{"id":10326,"date":"2024-05-17T08:12:34","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T08:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=10326"},"modified":"2024-05-17T08:12:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-17T08:12:35","slug":"sales-prospecting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/sales-prospecting\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Do Sales Prospecting the Right Way"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prospects \u2014 the potential customers you want to sell to \u2014 are the fuel for the sales pipeline. Every prospect represents a possible deal. So growing your base of prospects and working to nurture them will grow your revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though prospecting is important, it may sometimes feel like you\u2019re just wishing and hoping the right people will come. Let\u2019s see how to make prospecting a science instead \u2014 less like drilling for oil and more like filling up on gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Engage and close prospects from everywhere<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Pull up CRM data for prospects even when you\u2019re engaging with them outside your CRM \u2014 whether on social or online.\u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\tLearn more<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t
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What is sales prospecting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prospects are possible customers, and prospecting is finding <\/em>possible customers. Sales reps use prospecting to expand the size of their potential customer base. They\u2019ll reach out to leads (potential sales contacts) and nurture them into \u201copportunities\u201d (leads who have been warmed up over time). There are various sales prospecting techniques, from making calls to sending direct mail, attending networking events, and connecting on social platforms like LinkedIn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stages of the sales prospecting process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The sales process<\/a> goes from cold leads to warm opportunities to red-hot deals. Prospecting is what happens in between:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From leads …<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales and marketing source leads.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leads are unqualified prospects. Leads can come from marketing (think a webinar that requires a form fill) or sales (think cold outreach).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

… to opportunities …<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales qualifies leads into prospects.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales gets to know leads and decides whether they\u2019re a good fit for the product. If they are, the lead is \u201cqualified\u201d to become a prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales nurtures prospects into opportunities.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As sales works to make prospects more and more interested in the sale, these prospects become \u201copportunities\u201d who are more and more likely to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

… to customers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales closes opportunities into deals.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, after many conversations, there will be two kinds of opportunities: \u201cclosed-lost\u201d (boo) or \u201cclosed-won\u201d (yay!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do I find new sales prospects?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We could talk about all the different platforms out there, but let\u2019s be real. \u201cWhen it comes to sourcing prospects online, LinkedIn is the biggest game in town,\u201d says Stephanie Svanfeldt, a strategic account executive at Salesforce. Here are tips to get going:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Follow the prospect before you connect<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unless you\u2019re sending InMail, which is a sponsored message, you\u2019ll need to get connected with prospects before you can message them on LinkedIn. Start by following them. From there, you can begin to comment on, like, and share their status updates and work your way into their world. If they think you\u2019re providing value, they\u2019ll be more likely to respond to a connection request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Find them in groups<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Joining a group where your prospect is active can give you a shortcut to getting connected. Look for the groups they belong to on their profile and see if there\u2019s one that also makes sense to join. Then you can chime in on the group\u2019s posts. Even if you can\u2019t respond to them directly, they might get email alerts about the best comments left in the group, which is a great way to end up directly in their inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Hype them up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone wants to go viral. Follow the prospect\u2019s activity and help drum up engagement. This is a great way to show that you\u2019re interested in your prospect\u2019s ideas. You can also look at the information they highlight on their profile \u2014 like courses, presentations, and thought leadership \u2014 and \u201cendorse\u201d them for skills that matter most to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Join the Salesblazer movement<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We’re building the largest and most successful community of sales professionals, so you can learn, connect, and grow. <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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How has the sales prospect changed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Prospecting used to be a volume play. Salespeople could make 200 calls a day and send out blasts of emails and know that enough of them would stick to be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cold outreach is still an important piece of the puzzle, but sales development representatives (SDRs) and sales reps will need to balance broad quantity<\/em> outreach with targeted quality<\/em> outreach. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new prospect isn\u2019t waiting by the phone like they used to<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prospects are spread out across digital platforms \u2014 mainly LinkedIn, but also Twitter, Facebook, and messaging apps \u2014 and they have strong opinions about where they like to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new prospect is flooded with more messages than ever.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our inboxes have never been more crowded<\/a>. First, in a trend The Economist calls<\/a>, \u201cIt could have been an email,\u201d meetings are getting shorter \u2014 by 20%, according to this Harvard Business School study<\/a>. Conversations that used to happen in meetings are happening in emails instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, that same study shows that more emails are being sent in the pandemic (by 5%) \u2014 with more recipients on average (by 3%), and more frequently after hours (by 8%). The question becomes: How can you capture people\u2019s attention as their inboxes overflow?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new prospect wants more out of their interactions.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The intense, shared experience of the pandemic has taught us all to go beyond the superficial layer. To get a prospect\u2019s attention now, you have to be authentic and relevant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can I approach this new sales prospect?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Account-based marketing made a splash when companies began to personalise marketing campaigns to individual companies. Now this trend of personalisation is coming to sales. Here\u2019s Stephanie Svanfeldt again: \u201cEveryone talks about account-based marketing, but it\u2019s also about account-based sales. We need to study the individual and be relevant when we reach out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the prospect\u2019s preferred channels? How can you stand out from the crowd? How can you find an authentic common ground that gives the relationship traction? Here are the steps to take:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lean on customer relationship management (CRM)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sales prospecting is harder than it used to be, now that we need to be more relevant and personalised with every approach. It takes more time and more care, and it\u2019s harder to scale. We need technology to close the gap. CRM gives you a control room for all your interactions with our prospects \u2014 the last email you sent, notes from all of your meetings, and the pitch deck you presented \u2014 so all the information you need is at your fingertips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research your way into their world<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Research is the groundwork. If it\u2019s a publicly traded company, read their investor reports. If it\u2019s a small or medium business (SMB), then set up Google alerts to learn about their press, and devour everything they put out there about themselves. Insights about opportunities and accounts (at Salesforce, we use Opportunity Management<\/a>) help you bring more value to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re trying to learn about problems and people, so by the time you reach out, you\u2019re not only saying the right things \u2014 you\u2019re also saying them to the right person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find the channel that sticks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Everyone is different. Every approach needs to be different too. Some of us are old school and like to talk on the phone. Some of us live in our inboxes. Some of us really love getting gifts in the mail. How can you find the right channel? The answer is to leave no stone unturned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the prospect doesn\u2019t pick up the phone, try connecting on LinkedIn. Still no luck? Reach out again and be as relevant as you can. Craft an email that grabs them. Keep working on the interaction until you see a spark. Earn the right to ask them what their favourite communication channel is \u2014 and meet them there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do I qualify a sales prospect?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Qualifying a prospect is an important piece of the puzzle, but don\u2019t mistake \u201cqualifying\u201d for \u201cdeciding whether someone is important.\u201d Everyone <\/em>you talk to is important \u2014 because if they\u2019re not the right person to talk to, then they can point you to the person who is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are questions to help you qualify whether a prospect is a good fit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this the right person?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n