Secrets to Fruitful Prospecting in Sales

by Monica Di Santi

June 21, 2024

What’s Sales Prospecting?

Prospecting is a discovery process in which you talk to people or companies that may be interested in your product or service. They should match your ideal customer's profile.

The prospecting process helps you determine if certain prospects are worthy of your effort and resources, and if they are a good fit for your business, before starting a business relationship.

Prospecting is the first step in the sales process and its goal is to fill up the sales pipeline of genuinely-interested prospects.

During the interpersonal interactions, that may take place via social media, email or face to face, you learn about your prospects’ pains, needs, goals and frustrations.

With that information in mind,customize your sales presentation according to prospects' personal situations. That way you show you know the prospects' problems and context, increasing the probability of selling to them.

Prospecting is a great way to boost your marketing research as you gather valuable details when you talk to potential buyers. Use your observation to tweak your blog posts, articles and podcast, becoming closer to what your ideal customer want to hear from you.

Gained prospects' insights are specially important to create or upgrade your product or service strictly according to what your target audience needs.

When you prospect, you create brand awareness, offers value and boost your sales.

Difference between Leads, Prospects and Sales Opportunities

Sales Lead

Sale leads are people who have shown interest in your product but there's no certainty they will buy from you. Sales leads are not qualified yet and they are at the top of the sales pipeline.

If you offer tourist services and a lead wishes he could travel to Asia but doesn't know when he'll be able to gather all the money he needs to travel, he's just a sales lead.

Sales Prospects

Sales prospects are people who have been qualified as such because they meet a particular criteria that indicates that they may buy from you. They are actively looking for a solution similar to what you offer.

They are far more important than leads. They answer enthusiastically to your content and messages in the nurturing process.They keep interested in the valuable information you offer them.

If you offer tourist services and this particular prospect has subscribed to your newsletter, follows you on social media and wants to travel soon, he's a prospect.

Sales Opportunities

Sales opportunities turn up when qualified prospects feel confident about your product or service. They see the deal as beneficial but they still need to get a thorough explanation of the superior transformation your product or service will bring to their life, compared to other choices. This triggers an easier sales close.

If you provide tourist services and your prospect contact you to learn more about the offer you have just published on social media and his plan is to travel in a few month, you are in front of a sales opportunity.

Prospecting Fruitful Steps

Research

The first step you have to go through is to find out details about your potential customers.

Check your company’s followers on social media platforms, who your subscribers are, who attends your industry and company’s events.

Once you get a list of these people, it’s time to check their social media accounts and discover their:

  • activity

  • preferences

  • interest

  • values

  • hobbies

Subscribe to potential customers newsletters, follow them on social media, like their posts and comment their reels. Use your insight to find common ground to develop a long-term relationship.

Investigate your competition and their followers too. You may steal prospects from your competition offering them a more profitable deal.

Qualify Prospects

Qualifying prospects means you have to determine if those potential buyers are a good fit for your company and the level of interest they have in your product.

This process is done combining research, analysis and reach out. You start with your own , and then add new details as you talk to people.

Analyze the information and create groups of potential customers with slight differences.

Steps to Qualify B2B Prospects

BANT is a framework much used by sales representatives to qualify prospects. It was created by IBM in the 1950's as a qualification methodology in sales based and four main factors:

  • Budget : Check if the prospect assigned budget amount matches your business' product and services prices.

  • Authority: Identify the decision maker on behalf of the organization you're targeting.

    In most companies, important purchases require input from different departments and senior management.

    Probably, your first contact will be with a secretary who can take you to the decision-maker. Build a positive relationship with this gatekeeper so he can speak well of you and even even help you to close your sales.

  • Needs: Assess if the target business has a current need your product or service can solve. No need, no sales.

  • Timing: Figure out the time your chosen organization makes serious purchase decision.

    If they'll do it this month go ahead, but if they'll take several months to reach a decision, send that organization to the marketing nurturing lists.

Steps to Qualify B2C prospects

  • Awareness of need: Prospects know they are in front of a challenge.

  • Trust : They trust you and your company.

  • Listener: They'll listen to what you have to say.

  • Authority: They can make a decision about the problem they are facing.

  • Ability to buy : They have enough budget to pay you, and they are willing to do so.

  • Sense of urgency: They are in a hurry to solve the problem in order to avoid setbacks.

Get in touch

Discover the best way to contact prospects and use the communication channel your prospects prefer. Some people love email, others phone calls or even Zoom meetings. Check out!

You reach out to offer potential customers the solution your product or service offers, knowing they need it.

If you get your first appointment you have the chance to start a relationship and explain why your solution is better. Depict the transformation their lives will take when consuming your product or service.

According to Brian and Michael Tracy, in their book Unlimited Sales Success, success in sales demands:

  • 40% building trust

  • 30% discovering needs

  • 20% presenting product

  • 10% closing

This works because credibility and trust is the glue of healthy relationships. It's less risky to buy from those we trust. So, show prospects that buying from the competition is more dangerous than buying from you.

Consequently, as a salesman you have to develop a high-quality relationship with those who can buy from you because based on what prospects feel about you and the company fruitful results will vary.

Take care of the emotional ingredient in relationships. People only do business with people they like.

  • Be courteous and polite when in touch with your prospects. Use "Please" and "Thank you" to make you stand out from the crowd.

  • Be Considerate. Take interest in your prospects' personal life and work, apart from your sales goal.

  • Be Caring. Ask good open-ended questions to engage your prospects and make them talk about their problem and possible solutions. Listen carefully to their answers.

This friendly attitude will increase the chances of prospects liking you. When people respect you, they'll see anything you do and say in a more positive way.

You have to master sales conversation to be successful. Start your talk saying something unforgettable or pleasing as your listener will decide to go on with the first phone chat based on those few first seconds.

Conclusion

Sales prospecting is an essential part of the sales process and though a bit tough it will bring you profitable and personal rewards.

Follow the tips provided here and you will be successful in filling up your sales pipeline every time you want.

Prospecting is the process of finding out who is a good fit to your product, matching your ideal customer's profile.

Therefore, design a prospecting plan and reach out to confirm those potential buyers are worthy prospects. Offer them your solution when they are actively looking for ways to solve their problem.

Don't get discourage. **Consistency and perseverance are two skills easily developed that will help you succeed.

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