What is prospecting and How to do it right?

As a sales rep, your efficiency is measured on how well you can attain the sales quota. Without a healthy pipeline, it becomes difficult to achieve those sales quotas. You end up receiving negative feedback during the sales performance review. 

“57% to 67% of salespeople miss their sales quota every year. 

Sales success begins with effective prospecting. Through successful prospecting, you can fill your pipeline with lucrative sales opportunities. 

What is prospecting in sales?

Prospecting is the process of initiating and finding new opportunities. You reach out to people who have the potential of turning into your customers. 

In layman terms, prospecting is connecting with someone who needs your product. 

Prospecting being the first step in the sales process is very important and needs extra attention. If you connect with someone who doesn’t need your product, you’ll end up wasting your time at the later stages of the sales process. Hence, effective prospecting is essential to find the right-fit customers for your business. 

Sales prospecting tips to attract  more sales opportunities 

In order to increase your sales prospecting success rate, you need to ensure it is done the right way. Most sales professionals don’t give much importance to this stage of the sales process and face a low conversion rate later. 

Preparation is the key to successful prospecting. 

Do not just randomly start prospecting. Have a clear plan in mind. Set a target for many prospects you will need to fulfill your sales quota. To increase your sales prospecting success rate, you need to walk the extra mile and put in more effort. 

Here are a few tips for gaining success while prospecting. 

1. Dedicate  time for prospecting

Sales prospecting isn’t something that’s done one in a week or month. It is essential to dedicate time for prospecting and do it with unwavering determination daily. Block time in your calendar for prospecting. 

For instance, from 9:30: to 11:30, you’ll focus on prospecting.

Don’t get distracted or take up any other task during these two hours of prospecting. At the end of the day reflect on your prospecting activities. Check if you’ve achieved your prospecting goals. 

2. Have a good product and market knowledge

Prospect: So, can I even auto-assign order to the vendors using your product?

Sales: I am not sure. I will check and let you by tomorrow. 

Such a reply creates a wrong impression on the prospect. If you aren’t confident about your product, you won’t be able to earn the prospect’s trust and confidence. 

You just have a few minutes to impress the prospect. If you go blank or are unable to answer any question regarding your product then there are chances that the prospect might not connect with you again. 

So it is necessary to have a good understanding of the product you are selling.

• Know your product inside and out. 
• Ask all the relevant questions regarding the product features, cost, benefits, and functionalities to the product experts.
• Know your product’s USP as well as limitations. 
• Find out which other product can complement the product you are selling. 

3. Research about your prospect

To strike a meaningful conversation with the prospects, you must have basic information about them and their company. 

Whether you are sending an email or making a cold call, make sure your research before connecting with the prospects. 

• Go through their social media sites. 
• Find out their areas of interest. 
• Read reviews about their company and product on various reviewing site. 
• See if you two have any mutual contact who can give you more information about the prospect. 

Try to amass maximum information about the prospect. It will help in breaking the ice and making the prospect comfortable. 

4. Keep a positive attitude

While prospecting, you need to be prepared for negative responses. You might face rejection. Besides, you might come across prospects who are rude and hot-headed. However, whatever is the circumstances, you need to stay calm and positive. 

“The moment you’re ready to quit is usually the moment before a miracle happens. Don’t give up – anonymous 

Don’t be disappointed due to negative responses. Change your approach and keep trying. Put in more effort and try to make the conversation interesting for capturing the prospect’s interest. 

5. Use sales apps

Modern technologies can make your work easier. So, take the help of modern sales apps for prospecting successfully. You can save a lot of time and increase your productivity using various sales apps. 

For instance, with a CRM solution, you can use all the prospecting channels like emails, calls, and texts from one platform. Besides, you can use automation with such a smart sales app and add more time to your day. 

Conclusion

Sales prospecting needs effort and determination. It is a task that needs to be performed regularly for embracing maximum opportunities. You need to plan your prospecting. Be confident and enthusiastic while prospecting or the prospect might lose interest. Set prospecting goals and try to achieve them. Analyze your performance to ensure you are on the right track. 

An advanced sales tool like Salesmate can help you in it. You can create insightful reports in this advanced CRM to track your performance and find out where you are investing your precious time. You can automate various time-consuming tasks and increase your productive hours. If your target audience is from a different country, you can purchase a number with the local area code to gain the trust of your potential customers. You can not only make calls but even send texts and emails from this intuitive CRM. Salesmate is an all-in-one sales solution. You can easily manage, nurture, and convert deals into sales quickly with this helpful CRM.