Although prospecting might be laborious and time-consuming, it is necessary to do so in order to maintain healthy pipelines.
Sales representatives can surely make prospecting easier for themselves, despite the fact that they can not avoid it. We no longer need to worry about where or how to locate prospects because we have a go-to list of resources and a process for each platform.
Here are nine strategies for finding prospects quickly so that salespeople can consistently fill their pipelines.
Where Do Salespeople Find Potential Customers?
Contents
1. Job boards
Job postings provide insights into the demands of potential candidates. For instance, this is a fantastic group to contact if you see that a company is recruiting an HR benefits analyst and you offer compensation services. They probably struggle with benefits, so hearing from someone who can assist them would be helpful (read: you).
Additionally, getting a new job is frequently a catalyst for purchasing new goods or services. Keep an eye on when the listing disappears if you see that a company is employing an executive or senior employee in the department you sell into. Find the decision-maker who was recently hired, then email your pitch to them.
Job boards to consider are:
- Glassdoor
- Monster
- CareerBuilder
- Recruiter Zip
- Indeed
- Simply Employed
2. Twitter
Having a list of the top three or four keywords that matter to your target prospects is essential to getting the most out of Twitter. Run Twitter searches on variations of those terms to discover users discussing such subjects.
Perhaps some people are posing queries. Others may be whining about how challenging something is. In any case, you can join the conversation and provide value while perhaps picking up some leads in the process.
Once you’ve identified a few leads, use private Twitter lists to keep an eye on them and other pertinent individuals.
If you want, create the following Twitter lists:
- Potential customers in your area that you wish to monitor
- Bloggers and media outlets that cover businesses in your region so you may learn about new businesses
- Venture capitalists (VCs) in the region to learn what they’re investing in and what fundraising round businesses are in
3. Business journals
Local business publications report on significant occurrences at local businesses, such as lawsuits, new locations, or increased investment. By keeping a watch on these occasions, you can learn about companies you might not be familiar with and identify pertinent trigger events to use as the foundation for your outreach.
When you write your first email or call your new prospect, you can use these trigger events as a point of reference.
4. Industry forums and blogs
I subscribe to forum newsletters like GrowthHacker.com and those for similar communities like Product Hunt because I work as a market in the software sector. I also sign up for newsletters from business owners in the software sector.
These newsletters keep me informed about new firms and frequently feature success stories of successful enterprises.
Three advantages come with receiving these newsletters:
- Research new businesses.
- Recognize successful businesses.
- Keep abreast of market developments and tactics
If blogs and forums don’t help you locate new prospects directly, the knowledge you gather will at least assist you in finding leads. For instance, you might find that every business in your target sector is having trouble complying with a specific new compliance legislation.
The name of this law can then be searched on Google or LinkedIn to reveal ongoing interactions with potential clients. Participate in the discussion to gain some useful leads.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has the potential to be a prospect goldmine if used properly.
Along with the job listings, LinkedIn groups are brimming with people looking for assistance. To find new groups to join that are similar to your industry, go to the “Discover” area of your group’s homepage.
Join appropriate groups, contribute to the discussion, and assist the neighborhood. Although it wouldn’t be a good idea to start out by selling, keep these people and businesses on your list of prospects to keep an eye on and interact with.
With the aid of advanced search, you may quickly locate individuals who fit your ideal customer’s character. It’s simple to locate particular communities of individuals, whether you search by geography, the business they work for, their industry, or the language they speak. Additionally, if you’ve already located a business you’d like to contact, you can look up who to contact there.
Once you’ve identified businesses you’d like to contact, keep an eye on their profile for updates and other events that could help you tailor and personalize your pitch.
For more information on using LinkedIn to identify new prospects, read this article on the LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s hidden features, this one on the site’s lesser-known methods for doing so, and this one that explains how to message anyone on LinkedIn.
6. CrunchBase
CrunchBase offers data on investments, business closures, and tech conferences. The site won’t be much use to you if you sell to private groups, because this only pertains to publicly traded corporations (outside of gathering competitive intel).
A corporation must make use of any funds received. Can you see where this is going?
Discover which businesses have recently received money, and then determine whether any of these businesses would be a good fit for your goods or services.
Additionally, we can utilize the advanced search function to focus on businesses that are located in our region or fall under a particular category.
7. Website of the local chamber of commerce
Your local Chamber of Commerce website provides a directory of nearby businesses, albeit it may not be the most entertaining website to browse or have the most complete listings.
Businesses are categorized by industry in the Boston Chamber of Commerce business directory. If you are aware of your ideal client, this is fantastic.
8. HubSpot CRM
It would be fantastic if you could find fresh prospects right from your CRM. This functionality is included in the free CRM tool from HubSpot. Salespeople can search a database of firms by selecting the “Companies” tab and filtering the results by region, industry, and employee count.
9. Quora
Users can ask questions on Quora, find answers from the community, and “upvote” insightful responses to increase the credibility and prominence of the answers.
Reddit-like in sound? There are some significant distinctions to be aware of. Primarily, Quora requires users to connect their profiles with Facebook or Twitter accounts, whereas Reddit allows users to remain anonymous. This improves user accountability and improves Quora’s standing as a business networking platform.
Create a profile, subscribe to “channels” that are pertinent to your field, list your own areas of expertise, and follow other users.
Follow other salespeople in your field and any present customers or clients as a best practice. To gain more insight into additional worthwhile channels to join, look at the topics and discussions they are now engaged in.
Start posing sincere queries after that and provide responses when necessary. Before making a pitch, make sure you’re providing value. Never be overly repetitive or spammy. And use caution when sharing links. For more about sales prospecting on Quora, read this post.
There is no such thing as “rapid prospecting” when discussing qualified leads. It takes time to establish relationships that are mutually beneficial and to establish the rapport required to contact a potential customer for the first time.
However, you’ll have instant access to enormous lead pools that are just ready to be nurtured into your next qualified prospects thanks to these sources.
