Sales prospecting is a skill that develops with time and practice.

It’s one that many reps shy away from developing, because the truth is there’s no substitute for real-world experience. And trying this in the real world is intense.

But that’s what you’re there for: to help them try and evaluate and try again.

If you’re heading up learning, sales enablement, or coaching a team of reps, here are 11 of the best practices in sales prospecting you could work on.

Need a crash course? Read The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting

1. Check the Ego

Sales prospecting works best when reps come at it from an Other-Centered® position. This means checking ego, taking their bullish messages out of the mix, and doing more due diligence about what a prospect really wants and needs.

There’s often some retraining needed to achieve this (especially for reps who have been taught “TAKE CHARGE at any cost!”). 

2. Do More Research

A rep’s ability to earn a meeting (what we call “gaining access”) relies largely on how relevant their initial outreach is. Whether cold or warm, that first touch — how meaningful and memorable it is — makes all of the difference. 

With more data than ever at their fingertips, smart prospecting happens when reps do their due diligence, uncovering as much information as possible about what a prospect wants/needs in a given moment.

3. Be Helpful, Not Pushy (Drop the Rope®)

People are fundamentally hesitant to talk to reps. This is true of doctors and pharma sales, it’s true of CTOs and tech sales, it’s true in every industry. And the trend isn’t slowing down. This means reps are up against some perception challenges and pushiness isn’t the answer. 

The challenge of even landing a meeting can have reps feeling the pressure: the meeting HAS to go their way. But that tension is problematic when transferred to force the prospect’s hand.

Rather, we teach reps to Drop the Rope®, neutralizing opposition and an “us vs. them” mentality. When the combat-mindset is overcome, reps can have more helpful conversations that lead somewhere.

4. Work the Phone

There’s a misperception that tech and a digital age have reduced the value of phone calls. It’s simply not true. A call is the fastest way to make a real time connection, and real time connections is what prospecting is really after. 

Reps must not underdevelop the skill of having a great phone conversation with someone, whether it’s a totally cold outreach or a lead they’re actively nurturing. Teach them to work those phones.

5. Get Personal

The level of online access reps have to inform ideal customer profiles and investigate individual prospects is very high. They can sleuth out a lot of information. And they should. 

Reps need to be more personal in two ways: first, they need to build out their personal brand and presence. This makes them Googleable, easy to vet, and easier to trust. 

Second, they need to do that due diligence of researching individuals. It will be foundational to having meaningful first, second, and third conversations.

6. Expand the Network

Referrals can be some of the highest value leads reps will ever handle in sales prospecting. There is more opportunity for most reps than they are currently taking advantage of, and it’s right under their noses. 

When reps catch a vision for expanding their network, it will yield dividends in terms of consistently increasing connections that could materialize into real business over time.

7. Become an Expert

Part of our Other-Centered framework (referenced a second ago) has to do with providing an expert take on something going on in a prospect’s business or field. Experts are made, not born. 

Reps need to put the time into really learning the existing dynamics of an industry, then go deeper. As they advance understanding, they’ll be able to have more intelligent conversations, which enhances the perceived value of their exchange, and will make their solution more appealing to a prospect.

8. Be a Go-To Resource or Thought Leader

Similar to the previous idea of being an expert in a field is to also be a resource machine. 

Sometimes, sales prospecting starts off with a light touch or a less pitch-oriented outreach. 

This can work well in enterprise sales or any practice where there can be lengthy deal cycles, etc. Reps should consider sending salient resources, both physical and digital, and regularly interacting with and contributing to thought leadership content.

9. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Proximity

Used to be, a rep had a single shot with a prospect. It was an in-person meeting, hard-won by successful prospecting, and it was their all-in pitch. The internet has changed this. A rep can show up a lot of times, in a lot of feeds, and in ways that far outlast the time it takes to write, like, comment, or shoot a message out. 

“Showing up” in online or physical places NEAR a prospect is a powerful play. It shouldn’t be underestimated, because it creates proximity or closeness to industry leaders. Being in the right place at the right time many times over makes a rep more memorable for future exchanges.

10. Know the Product

Inside, outside, upside-down. This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes ASLAN will be brought in to do sales training and realize: reps actually need product training. Especially in complex industries (like tech or healthcare), reps need to continuously improve and update their product knowledge. It would be so unfortunate to get in a room and fumble at that stage. Keep them sharp so describing what they’re selling is the easy part.

11. Memorize Lead Qualifiers

In the vast world of sales prospecting, and all possible people to pursue, reps need to get better and better at weeding out the ones that aren’t worth their time. The more they can hone these powers of observation and discernment, the better. Sales leaders, managers, and coaches should equip them with lead qualification factors and then constantly coach reps on how to identify through a typical prospecting process.

Teach Sales Prospecting

Want to be better equipped to teach these and other best practices in sales prospecting?

ASLAN helps sales leaders, learning leaders, and more excel at empowering reps to succeed. Connect with us anytime to learn more.

Up next: Reps can do a lot of things right. They can also do a lot of things wrong.

To keep this learning train rolling, read this next: 4 Sales Prospecting Methods to Stop Using Today