Making cold calls to leads who don't even know who you are and asking them to give you their hard-earned cash sounds like a reliable strategy, but sales prospecting strategies must evolve with the times.

Sales prospecting refers to the process of identifying potential prospects from your pool of leads and converting them into paying customers for your company. In comparison to lead generation, prospecting is more open and inviting and helps cultivate leads into paying customers.

It is essential to recognize high-quality leads that have the greatest percentage of conversions into paying customers before beginning the selling process. Otherwise, having ineffective sales prospecting strategies may result in the loss of thousands of prospects, who will then partner with your competitors who will almost certainly turn them into paying customers.

Improving your sales prospecting strategies in 2021 is critical for the growth of your business.

10 Sales Prospecting Strategies for 2021 and Beyond

In recent years, companies have found ways to change up their sales prospecting strategies that use in-depth research, social media, and tactics to identify the right prospects.

Research Your Customers Well

You might have an ideal customer profile, but do you have the data to prove it? It's a great idea to interview current clients to learn how they found your business, what problems they were facing, and why they decided to partner with you. You can use their buzzwords to assist you in translating their comments and challenges into relevant content.

It's important to consider the financial situation of potential customers and whether they are willing to accept your pricing. You can also seek out prospects who have recently invested in similar products or services to yours, so you can offer how your products or services are better than the competition.

Prioritize Your Warm Prospects

In order to get warm leads, you should first get people who are learning more about your product and services. If a buyer has already visited your pricing page twice and expressed a desire to purchase, they should be moved to the top of your list.

For most lead scoring systems, the easiest method is to review data from previous leads, along with other identifiers such as referral sources. You can target tacit actions, such as clicking a specific eBook on your website to measure their interest.

As a result, you will devote more time to only the best prospects, resulting in increased revenue. While you can continue working on bringing in cold leads, you're much better off focusing on your high-quality prospects.

Talk About Your Prospect’s Needs

Many companies have a variety of client personas, each with a unique set of requirements that will make you think that you know what they need. Modern-day sales don't work like that. Everyone has individual needs and educating them is essential.

Rather than pitching your services and talking about yourself, concentrate on helping prospects solve their problems and discussing topics that are meaningful to them. Tell your prospects how your product or service can benefit them and let them make the final decision. Give away free tools that can make your prospect's life easier if possible. This is your aim as you are attempting to find viable leads and move them down the sales funnel. Only later in the process does the selling begin.

Start A Referral Program

Most people are willing to give a referral for a job well done. A good recommendation from a friend or relative ranks higher than any digital marketing campaign. Customers trust recommendations from friends and relatives 92% more than advertising.

There may not even be a need to use traditional metrics such as testimonials and feedback if you have satisfied customers telling their network about you. Some may be so pleased that they come straight to you with their contacts who may be interested in your product or service.

You need to prepare a communication strategy that plans the times on which you will ask for referrals from a satisfied customer. You can also use emails to ask for referrals from customers and direct the customer to a landing page where he can fill out a referral form with relevant details. By doing so, you will eventually find more opportunities for your business.

Create Thought Leadership Content

Almost every business today uses the buzzword "thought leadership" to promote its products and services. However, when done correctly, it can help attract more prospects and establish your company’s authority in the industry.

Create unique, engaging content that highlights your experience in the industry and also provides value. SEO-friendly blog posts, guest blog posts, and social media marketing are all good ways to attract prospects.

This is the time to learn more about what makes your brand unique, as well as why the brand is better than your competitors. You can use quantitative studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of your product (use a third-party source for this) as the basis for a long-form article.

Getting endorsements from well-known figures in industry and adjacent sectors will help you create great thought leadership content. You can also talk to your company's top management to learn what they think about changing industry trends and the company's future.

Make Your Social Media Presence a Priority

You can find a lot of potential leads on social media. If done correctly, this can replace cold calling since customers will look for your company's social media presence before making a purchasing decision.

It is not difficult to increase website traffic by optimizing your social media profiles, sharing updates, and creating your online communities and groups. The aim of social networking is to be available to your prospects at all times, respond to their questions, and share valuable information with them, so that when they are ready to buy a product you will be the first thing that comes to mind.

You can engage directly with prospects by using LinkedIn. Your connections are already interested in your business, and you can use LinkedIn to filter through your contacts and quickly communicate with them.

The more popular you are on social media, the more your company will be seen as an industry leader and attract audiences, allowing you to generate more leads.

Use Videos For Outreach

Keeping a few videos on hand also reduces the level of work required each time you speak with a new lead. B2B companies have grown to appreciate videos in various phases of the sales process. You can send them early in the sales process to show how your product or service benefits them, and convey the message that you are interested in helping them. You can also send videos of customer testimonials or product demonstrations as you move your prospects along the sales process.

Personalize Your Emails

Out of all the social media trends and other technological developments cropping up every year, there's one thing you can always count on: emails. They can be used to identify your target audience on an individual level. But you're not the only one out there sending emails to warm up leads.

In order to stand out from your competitors in your leads' inboxes, write your emails in a way that feels tailored to leads. You can talk about their company's product announcement, compliment a recent LinkedIn post of theirs, or mention mutual connections in your emails. Focus on ways to connect with them and get them intrigued to talk to you.

Use Email Automation

Automation will also help you generate new leads and guide them through the sales funnel. This will help you close the deal. It helps you take the time you need to focus on your business. You can also try using sales prospecting tools to automate your outbound success rates. Business leaders have invested in accelerated automation as a result of the pandemic's effect on the market.

Automation doesn't mean sending generic emails or making calls without completing your homework. Look for an email campaign management platform with built-in prospect details that you can use to personalize and send out emails for a more personal approach.

Be Persistent and Follow Up

The best sales prospecting strategy will help you reach a vast number of people and raise awareness. However, there is still a lot of work to be done before the prospects become customers. Personalization is higher, but performance is also crucial.

Sales prospecting is not a one-time endeavor, but a continuous one. Set aside time each day to prospect. It does not end with the first phone call; you must be persistent with following up with prospects and reaching out to them.

Take Advantage of These New Sales Prospecting Strategies

Every year, study and update your sales prospecting strategies. Even though some of these sales prospecting strategies have been tried and tested, don’t forget that new challenges face us every year, and sales prospecting strategies need to change accordingly.

The other sales strategies are new but aren't simply trends. They’re here to stay. Keep up with the latest technological developments, and understand how sales prospecting is changing. With these strategies in mind, you can incorporate them into your strategy with no problem.