The sales prospecting landscape today looks a lot like California after the great Gold Rush. When James Marshall first discovered gold at Sutter’s Mill, word traveled quickly, even in 1848. Within a year, more than 300,000 prospectors were panning the streams, picking up whatever they could find on the surface. A few years later, most of those streams had run dry. The only way to strike gold was to dig.
Today’s buyers are more informed and empowered than they’ve ever been. They can research a product or service from their smartphone and make a purchase without ever having to talk to a sales rep. Making an easy sale by simply sifting through a list and calling enough prospects rarely happens.
Sales is a science and a discipline, although it’s rarely treated that way. Confidence and charm may seem to win the day, but they’ll only take you so far. Real, consistent success only happens when sales professionals follow a scientific method based on proven results. That’s why we analyzed more than 100,000 sales prospecting calls at 100 companies across 19 industries to determine what sales prospecting techniques really work. Here's what we found.
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Exec Call BackYet sales professionals often view cold calling as a necessary evil and an exercise in drudgery. That’s because all too often, they’re reaching the wrong people or not making direct connections with them. Here are a few of the most common mistakes salespeople make when cold calling.
If you’re just going down a long list of leads, you might as well be shooting arrows into the dark. Instead, take the time to identify the best companies you want to work with, using criteria like industry, company size and revenue, and rank them.
Look beyond LinkedIn job titles and identify prospects based on their responsibilities.
Direct lines are far more efficient and effective than switchboards. On average, it takes 5 minutes to connect with a prospect using a direct line compared to 24 minutes when dialing through switchboards. And our research found sales professionals are 146% more likely to connect with an executive when calling a direct line!
If you’re just going down a long list of leads, you might as well be shooting arrows into the dark. Instead, take the time to identify the best companies you want to work with, using criteria like industry, company size and revenue, and rank them.
Look beyond LinkedIn job titles and identify prospects based on their responsibilities.
Direct lines are far more efficient and effective than switchboards. On average, it takes 5 minutes to connect with a prospect using a direct line compared to 24 minutes when dialing through switchboards. And our research found sales professionals are 146% more likely to connect with an executive when calling a direct line!
Any experienced sales professional understands the importance of researching your prospects before picking up the phone. Yet many still don’t know how to start the conversation.
Your sales professionals need to give prospects a valuable piece of information that will resonate with them. Talk about a trend that’s affecting their role or their industry. You’ll be much more likely to get their attention, even if they’re not actively buying.
“What is this about? Is this a sales call?”
When a prospect objects, it might be tempting to give a diplomatic response or flat-out ignore it and get right back to a script. Instead, acknowledge the objection and address it honestly. Then, take the opportunity to provide value using your research.
For instance:
“I would never try to sell you on [product/service] on a two-minute call, but I noticed…”
If your prospect tells you they’re already working with a competitor, respectfully address why it might be a good time to evaluate alternatives. Don’t bash the competition.
Personalization goes beyond simply including someone’s first name in an automated email. Again, it involves doing some research before reaching out. Look for a recent article they’ve published, an award they’ve received or a common interest you share. Don’t be afraid to lead with that in the subject line.
Personal details will get a prospect’s attention initially, but to keep their attention, you need to be relevant. Talk about a challenge they face in their role or a big change happening in their industry. Spark their curiosity and make them wonder how you can help.
The goal of any good prospecting email is to book a meeting, but many emails fail to answer one important question: why now? Is your prospect beginning the fourth quarter and thinking about finalizing their budget for next year? Did their organization recently make changes? Be clear about why this meeting needs to happen as soon as possible and suggest times. Even better, allow them to book a meeting right then by accessing your calendar.
Your top prospects aren’t necessarily opposed to meetings; they just don’t want you to waste their time. Be clear about the purpose of the meeting, how long it will take and what you’ll discuss.
Note the subject line includes a personal detail. The email addresses their role and mentions one of the challenges in that role. It mentions hiring and planning for next year’s initiatives, which adds a sense of urgency. It closes with a clear request for a meeting next week.
The fact is, everyone needs some level of training if they can ever hope to improve.
They need to see how other sales professionals are successfully using new tactics to book the meetings that matter.
They need to understand the science and the data behind why some sales prospecting methods work better than others. They need to learn new skills they can start using right away, and they need the opportunity to practice those skills.
We don’t send surgeons away to a two-day summit to learn a new procedure and then expect them to perform it proficiently.
So why do we expect that of our sales professionals?
Funnel Clarity offers in-person and online sales training to empower your team.
Our training combines research-based coursework and prospecting call examples with practical exercises your team can start applying right away.
Each training program can be completed in three weeks and includes four weeks of reinforcement materials. Your organization can customize the delivery of this training to meet the needs of your team, condensing the information into just a few short days or extending it over a longer period of time.
