Customer Prospecting: what it is, how to do it and strategies
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:10 am
It may seem sensationalist, but it isn't. This is the word of someone who has actually experienced the market! In a survey, 42% of salespeople indicated prospecting for customers as the most difficult stage of the sales process.
After all, the scenario is becoming more challenging every day! Just to give you an idea, the customer acquisition cost (CAC) has increased by 60% in recent years, according to RD Station's Sales Panorama survey.
In this article, we will talk about the definition of customer prospecting, the types of prospecting practiced by the market, as well as the main strategies available.
What is customer prospecting?
Prospecting is the process by which companies identify email lists australia approach potential customers with the goal of converting them into paying customers. It is a crucial step in the sales funnel as it is the starting point for any growth strategy.
What are the types of prospecting?
Below, you will learn about the customer prospecting methods most used by sales teams in the Brazilian market:
Active or Outbound Prospecting
It is the process of actively seeking out customers and finding opportunities through direct contact with prospects who normally do not yet know your company.
This contact can occur in several ways:
phone calls (cold calls),
email (cold email) or
personal visits (door-to-door approach – PAP).
It is widely used in B2B (business-to-business) sales , as it allows you to approach the best leads and close sales with a higher ticket.
Passive Prospecting via Inbound Marketing
Passive prospecting is when customers find your company through rich content and materials offered by your company. Among the techniques used, the following stand out: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Content Marketing .
Prospecting for clients through referrals
It is the process by which current or former customers of a company are encouraged to refer new potential customers to their company. This can be done through referral programs, rewards offers, or simply by asking customers to refer friends or colleagues.
Prospecting customers through channels and affiliates
A business model where the affiliate promotes another company's products or services and, in return, receives a commission for the leads generated. This model is usually adopted by companies that offer digital products, such as online courses, ebooks, software and platforms, among others.
How does customer prospecting work?
We have prepared a brief guide with the basic steps required to carry out a customer prospecting process. Check it out:
Step 1: Define the Ideal Customer Profile – ICP
You can start this process by using your current customer base to identify the most common types of companies and segments that tend to bring in the most revenue and buy your product in the shortest amount of time. [+Learn how to define ICP in 3 steps]
Step 2: Analyze and calculate market size
By doing this calculation, you will discover the real number of existing prospects that can be effectively reached through active prospecting. You can do this analysis with [ Econodata's Free Market Calculator ].
Step 3: Speed up the list generation process
Say goodbye to creating manual lists in spreadsheets! After finding the size of your market and defining the ideal customer profile, make sure your team knows how to use the data prospecting platform to quickly prospect active companies. On the Econodata platform, for example, there are more than 23 million. [+What to consider when creating lists] .
Step 4: Segment prospecting lists
By accurately segmenting your leads, you will be ensuring greater productivity in your pre-sales work. Start by segmenting by:
Sector: the most commonly used criterion is the National Classification of Economic Activities – CNAE. Use the [ Free CNAE Consultation Tool ].
Region: choose criteria such as state, city, neighborhood, street and country zip code.
Size: try to segment small, medium and large companies by share capital, number of employees, estimated revenue, number of branches and type of company.
Advanced filters: when you choose a platform like Econodata , you have more than 60 advanced filters to search by keywords, type of company and branches, among others.
Step 5: Time to get your hands dirty
This is perhaps the most important part of the prospecting process. Once you’ve done all the planning, pay attention to the following questions that can make a difference in your approach:
Do a lot of research before approaching a potential client;
Personalize this approach, focusing on the needs and pain points of potential customers;
Prepare a prospecting cadence combining different channels such as telephone, email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, among others;
Ask your clients for referrals. When we approach a prospect who has been referred by someone they trust, the chances of success increase considerably;
Plan the follow-up, which consists of the process of monitoring and updating the direction of a negotiation, in addition to strengthening your relationship with the prospect.
After all, the scenario is becoming more challenging every day! Just to give you an idea, the customer acquisition cost (CAC) has increased by 60% in recent years, according to RD Station's Sales Panorama survey.
In this article, we will talk about the definition of customer prospecting, the types of prospecting practiced by the market, as well as the main strategies available.
What is customer prospecting?
Prospecting is the process by which companies identify email lists australia approach potential customers with the goal of converting them into paying customers. It is a crucial step in the sales funnel as it is the starting point for any growth strategy.
What are the types of prospecting?
Below, you will learn about the customer prospecting methods most used by sales teams in the Brazilian market:
Active or Outbound Prospecting
It is the process of actively seeking out customers and finding opportunities through direct contact with prospects who normally do not yet know your company.
This contact can occur in several ways:
phone calls (cold calls),
email (cold email) or
personal visits (door-to-door approach – PAP).
It is widely used in B2B (business-to-business) sales , as it allows you to approach the best leads and close sales with a higher ticket.
Passive Prospecting via Inbound Marketing
Passive prospecting is when customers find your company through rich content and materials offered by your company. Among the techniques used, the following stand out: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Content Marketing .
Prospecting for clients through referrals
It is the process by which current or former customers of a company are encouraged to refer new potential customers to their company. This can be done through referral programs, rewards offers, or simply by asking customers to refer friends or colleagues.
Prospecting customers through channels and affiliates
A business model where the affiliate promotes another company's products or services and, in return, receives a commission for the leads generated. This model is usually adopted by companies that offer digital products, such as online courses, ebooks, software and platforms, among others.
How does customer prospecting work?
We have prepared a brief guide with the basic steps required to carry out a customer prospecting process. Check it out:
Step 1: Define the Ideal Customer Profile – ICP
You can start this process by using your current customer base to identify the most common types of companies and segments that tend to bring in the most revenue and buy your product in the shortest amount of time. [+Learn how to define ICP in 3 steps]
Step 2: Analyze and calculate market size
By doing this calculation, you will discover the real number of existing prospects that can be effectively reached through active prospecting. You can do this analysis with [ Econodata's Free Market Calculator ].
Step 3: Speed up the list generation process
Say goodbye to creating manual lists in spreadsheets! After finding the size of your market and defining the ideal customer profile, make sure your team knows how to use the data prospecting platform to quickly prospect active companies. On the Econodata platform, for example, there are more than 23 million. [+What to consider when creating lists] .
Step 4: Segment prospecting lists
By accurately segmenting your leads, you will be ensuring greater productivity in your pre-sales work. Start by segmenting by:
Sector: the most commonly used criterion is the National Classification of Economic Activities – CNAE. Use the [ Free CNAE Consultation Tool ].
Region: choose criteria such as state, city, neighborhood, street and country zip code.
Size: try to segment small, medium and large companies by share capital, number of employees, estimated revenue, number of branches and type of company.
Advanced filters: when you choose a platform like Econodata , you have more than 60 advanced filters to search by keywords, type of company and branches, among others.
Step 5: Time to get your hands dirty
This is perhaps the most important part of the prospecting process. Once you’ve done all the planning, pay attention to the following questions that can make a difference in your approach:
Do a lot of research before approaching a potential client;
Personalize this approach, focusing on the needs and pain points of potential customers;
Prepare a prospecting cadence combining different channels such as telephone, email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, among others;
Ask your clients for referrals. When we approach a prospect who has been referred by someone they trust, the chances of success increase considerably;
Plan the follow-up, which consists of the process of monitoring and updating the direction of a negotiation, in addition to strengthening your relationship with the prospect.