Prospecting for new clients isn't easy. Certain tools (like ours!) make it easier, but most sales professionals will tell you that prospecting is one of the hardest parts of the sales process.
Most markets these days are saturated with products, tools and services. An average person can see up to 10,000 marketing messages per day. No wonder people are playing hard to get, because, let's be honest, they are overwhelmed with their choices.
Your prospects are spending more time researching and analysing opportunities, with research showing that 94% of B2B buyers use the internet before making a purchase. But don't despair, it just means your buyers are well-informed of their choices and have done some of your work for you.
Research shows that successful sales professionals spend 4 or more hours a day on sales-related prospecting. By spending the time needed to identify, research, personalise and contact key prospects you can ensure you have a sales pipeline full of leads, higher chances of conversion, and better win rates!
Your prospecting game plan will demonstrate the difference between top-performing sales professionals and everyone else. If done right, your polished sales skills will convert more clients, in less time, with a higher ROI.
Profile your prospect
What does your ideal client look like? Use your top 5 clients, worst 5 clients, and your 5 most profitable clients to help you build a picture of who you should be targeting (and who you shouldn't), what their interests are, and where you can find them.
Also, consider the problems your prospects are facing. What pain points does your prospect have, and what does your solution solve for them? Once you have created your ideal prospect profile, the real fun begins!
Research, research, research!
Creating your prospect list can be tiresome but incredibly rewarding. There is nothing better than moving a prospect through the sales funnel, one step at a time. Use your research time to:
- Find the best companies which would benefit from the solution you have available for them. Then find the influencers and project sponsors. Now here's the catch. These people are generally not the CEO but are the ones who are doing the research to ensure you are legitimate. We know what you're thinking, but you know we are right.
- Find out everything you can about your target companies. What do their reviews say about them? What are they talking about on their social media? Are they on a growth strategy? Where has their news recently been featured?
- Don't forget about the people who you plan to talk to. What are their employment backgrounds? How long have they been working there? How active are they on their own social media platforms?