Prospecting: Definition & Step-by-Step Advanced Tactics

Find out quickly in this article all there is to know about prospecting: Definitions of prospecting, synonyms, techniques to transform a prospect into a client and concrete examples.

• Definitions of prospecting.
• Synonyms of prospecting.
• Techniques to transform a prospect into a client.
• Concrete examples.

In short, what it takes to become the best sales expert.

The Prospecting Definition

I found this definition of prospecting on Journal du net, and frankly I think it’s the best of all:

Prospecting is a continuous commercial process, for a company, of seeking out potential clients (called prospects) in order to turn them into actual clients.

Prospecting is a broad topic, you can prospect for businesses, or you can prospect for new customers!

Before you start prospecting, let me draw out the landscape a bit, then I’ll explain in more detail what it’s all about. 👩‍🏫

Direct Prospecting Meaning:

Physical or direct prospecting is usually done in the B2b or B2c world for specific products (home renovation, for example). It is a very (very, very, very) old-fashioned method and less and less profitable. It usually involves sales people in suits, briefcases, and company cars coming to canvas other companies to sell them solutions. 😆

The goal is usually to sell immediately. But even with this old-fashioned style prospecting, there exists two types of prospects:

• 🧊 The cold prospect: You don’t know much about this prospect. They match your target, but have never shown any real interest in your products or your brand.
• 🔥 The hot prospect: They express interest in your company or in the solutions you offer. You have enough information about this prospect to know that they are ready to buy what you offer, if you manage to stand out from the competition and capture their attention.

Here’s an example: you sell solar panels in the industrial sector.

• 🧊 A cold prospect: An industry that doesn’t have solar panels yet.
• 🔥 A hot prospect: An industry that has researched your site and downloaded informational materials.

Indirect prospecting Meaning:

Indirect prospecting is much “softer”. It requires a little more patience. The idea is to let the new prospect approach you through different sales methods, marketing strategies and prospecting techniques:

• Data collection through events, virtual trade shows, cookies on the blog. 🍪
• Informative emailing, where you will give added value to your potential future customers through quality articles.
• Increase of reach and raising the brand image (partnership, visibility on social networks).
• Participation in certain physical or virtual events related to your business. (fairs, sports shows…)

Briefly

• Direct prospecting = you try to sell right away, with direct marketing.
• Indirect prospecting = you make yourself known, arouse curiosity, develop the brand image in order to recruit new customers.

Can you see the difference?

Now, what are the marketing techniques that turn the temperature of your contact from cold to hot?

Definition of Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is defined by a communication strategy to create qualitative commercial content, on a blog and on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn for B2b sales. 🔥)

The idea is to convert a cold lead > into a qualified lead > and then into a potential client or company. To do this there are different techniques which we will talk about a little bit below. 😱

A little taste of the topics we’re going to cover?

• Direct and indirect sales techniques.
• Marketing automation: automated tools. 🤩
• Lead nurturing.
• Engagement on social media.

Inbound marketing = indirect prospecting combined with a digital strategy. We whisper in the client’s ear that we exist 👂 that we do cool stuff, and that they should come check it out on our site, blog, or business. 👀

Definition of Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing brings together several communication and marketing techniques aimed at targeting a population of prospects. The technique is more “aggressive” than inbound marketing.

Generally, we will use an advertising message (POS, advertising spaces) or direct digital marketing (emailing sequence, SMS, LinkedIn for B2b 🔥). Outbound marketing therefore gathers many commercial actions and levers and is an important part of customer or business marketing, to develop your sales and grow your customer base.

The term is mostly used in opposition to inbound marketing strategies in which we “allow” the consumer to come to the brand and the company.

Briefly

Outbound marketing = direct prospecting. It is associated with a “push” communication strategy where we encourage the consumer to buy our product or service.

Prospecting Methods: What to do or not to do in 2024

Here are the most used prospecting methods, by category, as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Outbound marketing, what you need to know

Emailing campaigns:

• 🟢 If you already have a good base of qualified leads through your blog or site (focus on informative emails rather than aggressive selling which doesn’t work very well anymore).
• 🟠 Doing a trade show type event that will cost you a lot of money to end up with only a handful of warm leads (unless you’re selling high-end products, in which case, this might make sense for you).
• 🔴 Buy databases. Already, depending on where you buy them from, they’re not legal. 😆 And you may end up with old databases that lead to unresponsive or unqualified leads (definition: database).

SMS campaigns:

• 🟢 It works great when done right, and it’s cheap when you have the data.
• 🟠 Works well in BtoC, less so in BtoB (it’s not done too often and is hard to get the phone number of a client if your messages are related to business).
• 🔴 Same observation as for emailing campaigns. Do not buy databases from just anywhere.

The purchase of offline advertising space (posters…):

• 🟢 This can be valuable when you have the budget and a well-defined target, as it allows you to reach numerous people and attract customers.
• 🟠 Expensive.
• 🔴 Digital (online) advertising is really taking over. Offline advertising is dying out. If you are not a big organization, we highly recommend you use online advertising first.

The purchase of online advertising space (Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, Facebook Ads.):

• 🟢If you know how to do it well, you can really boost your sales without breaking the bank. To do this, you must choose and prioritize the right keywords… Thanks to Semantik, this has become a breeze.
• 🟢 Digital communication is the future.
• 🟠 It doesn’t replace a social media network communication action or the development of other acquisition techniques.

Prospecting campaigns on LinkedIn:

• 🟢 It allows you to access a database of thousands of users for free and segment your searches (see how 👀) to find your target.
• 🟢 Thanks to the automation of commercial activities, especially with business tools like ProspectIn or Waalaxy (for cross-channel prospecting), you can send hundreds of automated and personalized messages per day.
• 🟢 It’s very inexpensive (See pricing 👀).
• 🟠 It’s mostly for Btob prospection.

Inbound marketing, What you need to understand?

Inbound marketing was born because consumers had become familiar with aggressive sales techniques.  As a result, they’d become less responsive to them, and the effectiveness of these techniques dropped massively.

Moreover, consumers are more aware of their buying power, and therefore demand that they be seduced by brands. They need all the information.

According to the LSA (Libre Service Actualités – a professional French magazine which analyses industry trends), this is still the trend in 2022 for 60% of consumers, who want to focus on these 3 key points (transparency, information, communication).

Companies also needed more efficient, less expensive and better adapted ways to conquer their potential clients. There is also another trigger for this shift from outbound to inbound sales: the internet.

Yes, it’s not a small change. 😂

In 10 years, the internet has turned all the codes upside down. Inbound sales have become a must for a good long-term strategy.

If ever there was a time to start a good Inbound leads generation, all the sales kpis are green. Strategy, it’s now.

• 🟢 Quality commercial content.
• 🟢 Communicating on social media networks, especially LinkedIn. 🔥
• 🟢 Search engine optimization through SEO.

Of course, combining outbound and inbound marketing strategies is key. You just have to do it right. We’ll discuss this further below. 😉

Prospecting Synonym

• Social media campaign.
• Sales development.
• Research of prospects.
• Acquisition of contacts.
• Profit seeking through sales.
• Development of a client portfolio.

Prospect Synonym

• Potential buyer.
• Future client or company.
• Contact.
• Lead.

Prospecting Plan

What is a prospecting plan? How do you approach it and personalize it according to your target and the tools you have at your disposal?

A prospecting plan is all the steps you take one by one to acquire new clients or companies.

Your sales strategy will result in a prospecting plan example that you will define step by step. 💥

Prospect File: What is it for and How to achieve it?

The prospect file is a great tool to develop your BtoB or BtoC business!

If you want to build a skilled prospecting base, you can set up such simple tools like this. In no time, you’ll find yourself at the top. 🚀

If you have trouble remembering everything, and prefer to write it down somewhere (like me), then clearly the prospect file can help you keep your target in mind 🧠, and give them the best possible commercial experience.

In short, if you simply want to organize your prospecting effectively, this is the prospecting tool for you. It consists of integrating the coordinates of your prospect, the key interlocutors, the opportunities, and the difficulties that you will have. 💪

It’s a simple and effective mini-diagnostic to help you build your commercial strategy! 🎯

Commercial Prospecting File Template

Here is a prospecting file template, it was made with Canva, but you can simply create it in Word. 👌

Prospecting file: Mistakes to avoid

Here are 5 mistakes to avoid for a successful commercial prospecting strategy:

• Searching for leads without targeting,
• Offering a standardized offer to all your prospects,
• Forgetting about inbound marketing,
• Using a single lead generation channel.

Fortunately for you, prospecting effectively can be learned! 🙏

Using tools like Waalaxy will make this job all the easier. ⚡️

Additionally, with Waalaxy’s CRM you will be able to:

• Export qualified prospects,
• Create prospecting sequences,
• Adapt your proposal according to your target,
• Automatically follow up on your prospects inside your campaigns,
• Prospect via LinkedIn and via emails easily.

Click here if you want to test it for free, you have nothing to lose! 😉

Prospecting Sheet: What is it for?

Not to be confused with the prospect file or prospecting file, a prospecting sheet is a database of your prospects. It does not contain information on a specific prospect. 👀 It is created based on precise targeting criteria, such as geographic and demographic information.

You can create a prospecting sheet using tools like Excel, or even Google Sheet if you are doing collaborative work via Google Drive with your commercial team. 🤝

In addition, with Waalaxy, you can create Teams and have access to your teammates’ databases, to avoid leads being contacted multiple times by different teammates. It’s really awesome! 🤯

How to follow up on Prospecting?

You must prepare the prospect’s sales funnel in advance, to be able to map out a good follow-up. This can be quite time-consuming, but once the plan is established, all you need to do is transcribe it into whatever tool you want. ✍️

However, the idea remains the same in all tools:

• Create a prospect file with the basic data of each prospect
• Send a first message, it could be a LinkedIn connection note,
• If the prospect responds, you can go ahead and schedule a meeting with them, etc.
• If the prospect doesn’t respond, you try other ways to contact them back.

This is what a Waalaxy prospecting campaign typically looks like:

You can also personalize messages (LinkedIn and/or email), and program the delay between each reminder according to the criteria you have defined. 🤩

What are the 5 Prospecting Methods?

I. Physical Prospecting:

On-site sales prospecting or BtoB canvassing can be the best lead generation solution if you offer a product that requires a demo. 🧀

When it comes to creating a sales opportunity, nothing tops direct contact with prospects. 😀

However, this tactic doesn’t come without its complications, especially if they’re cold leads 🥶 : Potential customers may not be available. An unscheduled visit may not be well received, etc.

To have a personalized pitch, you have to sharpen your sales “pitch”! Make your meeting unforgettable with hooks like:

• A question, open or closed. Capturing your leads from the beginning of the pitch is essential! Speak directly to your interviewer: it’s a great way to get them involved. 😉
• An anecdote about your product. Take a real or imaginary example of one of your customers who chose your product because it solved their problem perfectly. This is evidence that can attract your target audience. 🏹
• A product demo. If possible, show the performance of your product or service. Nothing is better than real proof! 😋
• A joke. Be careful, this technique must be well-timed. Don’t risk falling flat on your face! 🙊 Your joke should be relevant to your product or service and relatable. If it’s successful, you’ll lighten the mood and draw empathy from the interviewer. 😍

II. Phone Prospecting:

Finding prospects over the phone is a scary technique for a salesperson, as “cold calls” can yield little results despite many cold calls… these are the challenges of prospecting. 😫

But, it’s important if your goal is to strengthen the prospecting file and discover new leads! 🙏 It’s a good way to argue face-to-face with people because it allows you to overcome objections when you hear them in person. 👂

This type of prospecting gives you the opportunity to:

• Get feedback on your product offer. 😄 You can tailor them to each prospect to generate qualified leads.
• Remove barriers to purchase and use a call-to-action to move the purchasing decision.

Succeed telephone prospecting

Another classic form of prospecting is prospecting via phone call. ☎️

Here are 10 tips for a killer telephone prospecting strategy:

• Have a good mindset to start.
• Avoid “cold calling” if possible. ❄️
• Talk to the right person.
• Prepare your pitch in advance.
• Ask open-ended questions.
• Be polite and smiley even if there is no one in front of you.
• End the exchange on a positive note if the prospect is really not interested.
• Don’t be afraid to follow-up with your leads, but be careful not to harass them.
• Have a great follow-up speech. An excellent follow-up can change everything.
• Learn from your mistakes.

The most important thing is to get started. We recognize that this is one of the most difficult prospecting techniques to master since you cannot see the reaction of your interlocutor, and you cannot show the product so that they can test it directly.

But have courage, we believe in you! 🙌

And don’t hesitate to use our marketing tools designed for automatic and personalized prospecting. It’ll do most of the heavy lifting for you. 💯

Telephone Prospecting Example

Here are examples of a PDF telephone prospecting scripts that you can use any time! 👈

Consider making it your own, with the most natural terms for you, and the rest will come with practice. 🏆

III. Email Prospecting: Tools and Email templates

Emailing is an essential outbound prospecting method for lead generation. ⚡

Every salesperson has sent a prospecting email in their life, whether it was a “cold email” or as part of a sales follow-up email. 👋

However, many decision makers receive email campaigns targeting anyone and everyone, and accompanied by generic messages. 😓 As a result, companies resort to anti-spam to avoid receiving these types of annoying emails.

If you want your email prospecting campaign to produce better results, you’ll need to stand out. You can do this by creating interesting content.

This combined with automated marketing, a long-term strategy, asking the right questions, and above all personalization of subject lines, will lead to tangible results! 👈

IV. LinkedIn Prospecting:

Prospecting on LinkedIn is last on this list, but it’s by no means the least important.

This B2B social media network has become indispensable for growing your company! 💥

This digital prospecting technique can take many forms:

• “Social selling”. This is about building trust with potential customers through professional social media networks (like LinkedIn, of course). For example, by posting regularly, bringing your “expert touch” and thus developing the interest of your network. 🔍
• “Inbound marketing”. By offering quality content online, you will become a reference in your field. 👌 Potential customers naturally think of you to meet their needs. Feed your prospects with targeted, quality content, you’ll pique their interest and make it easier to convert prospects into loyal customers. 🥰

AIDA Method for Prospecting

In terms of sales, there are certain techniques that are unbeatable. The AIDA method is clearly one of them. At Waapi, it’s the one our CEO strongly recommends.

He generates 75k+ views on his LinkedIn posts, so rest assured, he knows what he’s talking about. 😏

AIDA is an acronym that stands for:

• A for “Attention”.
• I for “Interest”.
• D for “Desire”.
• A is for “Action”.

You will be able to convince your interlocutor thanks to a short, relevant and selling message. The idea is to find the right balance between a discourse that incites curiosity and the desire to know more, without using aggressive sales techniques.

Want to know more about this way of selling, and how to implement it?

Here’s an example to help you launch a digital marketing strategy on LinkedIn.

A concrete example of a prospecting message

Using the famous AIDA method, here is what you can send your leads in your prospecting campaign:

Hello {{firstname}}, I see you’re in the marketing too. 🚀 (Attention)

We have developed a tool that’s 100% focused on the user experience. When prospecting, It takes you to an entirely new universe. 👽 (Interest)

Are you curious about our new cross-channel prospecting CRM? (Desire)

You can find it here 👉 Waalaxy.com (Action)

All you need to do is adapt this message to your tool/solution. As you can see, the message is short and gets straight to the point. I use keywords “marketing”, “user experience”, “prospecting CRM”…

As they are key terms of interest in the digital marketing sphere. Use words that will catch your audience’s eye, based on your industry.

The SPANCO method to turn a prospect into a client

Actually, prospecting is a no-brainer. ⛵ It should be a natural exchange between two individuals. The one who is interested in the other’s needs (the salesperson) and the one who confides in them (the potential buyer).

The SPANCO method is 6-step acronym that demonstrates the simplicity of it.

• Suspect.
• Prospect.
• Approach.
• Negotiation.
• Closing.
• Order.

The purpose of this sales method is to guide you through the crucial steps in your commercial activity. You shouldn’t skip steps. Otherwise, you will rush the prospect and they will leave.

Never forget, you have to be the one who listens, understands, rephrases… Essentially, the less you talk, the more information you will get that will help you start the negotiation.

When you contact a prospect via an automated message on LinkedIn, it is quite similar to a face-to-face prospecting. You have to make the conversation fluid and natural.

Develop a Sales Technique that works

According to e-marketing.fr, the definition of a sales technique is as follows:

All the techniques and ways available to the sales force to achieve the most effective sale of the product.

Simply put, they bring together both professional skills and interpersonal skills. To me, they’re intrinsically linked. You can’t claim to be a good salesperson if you can’t develop certain soft skills that are essential to selling.

Soft Skills to sell better

We are talking about online sales – (via social media or prospecting campaigns on LinkedIn, for example) and physical sales – (if you are in certain fields).

In all cases, you need to focus on:

• Empathy. How can you sell a product if you don’t know how to put yourself in the potential client’s shoes? You must absolutely understand their problems and therefore their needs.
• Sympathy. To be more sympathetic, stay humble. 😵 It’s as simple as that, put your arrogance in the closet. Arrogance prevents you from questioning yourself and puts the client or company below you, when the client should always be the focus of your attention.
• Credibility. Continue to learn about your business, keep up-to-date with the latest developments, etc. You must know your tools inside out. You will be more at ease during the negotiation.
• Inspiring confidence. If the other 3 points have done their job, you will naturally inspire confidence. How do you know if this is the case? Analyze the feedback from your potential clients.

The hard skills to turn a prospect into a client

• Be comfortable with digital tools and digital sales techniques. (Social media, CRM, automation).

Let’s face it, the world is turning to virtual sales. Recently, inbound marketing has taken over traditional marketing actions. The multiplication of containment has only accelerated the process. Switching to digital prospecting is cheaper, faster and can be automated. 🚀

Online prospecting is not the future, it’s the present.

How to do Online Prospecting?

How are you going to start your 100% remote lead generation strategy?

Getting started can be scary. It’s a world where competition can be heightened. But, honestly, if you make the right moves and stay on top of both what’s new and your KPI’s, everything should work out. 😊

As explained a bit above, there are two techniques you’ll be able to develop:

• Inbound marketing (communication action focused on the long term).
• Outbound marketing (sales action more focused on the short term).

Content Strategy: Inbound Marketing

To find leads online, you must take care of your brand image.

The idea is to attract new prospects to your site, to work on your credibility and your reputation. To achieve this, we will focus on 3 essential points.

Optimize your social media networks profiles

• If you sell services for companies: optimizing your LinkedIn profile is more than essential.
  • Fill in your profile. (Intro, photo, About section…)
• If you’re more focused on a BtoC (business to client) market: you’ll also need to get on social media networks like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.
  • Write a bio, be consistent in your editorial line and your visual choices.

Develop a commercial content strategy

If there’s one article you need to read about BtoB commercial content strategy, it’s the one on LinkedIn’s algorithm.

Basically, it tells you that the more people engage on your posts, the more LinkedIn believes you’re a trustworthy person – and therefore promotes that post to a wider network of potential clients. 🤑

So what’s the conclusion to this golden nugget?

• Your commercial content must be qualitative and engaging.
• The more likes and comments you have, the more you will reach new targets. 🎯

Automated tools that post, like and comments are all the rage. With them, you’ll dramatically increase your views.

Analyze your Results – Test – Persevere

As Didier Barbelivien would say:

You have to give time to time.

It’s a strategy that can’t be ignored, but it takes time and perseverance to become an influencer on social media.

Certain time slots work better on certain targets, certain topics are more conducive to creating conversations and engagement than others. You have to test everything.

💡 Another important piece of information:

What got the buzz once is already out of style.

If you rehash the same post as a competitor to hope for the same success, you’re just going to look like an uninspired person. Don’t do it.

Sales Strategy: Outbound Marketing

Get your hands dirty, get to the front of the line, don’t be afraid – you’re going to have to go for it, it’s time to grab your best pen and send a message to your prospects. ✍

Use an automated prospecting CRM

Before I explain how, I’ll tell you why you should use an automated prospecting CRM.

• 😱 You can contact 100+ people a day with just 1 click.
• 😎 You can add 1000+ leads to your CRM in less than 1 hour.
• 🔥 You can centralize all your data in one software and track your KPI’s without using Excel.
• ⏩ You always know where you are and how your social media campaigns are progressing.
• 🎯 You can choose to prospect scenarios according to your target and your objectives.

If you want to compare the tools on the market, you can do that by clicking here. 👀

Launching Prospecting Campaigns

To launch a 100% digital prospecting campaign, you need to:

• Define your target.
• Find your target on the social network of your choice (LinkedIn for B2b).
• Segment your research: qualify your prospects.
• Choose the best campaign for your needs.
• Export your prospects into an automated prospecting campaign.
• Create a personalized teaser message.
• Proofread your message.
• Launch the prospecting campaign.
• Consult your inbox to view responses from your prospects. Respond to them using the SPANCO or A.I.D.A. method.
• Once all actions in your social media campaign have been completed, check your results, analyze your sales, question your techniques and consider further segmentation to continuously optimize your campaigns.

Tip 💡: Segment your searches well so that your prospects in each campaign are similar.

Prepare your Commercial Messages

Let’s zoom in on your commercial message. 👀

It’s crucial to have a sales approach. If you have the best B2b lead generation services on the market, but you don’t know how to contact your potential client or company, you’re never going to convert them.

We’ve given you a comprehensive look at the best prospecting messages, how to write them, and what mistakes not to make.

I’ll let you take the time to look over the article, and then we’ll get together and talk about the commercial funnel that converts your leads. 🎯

A Sales Funnel: What is it?

It’s the foundation of online sales.

A commercial funnel or conversion funnel is one of the essential concepts, if not the most essential, in digital marketing. It is the foundation of your digital success.

One of the most famous techniques is the AARRR, an abbreviation for:

• Acquisition.
• Activation.
• Retention.
• Referral.
• Revenue.

It’s all about the ways you will, step by step, transform your prospect.

This technique focuses on 3 points: develop your site and your image, contact your prospects by adding them to prospecting campaigns, boost your trust index by publishing and highlighting positive feedback to reassure the prospect.

Then, test your methods and constantly readjust.

Technique for Closing a Sale

Conclusion of Prospecting

In this article, you have discovered:

• The definition of prospecting.
• Synonyms for prospecting.
• Sales techniques: AIDA method, SPANCO method.
• Techniques to transform a prospect into a client.
• The prospecting tunnel (AARRR commercial funnel).
• Concrete examples of prospecting messages.
• How to develop your online sales techniques.
• Tips on the best inbound and outbound marketing techniques.

FAQs of the article

What is the synonym for prospecting?

There are various synonyms for prospecting, here are a few common ones:

• Search.
• Explore.
• Investigate.
• Browse.
• Examine.
• Find.
• Dig.
• Recognize.

How to define prospecting?

Prospecting is a process of creating a commercial campaign of a company through the conquest of new customers.

Remember, the goal of prospecting is to capture new customers who are interested in your website or your offer.

It is also about improving your business development, through mailing, or prospecting tools.

What is a prospecting action?

A prospecting action is an action that you carry out towards a prospect to try to convert him/her into a customer. There are several types of actions:

• A cold email.
• A sales call.
• An appointment.
• A personalized message with your prospecting tool.
• A sales SMS.

Each prospecting action increases your chances of turning the prospect into a customer. In a well-established prospecting strategy, you carry out several actions via different communication channels, to create a sales funnel.

What is persona prospecting?

You must establish your personas. These are the types of profiles that are interested in your products or services. Often, there are several personas, which must be identified beforehand.

Once this is done, you will establish a strategy by persona:

• Adapt your commercial messages,
• Change your approach,
• Modify the sales tunnel according to the persona,
• Analyze your conversion rates by persona,
• Adapt your strategy continuously.

What are the different types of prospecting?

There are three main types of prospecting strategy:

• Direct prospecting = outbound marketing.
• Indirect prospecting = inbound marketing.
• Multi-channel prospecting = a mix of the two.

As we explained in this article, the more you use different channels to reach your target, the more likely you are to convert, provided of course that:

• The channel is adapted to the target.
• You don’t spam your target with 10 messages per day.

It’s up to you to find the subtle combination of communication tools that will speak to your target. Sometimes, one tool is enough. 😜

Discover Waalaxy 🪐

What is the purpose of prospecting?

The ultimate goal of prospecting is to increase the turnover of a company by creating a client portfolio that is substantial enough that it allows the continuous growth of the company.

Once you have launched prospecting actions, you must finalize the sale, and once the sale is finalized, you must keep the customer and build loyalty.

There you go, you now know what prospecting is! 🚀