Thalia Hernandez
Aug 21, 2023

How to increase your sales with an effective prospecting strategy. Step by Step

Automation
Design
CRM
Software Development
Marketing
Sales
RevOps
Illustration - Steps leading to a sales chart, representing the concept of increasing sales through a strategic prospecting approach.
Thalia Hernandez
Aug 21, 2023

How to increase your sales with an effective prospecting strategy. Step by Step

Automation
Design
CRM
Software Development
Marketing
Sales
RevOps

Effective prospecting strategy

In today's highly competitive business world, sales prospecting has become a key strategy to generate new customers and increase revenue. In 2023, prospecting strategies have become even more critical due to increased competition and the constant evolution of consumer preferences. In this article, learn the step by step for an effective sales prospecting strategy, and discover the effective methods and techniques that successful companies are using in the field of sales prospecting this year.
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CasandraSoft Tech Solutions

Effective prospecting strategy

In today's highly competitive business world, sales prospecting has become a key strategy to generate new customers and increase revenue. In 2023, prospecting strategies have become even more critical due to increased competition and the constant evolution of consumer preferences. In this article, learn the step by step for an effective sales prospecting strategy, and discover the effective methods and techniques that successful companies are using in the field of sales prospecting this year.
Let's get started!

Effective sales prospecting strategies are based on personalization, extensive research, and leveraging advanced technologies. By taking a step-by-step approach and using up-to-date methods and techniques, you'll be in an advantageous position to achieve sales prospecting success and close more deals.

What is sales prospecting?

Sales prospecting is the process of identifying and qualifying potential customers or prospects with the aim of generating new sales opportunities. It is a strategy used by sales teams to find people or organizations that may be interested in purchasing their products or services.

It involves researching and collecting information about potential customers, such as their needs, preferences, and budget. These prospects are then contacted to present the company's offer and try to convert them into customers.

It is a fundamental part of the sales cycle and requires communication, research, and follow-up skills. It is important to develop a strategic and personalized approach for each prospect, in order to maximize the chances of success in generating new business.

Remember: Every sale depends on a buyer. No matter how well you present your solution, handle objections or your closing skills, these skills won't do you any good if you don't find your buyer first.

There are different sales prospecting methods, such as searching databases, using social networks, participating in events or trade fairs, and sending emails or phone calls, among others. The main objective is to generate leads or qualified contacts that can be converted into effective sales.

Two types of Prospecting:

When we search for leads, we may want to attract new customers or make new sales to customers who are already part of our portfolio.

These two prospecting modalities are called "Landing" and "Expansion".

  • Landing: Landing consists of contacting a potential client for the first time. If you manage to convert them into a customer (that is, buy that first time), the next step would be to try to sell other complementary products/services to what we call "Expansion".
  • Expansion: Expanding is looking for new business or new sales opportunities with clients in our portfolio, that is, clients who have already bought from us.
Implementing KPIs

3 Key Elements for an Effective Prospecting Strategy

Prospecting is a key role for every sales representative. However, many of us don't have a well-defined process that encompasses the key elements needed to make it successful.

  1. An objective: In the same way that we establish sales objectives, we must establish prospecting objectives. Before carrying out any action in sales, it is important to previously establish the objective to be achieved. This objective must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and limited in time.
  2. An Action Plan: You must integrate your prospecting actions into your daily, weekly, or monthly sales routine and dedicate part of your productive time to prospecting actions.
  3. A Method (Make-Measure): What method/s will you use to contact your customers…? An in-person visit, call, email, others... What argument will you use to arouse their interest? How will you measure your results? Bonus: Discover how to define KPIs in your sales department with our free eBook
Effective prospecting

6 Steps for a Prospecting Process to Be Effective

Whether you're trying to Land or Expand, there are six steps you'll need to take before and during the prospecting process.

  1. Create your Buyer Persona profile. The first step is to ask yourself: “What is my ideal client like? Your goal here is to create a fictional representation of what your perfect buyer should look like. This representation is often referred to as a "Buyer Persona" and provides you with a general visual image of your potential customer and allows you to compare real people and businesses to that fictitious person/company.
  2. Identify your potential customers. Then use that profile of your target customer to find real people or companies in your target market and build a list of potential customers that match the profile.
  3. Prioritize your prospects. Not all prospects have the same potential. To stabilize and increase your success rate, rank your contacts. You can classify them as high, medium or low priority.
  4. Investigate your contacts. Before making contact with them, you will have to do some research. The more you know about your prospects, the more likely you are to make a positive impression on them. During this step, use the Internet to your advantage: If you are researching a company: What are its mission, vision, and core values? What kind of content do they post on their blog? Who are their competitors? What challenges do they face? How can you help them?. If you're investigating a person: Take a look at what they share on social media. What accounts do you follow? What are you posting about? What are your interests? Additionally, you can review their career profile to see their current position and past work experience.
  5. Make contact. It's time to contact your potential customers. You should keep in mind that your goal is to arouse their interest, not to get the sale right away. Therefore, try to make this first contact friendly, avoiding your prospect having the feeling that you want to sell him something. Depending on how you communicate with them, you will get more or less during this first conversation. If you attend an event or reply to a social media post, you can initiate this contact as a friendly conversation. If you do it via email or phone call, you may need to add some additional details about your value proposition. Show him that you understand his goals and challenges and that you are here to help him, not create more trouble for him.
  6. Build a relationship. Build a relationship with your prospect through continuous touchpoints. As you foster that connection, continue to be kind and helpful. And continue to ask questions so you can better understand their needs. This step ends once you land that coveted first meeting or visit.

Sales Prospecting Methods:

Sales prospecting is a critical part of the sales cycle and requires communication, research, and follow-up skills. It is important to develop a strategic and personalized approach for each prospect, in order to maximize the chances of success in generating new business.

1. Create ideal customer profiles

How to get the most out of the customer profile?

  • Do a market study. Know the available target audience and how your products or services resonate with different groups. You can test multiple audiences, and constantly monitor how they respond to what you offer. Once you get more specific, find out who belongs not only to your target market but what they do and where they are (for example, the blogs they read, the social media platforms they use, and the conferences they attend).
  • Make it as specific as possible. The best profiles often include the full name, a photo, and the background of an imaginary person, to help sales and marketing teams truly imagine the prospect as a real person. Be creative and thoughtful. Getting even the smallest details will help the team focus and deal with the right type of person or company.

Tip: Do you know the purchase journey of your ideal customer? To get a complete view of your trip, map your shopping experience...

2. Focus on warm calls

Unlike cold calls, warm calls are intended for potential customers who have previously shown interest in your products or services.

3. Send engaging, personalized emails

Personalized emails are another effective way to get in touch with your potential customers. Many people don't like to be the center of attention, and email allows them to read content when they want, take the time to do their own research, and purchase only when they're ready.

Remember email marketing can be a powerful tool to boost your path to business success.

Starts now!

4. Target potential customers through LinkedIn

How to make the most of LinkedIn?

  • Be active and proactive. Don't just connect with your ideal clients and businesses. Be sure to engage with their content and regularly share updates and training content about your business.
  • Be brief. Nobody likes (or even reads) long messages. When you make a new connection on Linkedin, send a short personal message to say hello and ask if you can give them a call. Include a link to your calendar to make it more efficient.

5. Take advantage of automation

How to make the most of automation?

  • Don't automate everything. Audiences still want to talk to human people, especially when it involves spending a lot of money. Automation will help your team save time and effort, but not completely replace it.
Automation

Effective sales techniques for this 2023

When it comes to effective sales techniques, you need to keep up with market changes to excel in meeting customer needs, wants, and expectations. Otherwise, you run the risk of being switched to the competition.

But, what methods and approaches will you use to stimulate your sales in 2023? Here are some tips based on research and trends to set you up for business success.

New payment methods

When was the last time you paid for a purchase with cash? Most likely you don't remember.

This is because the digitization of financial transactions is already a reality. In Brazil, for example, R$ 40 billion in cash stopped circulating.

However, few companies have incorporated this change in people's behavior into their sales techniques. If you want to get ahead of the market, now is the time to design new customer journeys that take this cashless economy into account.

Click and Collect

According to a WGSN report, the “click and collect” sales model will be essential to the new post-pandemic lifestyle. In fact, the data indicates that by 2024, the model will reach $140.96 billion in the United States.

But simply including it in the list of sales techniques will not be enough. It is necessary to guarantee the speed and fluidity of the service so that the trade continues to be functional and satisfactory for the users.

Corporate social responsibility

According to an Accenture study, 76% of customers are attracted to brands that produce their products and services in a highly ethical manner. Likewise, 65% of consumers prefer to do business with brands that respect the environment.

This reveals a concern with the social impact of organizations that must be translated into concrete actions. In your sales techniques, for example, you can demonstrate how the production chain of your product respects the people involved, the community with which you interact, and the environment.

Additional tip for effective sales prospecting:

Use a segmentation strategy: Instead of approaching all potential customers in the same way, divide your market into segments and tailor your approach based on the needs and characteristics of each group. This will allow you to personalize your messages and increase your chances of success.

Remember that effective sales prospecting involves efficiently identifying and qualifying leads to maximize your efforts. By applying a segmentation strategy, you will be able to more effectively target each target group and make stronger connections with them.

In 2023, companies are taking full advantage of advanced technologies to optimize their prospecting strategies. Tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and marketing automation are used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of prospecting processes. Study and adopt those technologies that are relevant to your business and that help you achieve your sales goals.

Conclusions

In summary, sales prospecting is essential for business growth and success. It not only helps generate new business opportunities, but also improves business relationships, drives sales, and provides valuable market insights. By implementing an effective sales prospecting strategy, your company can be on the right path to success and expansion.

In the year 2023, effective sales prospecting strategies are based on personalization, extensive research, and leveraging advanced technologies.