4 Time-Saving Sales Prospecting Strategies

Can you guess what percent of sellers HATE prospecting?

(Hint: it’s not 100% – that was my first guess) But it is the majority of sellers…

64%! 

Yet 100% of managers DO say that sellers need to prospect more (and be better at it – if you’re one of those managers, contact us. We can help 😉)

So what can you do?

It all starts with planning.

In order to get better results without feeling like you’re wasting hours, you’ve got to put some work in ahead of time. But have no fear, there is a way for you to plan for prospecting without being part of that 64% hating it along the way (and if you already are, maybe this article will change your mind!)

Check out these top 4 sales prospecting strategies to help speed things up.

WATCH: Sales Shot –  Power Prospecting

Drastically Underprepare

Yep, read it again. Think about it this way: what’s your main goal when you pick up the phone? The obvious answer is to entice them to set up meeting 1. But that’s probably a pretty unlikely accomplishment with just one phone call.

What’s the most likely case? You’re going to get their voicemail!

READ: 4 Quick and Effective Voicemail Scripts

With speed in mind, think about the key elements you need to craft and leave your voicemail during your prospecting. Here’s a list of the usual suspects with a breakdown of why you do or don’t need them.

• Name – This one is pretty obvious. Know their name when you call! (But guess what? Sometimes you don’t even need this when they’ll repeat it in their voicemail!)
• Solution Match – If they aren’t even on the phone, you’ve got nothing to diagnose for them, so you don’t need it yet.
• Value Prop – YES! (SWIIFT℠ everyone!) What value are you bringing them? An absolute must. A whopping 74% of buyers will choose to work with sellers who are the FIRST to add value according to Corporate Visions.
• Case Study – Sure, a ready case study is helpful, but do you really want to bog down your call OR voicemail by spitting out stats? They don’t care yet! Skip it.
• Pricing – Again, hard to know what they need yet, and that doesn’t lend itself well to providing pricing.
• Job History -Spoiler: it’s not needed! Focus instead on one quick rapport builder.
• Call Intro – Make sure you have this down pat.
• Voicemail – ALWAYS leave a voicemail! Otherwise, the effort you put into making this call goes right down the drain. You’re not buying a billboard to leave it blank, are you? (Shameless plug: your voicemail is 3x more likely to get returned when you take our class, Messages That Get Returned, which we offer in our eLearning platform, The Sales Bar)

READ: Best Sales Scripts To Get A Buyer’s Attention 

So to summarize – when you pick up that phone, know their name, have your value prop handy, your call intro, and a voicemail if all else fails. Save the image below to help you remember.

Group Your Leads

Make it easier on yourself by grouping your leads together. Here are some quick categories to organize them by:

• CRM History
• Trigger Event (did they all attend a conference? Fill out an inbound lead form?)
• Profile/Demographics
• Offer (do you have an incentive to offer when you reach out to them?)
• Location (do you have a rep going to that location soon? Perfect time to reach out!)
• Social Connection (mutual friend, past acquaintance, school history, etc.!)

READ: Build A Lead Qualification Strategy

Group Your Research

When you do your research, your first instinct might make you feel like you HAVE to give individual attention to every single person and potential lead. Guess what? You don’t!

Easily group call goals, qualify & explore questions, voicemail scripts, and your SWIIFT intros.

What should you individualize? The rapport builder – it’ll be unique for each person.

Boom, you just saved yourself a whole lot of time!

Never Prepare Twice

Be nice to future you! By taking better notes and including specific details about the voicemail you’ve previously left, you’ll never be left scratching your head wondering what you’ve already done and having to double back.

Here’s what to include:

• What group is your lead in
• What value prop did you use
• What was your rapport builder
• What was your call goal
• What type of voicemail did you leave

BONUS: Always Add Value

Seems like a no-brainer, right? You always want to call to add value to your prospects. Try the following:

• Interact with them on social media – comment and share their posts
• Recognize something – give a compliment!
• Customize your request
• Be brief
• Always GIVE something first
• Ask short and closed questions to get them talking

Bottom Line

Prospecting is always going to be a numbers game. Remember: it takes 6-9 times to get to 90% of the people on your list! Put in the work – but don’t worry about putting in extra.