Prospecting in 2022 looks nothing like the radio sales rooms I started in, but the fundamentals have not budged. The seller who hits a list consistently, in the right order, with the right message, still wins. On a recent Master Sales Series episode, I walked through the ten methods I actually use and teach, and this article is the written version for sellers who would rather read it twice than listen once.
1. The Virtual Face-to-Face Meeting
Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Crankwheel. Whatever tool you use, the virtual face to face is still one of the most effective prospecting formats we have. A few things I have learned:
- Drop the virtual backgrounds. They read as hiding something.
- Put a real background with a few personal touches. You become a human, not a robot.
- Do not stack meetings back to back. Leave space to think and follow up.
2. Email That Actually Gets Read
Email is still valuable, but only if you do it right. I get hundreds of generic pitches a week, and so do your prospects. The ones that work are short, personal, and lead with a reason the buyer should care. Think three sentences, not three paragraphs. For a deeper playbook on this, see my post on the 4 fastest ways sales reps burn leads.
3. Content That Does the Prospecting For You
When you publish valuable content consistently, your prospects come to you on their own time. Gary Vaynerchuk has been saying this for years. The line I repeat most is, make as much content as possible. We use platforms, but we also need to become platforms ourselves.
- White papers and articles
- Short videos and podcasts
- Infographics and quick-reference guides
- Education-based posts, not sales posts
4. Referrals From People You Already Serve
Referrals are the highest-trust prospecting channel you will ever have access to. They are also underused. Ask happy clients, former colleagues, and even vendors you like. For how I convert that advocacy into pipeline, see my post on converting leads with existing clients.
5. Cold Calling
I still love cold calling. Hardly anyone does it now, which is exactly why it works. A well-researched cold call is the modern equivalent of a handwritten letter. For a full breakdown, pair this with my piece on how I teach sales reps to master prospecting.
6. Target Company Contacts
Build a list of the exact companies you want to serve. Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Use your personal database. Sometimes buy a list. The intelligence you get online makes cold outreach ten times more effective than it used to be.
7. In-Person Events
CEOs and CFOs are scrutinizing event budgets more than ever, and with good reason. That said, when events are done right they are still worth every dollar. I went to Channel Partners in Vegas and Adology in Los Angeles. Both were packed. The gap from two years of no in-person meetings made the face time incredibly valuable.
8. Social Selling on LinkedIn
LinkedIn remains the best channel for B2B sellers, if you treat it as a place to teach, not a place to pitch. Share what you are learning. Engage with your customers’ posts. Comment with substance. Inbound comes naturally when you do this consistently.
9. Leveraging Your Personal Network
Former colleagues, classmates, people you met at the gym, people from old deals. These are assets. You never know when a relationship you built years ago will turn into a lead today. Stay in touch without an agenda.
10. Industry Partnerships
Align yourself with complementary vendors who are calling on the same buyer. When they close a deal, they can bring you in, and vice versa. Structured partner motions produce the most qualified pipeline I have ever seen.
Bonus: Timing Is Everything
I could not help adding an eleventh. Brendan King, my CEO at the time, used to say it best:
“People buy when they are ready.”
Our job is to keep a constant cadence of value in front of the prospect so we are the first call when that moment arrives.
If you are rebuilding your prospecting motion, do not try all ten at once. Pick the three your team is worst at and operationalize them this quarter. That is where the real growth lives.
Which of these ten is missing from your sales team’s playbook right now?