON!<\/p>\n Instead, use the competitive insights you gather through sales prospecting to make your marketing campaigns more effective<\/a>.<\/p>\n The bottom line; sales prospecting is vital to your businesses\u2019 success. Not only does it keep your pipeline full, it positions you as a trusted advisor, boosts productivity, and gives you unique competitive insights.<\/p>\n Your pipeline is your lifeline. And sales prospecting is your best bet for keeping it healthy.<\/p>\n Clearly, it\u2019s vital that you get your prospecting house in order.<\/p>\n One piece of the puzzle is effort \u2013 you simply must <\/em>be prepared to put the time in if you\u2019re going to see results.<\/p>\n But beyond a bit of good old-fashioned graft, there are several legit techniques you can use to step up your prospecting game. Find a method that works, stick with it, and a steady stream of leads will follow.<\/p>\n Think back to your college days. You\u2019ve got a big exam coming up, and you need to prepare. What are you going to do \u2013 carry your books around with you all day, every day, in the hopes that you\u2019ll find time for an occasional 15-minute burst of studying? Or block out a chunk of time when you can sit down and be focused? Chances are the second option will produce the best results.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no different with prospecting. Salespeople are constantly surrounded by noise, and there\u2019s always something else <\/em>you could be doing. Unless you make the time for prospecting, you won\u2019t give it the focus it deserves. And if you\u2019re not prospecting effectively, don\u2019t expect the deals to follow.<\/p>\n Just be sure your blocks of prospecting time align with the periods in which your potential customers are likely to be available. If you\u2019re going to reach out to them, you want to give yourself the best chance possible of receiving an immediate response.<\/p>\n One of the key differences between the best salespeople and the also-rans? The desire to make their network work for them.<\/p>\n And why shouldn\u2019t they? Once you\u2019ve taken the time to build a strong relationship with a prospect and demonstrated that you can add real value for them, why wouldn\u2019t you ask if you can do the same for their friends and colleagues?<\/p>\n It sounds so simple. And yet an astonishing number of reps are missing out.<\/p>\n Almost half of top-performing sales reps ask for referrals<\/a> from their network on a consistent basis \u2013 either every day, or every time they\u2019re in front of a prospect. That proportion drops to just one-quarter among reps who aren\u2019t <\/em>top performers. Non-top performers are also far more likely to admit that they \u201crarely\u201d or \u201cnever\u201d ask for referral<\/a> business.<\/p>\n Referrals aren\u2019t just a nice to have; the icing on the cake of a successful deal. They\u2019re absolutely your most reliable source of new prospects. In the B2B world, companies with referrals enjoy 70% higher conversion rates and 69% faster close times<\/a>. So if you\u2019re generating referrals, you\u2019re selling smarter<\/em>.<\/p>\n In a world of programmatic ads, laser-focused social targeting, AI and machine learning, it\u2019s easy to dismiss event marketing as outdated. No longer relevant. Not fit for purpose.<\/p>\n But that couldn\u2019t be further from the truth. Event marketing is absolutely <\/em>still effective, particularly when it comes to B2B sales. In fact, four in five marketers believe that live events are critical to the success of their company<\/a>, while a majority believe it is their single most effective marketing technique.<\/em><\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n One of the biggest benefits of event marketing is the ability to access to a guaranteed stream of people with similar interests. These are people who could become prospects \u2013 and, eventually, paying customers.<\/p>\n Of course, events aren\u2019t a silver bullet. You can\u2019t just expect to rock up to any old conference and expect prospects to line up to meet you. As a starting point, ask the following:<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve got a job interview. You know who\u2019s on the panel. So what are you going to do \u2013 leave it to chance and just wait to see what they\u2019re like? Or do your research so you\u2019ve got the best chance of understanding what they\u2019re likely to ask you?<\/p>\n Unless you didn\u2019t want the job in the first place, you\u2019d always <\/em>go with option two.<\/p>\n The same goes for prospecting. While your initial phone call or email might be your first contact with a prospect, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s your first opportunity to find out about them and anticipate their needs.<\/p>\n A little research goes a long way. It can help you break the ice with your prospect, anticipate their pain points, and understand how your product can provide the solution. In other words, it can turn a cold call or email into one that\u2019s\u2026 slightly warmer. And that means you can dispense with some of the basic questions you\u2019d otherwise need to ask, and move straight onto the important business of adding value.<\/p>\n The sales process<\/a> is rarely about actual selling. If you treat every contact with your prospects as a race to close the deal, you\u2019ll end up disappointed.<\/p>\n Arguably more than ever before, buyers are turned off by traditional sales tactics. Asked what sales reps can do to make the buying experience more positive, 61% of buyers say the rep shouldn\u2019t be pushy<\/a>.<\/p>\n So what should <\/em>salespeople be doing? The same study found that 69% of buyers simply want the sales rep to listen to their needs. It might sound basic, but you\u2019d be shocked how many reps fail to simply pay attention<\/em>. A further 61% want salespeople to provide relevant information.<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n What can you learn from this? Building lasting relationships might seem like a luxury in the high-pressure sales environment, but you\u2019re far more likely to deliver results if you can demonstrate that you\u2019re trustworthy and able to offer genuine value to your prospects.<\/p>\n An extension of the previous point; prospects want to know they can trust you. That you\u2019re worth listening to.<\/p>\n That means if you can demonstrate that you offer genuine expertise <\/em>in your subject area, prospects are far more likely to sit up and pay attention.<\/p>\n But you can\u2019t just rely on waiting to develop a relationship with a prospect to prove you\u2019re an expert. Buyers are busy, after all. That\u2019s why you need to find new ways to educate your audience and highlight your skill set. One of the most effective is to get involved in Q&A forums \u2013 sites like Quora<\/a> and the Moz Community<\/a> are a good starting point, although the best sources depends on the industry in which you operate.<\/p>\n Prospects who see you in action on forums will recognize the value you can add. By the time you speak to them, you\u2019ll already be several steps further along the buyer journey.<\/p>\n Understanding the best prospecting techniques is part of the battle, but it\u2019s also vital that, when you reach out to a prospect for the first time, you do it right<\/em>. Give yourself a head start by taking advantage of these tried-and-tested prospecting email templates:<\/p>\n Remember when I mentioned the importance of referrals earlier? When you\u2019ve done the hard work of asking someone in your network for a referral, it\u2019s essential that you take full advantage by sending an effective introductory email. Something like:<\/p>\n
\nol><\/p>\n\n
What Is Sales Prospecting?<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/1-What-Is-Sales-Prospecting.jpg?resize=250%2C250&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n\n
Why is Sales Prospecting Important?<\/h2>\n
1. Fill Your Pipeline<\/h3>\n
![\"sales](\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/01-Pipeline.jpg?resize=263%2C263&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n\n
2. Become a Trusted Advisor<\/h3>\n
3. Increase Productivity<\/h3>\n
![\"productivity](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/02-Productivity.jpg?resize=263%2C263&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n4. Gain Competitive Insights<\/h3>\n
6 Sales Prospecting Techniques<\/h2>\n
1. Block Out Prospecting Time<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2-Block-Out-Prospecting-Time-1.jpg?resize=250%2C250&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n2. Cash In On Your Existing Network<\/h3>\n
3. Use Events to Your Advantage<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/sources.png?resize=700%2C313&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n\n
4. Do Your Research<\/h3>\n
5. Don\u2019t Sell, Build Relationships<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/improve-sales-experience.png?resize=700%2C467&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n6. Get Active on Q&A Forums<\/h3>\n
3 Sales Prospecting Email Templates<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/kmbrian.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/3-Kick-Ass-Sales-Prospecting-Email-Templates.jpg?resize=250%2C250&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n1. Connecting With a Referral<\/h3>\n