How to Prospect for Sales: A Simple Guide

Many times, when venturing into new territories or scouting out new opportunities, reps will have to begin at the beginning.

This means learning how to prospect for sales.

Even experienced reps can be spooked by the sales prospecting process. The idea of reaching out to total strangers (or almost strangers) and asking for a meeting or call taps into some spidey instincts. But reps need to do more than just be bold. There are endless nuances that impact sales prospecting and plenty of skills that can support success.

For any rep who wants to work on this for the first time, or rewire some best practices as a fresh start, here’s a simple guide.

Want more than simple? We have that too. Read The Complete Guide to Sales Prospecting

1. Do Some Prospecting Research

At least a little preparation should precede any active outreach.

You’ll have targets in mind based on the product or service you’re selling, which will tell you what companies you’re looking at (how big they are, in what industries, etc.). But when it comes to making contact with humans, you want to be sure to do the research there as well.

Create a list of what you’re looking for, or your ideal prospect profile:

• What is their role/job title?
• What do they care about/what are they concerned about?
• What are their behavioral habits (where are they active online? In the community? What are their causes?) Where are they likely to be available, online or in-person?
• What are some other interests you can gain clues about?

Putting together even a rough profile with these factors can help you have much more meaningful conversations once you reach out.

2. Sketch a Prospecting Plan

Now that you know who you want to meet: how are you going to do it? This is where your strategic thinking needs to inform tactics.

Identify ways you can meet your ideal prospect:

• In-person: in the community, at a trade show or industry event, through networking, etc.
• Online: on social media, in a private group, at a webinar or virtual event, etc.

The idea is that you start showing up in their circle. Even if all you’ve done is follow them on LinkedIn to start, it’s something. You showed up in a notification. You’re not an entirely unknown entity.

3. Write Your Emails, DMs, and Outreach Messages

If you’re just learning how to prospect for sales — or you’re rusty — don’t wing it. Take a few minutes and write out the core messaging you’re going to send out to these vetted prospects. Keep it brief and to the point. Make sure you include BIG IDEAS that are relevant to your prospect. Convey empathy. Connect. 

You’ll have this framework that you then adapt to every single outreach (don’t just copy + paste each time — personalize and contextualize it).

4. Reach Out (in an Other-Centered™ Way)

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, entered their ecosystem or at least understood where to find them, and crafted basic messaging, it’s time to push play. All the prelims lead to this moment. Cold outreach can be intimidating (and warm outreach can too). 

With a solid prospecting process, you won’t get stuck: just keep moving through these steps.

An Other-Centered™ Position is imperative as you consider not just how to make the initial call or email or DM, but how to nurture a prospect.

There are three elements to the OCP framework:

1. Their problem (what that person is thinking about/focused on right now)
2. The disruptive truth (an expert insight or something surprising that jolts them into attention)
3. Your proprietary benefit (what you/your solution can provide that’s unlike anything else)

More than anything, being other-centered is a mindset. There are misconceptions that reps need to just learn some social-emotional, negotiation, and communication skills and they’ll succeed. But at ASLAN, we train from mindset first. Because reps have to get rid of assumptions and approach prospects with an attitude of service. Otherwise, tension will escalate, the rep will get panicky and pushy, and everything fizzles.

5. Be Persistent and Patient

As we’ve talked through sales prospecting on the ASLAN blog recently, this has come up a few times:

Great prospecting strikes a balance between persistence and patience.

Yes, be a bulldog. Get in front of people: earn their attention and keep it.

But you also have to be discerning and know when it’s time to match pace with a decision-maker. It’s unwise to blow a deal because you couldn’t let things play out.

Great reps really fine-tune this skill of discernment, knowing when to lean in and when to step back so the prospect-turned-lead feels they’re in control.

Build Your Own Sales Skills for Successful Sales Prospecting

Sales prospecting is one of those unique things. Especially at serious B2B levels, the rep themselves is almost completely responsible for, well, repping the brand. How you approach this absolutely determines whether deals get off the ground.

Reps who take time cultivating their own personal branding, communication skills, and industry expertise will get farther. This is the personal/professional development that separates high performers from mediocre performers. 

The good news is it doesn’t require a specific sales personality type or acumen: anyone can learn to use the tools they have to become a more successful sales prospector.

If you are looking to uplevel your reps this year — or you are a rep wanting to recommend fresh sales training for you and your team — connect with ASLAN today.