The Perfect Prospecting List

In sales, there’s this promise of the secret list. The one made of gold. The destination is so alluring for the sales person. The list that is filled with buyers who are ready to answer an email with “hell yes!” and pick up the phone ready to see your product with pockets full of money. Best of all? They’re the decision maker and don’t need any buy in from other parties. I have the map that can lead you to this destination.

The map is nowhere. Neither is the destination. Every sales person will always complain about lead quality, it’s natural. However, those that come around to the fact that the “gold in them thar leads” is the journey itself, are the ones who separate from the pack to become great. When getting a fresh batch of leads, whether you’re an Enterprise AE being handed a lead from your SDR, or whether you are an SDR getting a batch of leads from your RevOps person, here are some good reminders to get you going:

• Look at your leads with the intent to screen in, not screen out. Spend the extra time to “connect the dots”.
• Look at the company, not just the user and ask whether or not the company could use your solution and what the user may stand to benefit from passing you on internally.
• Turn a loss (”no” on an email or call) into a potential win by asking the extra question on how you can help the prospect in other ways than selling them something. Maybe it’s an introduction to someone in your network that could help, or a recommendation on where they can take their kids hiking this weekend. Always look to add value.
• Research the user, not just the company. Find common connectors within your organization as well as your network to “connect the dots” on making the introduction warm.
• Research the company, not just the user. Find connective value to other companies within a similar industry. Is there a trend happening in this industry that you can spot early to “connect the dots” and create a compound effect in sourcing.

Finally, always…. Always stay positive during the hunt and discovery process. It’s tough to push through but if you go the extra mile every day, you’ll turn 10 leads into 100 just by peeling back the extra layer that most don’t bother with.