In order to better sell your services or products, you must implement a good sales prospecting strategy. it’s clear! This approach can save you time, convert your prospects into customers and grow your business. But what exactly are the benefits of this strategy? What are the most effective technologies to implement in 2022? And how to go about achieving satisfactory results?
Commercial Prospecting: Definition and Benefits
Commercial prospecting covers all the actions and techniques a company employs to convince new prospects, and turn them into customers, while encouraging them to sell. Selling your products or services to people who don’t need them is a waste of your company’s time. Similarly, the public does not want to waste their time with many unreasonable business requests.
Hence, having a well-crafted strategy not only saves time but also helps you to be productive. So set yourself goals that you can achieve by implementing really good strategies. In any case, business prospecting consists of 5 well defined steps:
- Definition of your objectives;
- research your goals;
- Your selection of prospecting channels;
- Choosing the best ways for your prospects to convert;
- Evaluation of campaign results.
best sales prospecting techniques in 2022
Of the many prospecting channels or techniques, some prove to be more effective than others.
cold call
With a conversion rate of only 1%, cold calling or cold calling considered unprofitable. According to data published by HubSpot, more than 81% of sales are made after the 5th phone call. The prospect may feel that you are wasting his time or that you are motivating him to buy. Furthermore, 80% of customers do not prefer to be contacted by phone and prefer to discuss by e-mail.
As this telephone prospecting technique is used less and less, consider implementing several strategies to keep it effective:
- Be transparent about your intentions, Show the prospect that you are capable of providing solutions to their problems. speak clearly, treat him as a complete human being and remain professional;
- Ask about their needs before calling. Also research his behavior, his sensitive points in the practice of his profession, what kind of solutions you can bring him… Showing him that you know him well, will want to be on the phone, make an appointment. you or will buy your products;
- Set small goals to increase your chances of achieving them., Since it is not easy to persuade on the first call, for example, set yourself the purpose of receiving it after a demonstration, second call or follow-up email;
- Create a Proper Sales Script, Ideally during a cold call, your script should include an introduction to introduce yourself as well as an important message explaining the reasons for your call. Some open-ended questions make it possible to avoid traditional answers. To increase your chances of turning a prospect into a customer, you need to convince them to accept a follow-up call.
Reach people who might be interested in your products or services. Your speech should be reassuring and based on advice, rather than an outright desire to sell.
hot call
hot calling or warm calling One is to call a prospect with whom you have already interacted. Thanks to this technique by which you are sure to bring a solution to your interlocutor, he will understand and listen.
To use this channel effectively, you must:
- Find target companies and be sure to learn more about them and their markets;
- Know the right contacts and decision makers for each target company;
- The first sentence you say during the call draws the attention of your interlocutor. Thus, your introduction should be carefully taken care of;
- Prepare a prepared speech based on the different perspectives you take;
- Keep your interlocutor ahead with human-to-human speech;
- Always ask open ended questions;
- listening to him bread dots Or the pain point and its needs. By providing him the solution to his problem, you will manage to build a link;
- make a phone call of up to 5 minutes;
- Leave a voicemail message for your potential customer if they do not answer your call.
To be successful with your warm-up call, make sure you have relevant information about your target, such as an event or company news, for example. You can also start your call by talking about a general contact or environment.
linkedin group
LinkedIn brings together about 810 million users spread across the globe in January 2022, and is a huge success with professionals. This social network also brings together professionals gathered in communities of interest or LinkedIn groups, which are effective in finding maximum potential for your company. With a good social media strategy on LinkedIn, you can:
- get targeted contacts;
- Get your message across to your target effectively;
- Communicate and share your experience with multiple professionals grouped on the basis of similar interests in a single group;
- Target new prospects.
To generate leads from LinkedIn groups, consider for example:
- Send direct messages to your group members via content links. If you take a personal and gentle approach, some are likely to react to you. Quickly send them the data or information they’re looking for, to answer their questions. Avoid any aggressive sales tactics to get your interlocutor’s attention;
- Choose the most interesting content to attract your prospects (a video, a blog article, etc.). The material should be selected according to your purpose. As soon as you’ve created it, you’ll be able to share it on LinkedIn groups and throughout professional social networks.
prospecting by email
Prospecting by email or email is one of the most effective B2B techniques. According to a recent study, out of 100 B2B prospecting emails sent to France, about 8% respond positively to a meeting proposal. 17% of these emails get replies, while over 60% are opened (source: Meet Your Market)
Thanks to this channel, you have the possibility to develop your activity more quickly and thus:
- Increase your conversion rate;
- Better qualify your leads;
- Increase your sales;
- There are more inbound leads.
If earlier mass mailing was preferred, it is not so today, as personalized and highly targeted mailings are proving more effective.
an official event
For example, take advantage of an official event such as a fair, intellectual competition, conference debate or trade show to gain contacts. In addition to encouraging meeting with potential clients, this type of event allows you to communicate and share with a variety of professionals in your field.
webinar
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning, live courses, virtual workshops and other similar content have seen a meteoric rise. These various events can take the form of a webinar to grow your audience by sharing your knowledge and skills.
They can be used for your B2B prospecting to convert prospects into customers. For them to be effective, it is necessary:
- Complete preparation: a relevant topic, definition of target group, determination of subsequent problems, proposing one or more concrete solutions to these problems. Also remember to anticipate any questions in order to effectively advise participants to sell your services or products;
- Optimal promotion, including a catchy title, a relevant description, and the solutions you want to develop;
- Choosing a good platform to host your webinar: Livestorm, Webex, Zoom…;
- Nice animation and a varied tempo of presentation. It should include pauses, scenes, conversational passages. To capture the attention of your audience, think about storytelling;
- A powerful call to action or call to action at the end of the presentation.
Finally, choose a day to host your webinar, such as Tuesday or Wednesday. And to promote it, choose the option to email.