How effective are your sales prospecting strategies
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.
Your prospects are playing hard to get
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.
How committed are 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!
Seven tactics to improve your prospecting strategies.
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?
Get your free Competitive Analysis template
Track and analyse your competitors while decreasing your research time by 50%.
Activate your sales strategy
You are now equipped with all the knowledge you need to start tackling the list, one prospect at a time. Whether it be a phone call, a personalised email, or even directly approaching someone at a conference they are also attending, it is time to prioritise your cold, warm and lost list.
Top tip – write down some open-ended questions for your prospects. Let them discuss their pain points, their needs and wishes, and where they are in their decision process. The more information you can gather, the more opportunity you have to provide a solution that lines up directly.
Do you know someone else who may be interested in XYZ?
Never miss an opportunity to ask for a referral. There are numerous times within your sales process, and following your solution implementation, when you should be asking for referrals. If you deliver a quality product or service, your prospects will bend over backward to refer you to their colleagues.
Trusted advisor. It’s not just another buzzword
The sales industry isn’t exactly known for its trusting personalities. But we can change this perception one sales professional at a time. By knowing a lot about everything, you go from a ‘salesperson’ to an ‘expert in the field’. And experts are trusted, no matter what industry you are in.
Here comes the good part… If you have done all the research you should have done, you should be an expert already! But don’t just stop at the knowledge you need on your prospect, make sure your expertise extends to the industry and your own product.
Social media is here to stay
Whether we like it or not, your activity on your social media platforms can help you seal the deal (and sometimes turn your prospect away, but let’s stay positive over here!).
Did you know – Using social selling tools can increase win rates by 5% and deal size by 35%
Here’s the catch though. A social media presence adds to your prospecting arsenal and doesn’t replace your other sales prospecting tools.
Don’t forget to follow up
Your prospects are time-poor and are often navigating multiple projects. Following them up puts you front of mind once again. Your follow-up is also a great way to build your relationship and provide them with any additional information they may have forgotten to ask you.
Whether it is a casual check-in, thank you or product update, following up with your prospects increases your chances of converting those prospects into paying clients.
