Sales prospecting strategies for success

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Sales Prospecting

Sales prospecting is the first and most important step in the sales process, as it involves identifying and contacting prospective customers. We define prospecting as the identification and gathering of potential customers. This sales prospecting definition covers a multitude of activities, including identifying what demographics your product appeals to, gathering data on prospective customers, and creating marketing plans that most appeal to those customers. So, it is difficult to concisely answer the question “what is prospecting in sales” because the process will look different depending on a company’s industry, size, and renown. It will typically include a multitude of activities such as cold calls, emails, surveys, social media marketing and analysis, and more.

Unsurprisingly, sales prospecting is often the most difficult and time-consuming part of the sales process. According to Hubspot, more than 40% of salespeople say that sales prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process. It takes an average of 18 calls to actually connect with a buyer, and only 24% of sales emails are ever opened. So how can salespeople more effectively connect with customers?

One method is through video. Approximately 7 in 10 B2B buyers watch a video at some point during the buying process. So, including video in your sales prospecting materials is a proven way to attract more buyers. We will go over how to include video in sales prospecting a little further down in this article, but first, let’s go over the most common sales prospecting methods.

Five Common Sales Prospecting Methods

The five most common sales prospecting methods are as follows:

• Phone calls: Cold calling is still a common prospecting strategy, though it is used less now than it used to be. Cold calling involves calling phone numbers without previous contact. When cold calling, salespeople typically call hundreds of numbers a day, giving the same pitch to try to catch interest. However, cold calls don’t see much success since they are less personal and more invasive than other prospecting strategies.
• Social selling: Social selling uses social media to connect with prospective clients. Sales professionals post content on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to attract engagement, such as shares and likes. Higher engagement means more prospective customers notice your content. The main goal is for sales professionals to become influential on social media and spread brand awareness.
• Attending events and networking: One of the simplest ways to prospect is through events (either in-person or online) and networking. Marketing and selling face-to-face lets you adjust your sales pitch for your audience. You can also use body language, facial gestures, demos, etc. to enhance your pitch. Be sure to research your target audience ahead of time!
• Asking current customers for referrals: Current customers are a great prospecting resource. They have inside information on what it’s like to use your product and how it appeals to consumers. Current customers are also more likely to give better prospecting referrals since they know the referee personally and know what they want. Use your loyal customer base to get better prospects and optimize the sales prospecting process.
• Email: Email is among the most popular B2B prospecting methods. You can send out thousands of emails with just one click, allowing you to reach more prospects in less time. However, email is also one of the least personal ways to contact prospects, as they can’t even see your face or hear your voice. This is why video email is gaining relevance as a prospecting method. With video email, you can send more personal messages that stand out in your prospect’s inbox.

The best sales prospecting plan combines several of the above methods to maximize reach and accessibility. Different demographics are easier to reach using different methods, so be sure to research your audience before picking out which methods to implement into your larger sales prospecting strategy.

The Best Sales Prospecting Tools

There are many B2B prospecting tools available that fulfill a variety of needs–lead generation, automated messaging, etc. However, we think the best B2B sales prospecting software is the video email platform Covideo. Covideo lets you record and send video emails to clients. As discussed above, video email is a top B2B prospecting tool because it makes the sales process more personal and unique. Personalized video email helps you stand out to consumers because they know they’re interacting with a human being who is conscious of their unique needs. Video email also lets you use more than just words to communicate–you can deliver your sales pitch with hand gestures, eye contact, and the proper tone of voice, thus minimizing misunderstandings.

Covideo also offers additional features that help with the sales process. You can add call-to-actions at the bottom of your video so that prospects can schedule a meeting or demo, sign up for a Start a free trial, or redirect to a site with more information directly after viewing the video. Covideo also lets prospects reply with video even if they don’t have a Covideo account. And once you’re done with the sales process, you can send a “thank you” video to your new client to express your appreciation and make them feel welcome as they begin their journey with your product or service.

Overall, Covideo increases response rates with video email, keeps prospects engaged, shortens sales cycles, and makes it easier to pass clients to a new department once the sales cycle is over. It is no surprise that sales teams find greater success with Covideo!

How To Prospect for Sales

Let’s go over some of the best practices in sales prospecting using Covideo. Use these B2B prospecting tips while composing a video email to increase your response rate and attract more prospects:

• Use “video” in the subject line: Including the word “video” in your subject line increases open rates by 19%.

• Keep videos short: Nobody wants to watch a lengthy spiel at the beginning of the sales process. Keep your videos short and sweet–introduce yourself and explain why you’re reaching out, then invite them to reply. Your videos don’t need to be perfect, but they should be authentic!

• Personalization: Add a touch of personalization to your email to make it stand out and make your prospect feel more comfortable. We recommend that you use a whiteboard or piece of paper with your prospect’s name on it and show it at the start of the video when you say “hi”.

• Use an Animated GIF: You can set your video to show as an animated GIF in the email. This will intrigue your recipient, increasing the likelihood that they click on and watch the full video.

• Include CTAs: Be sure to both mention the next steps in your video and use Covideo’s clickable CTA buttons on your video landing page to direct your prospect to take action. Guide your prospect to click on the CTA to continue the sales process.

For more sales prospecting email examples, contact Covideo! We can show you how to best use the platform to improve your sales process, beginning with  a free trial.

A Prospecting Strategy for Enterprise Sales

Video email can also be used for both inbound and outbound prospecting to and from enterprises. What is enterprise sales and how does it differ from regular sales? To put it simply, enterprise sales is a longer process that involves the procurement of large contracts. Enterprise sales cycles are typically longer, involve more contacts, and are higher risk. As such, you may need a separate enterprise sales strategy when engaging in larger contracts.

Covideo can help during enterprise sales prospecting too. You can use Covideo’s screen record with webcam feature to demonstrate products or help with product issues for both prospective clients and internal team members. And since you can record videos from within Gmail and Outlook with Covideo, you can resolve issues and reply to queries quickly and succinctly.

Covideo is also helpful for marketing to enterprise customers. If you’re trying to attract an enterprise customer and beat the competition, then you need to stand out from the crowd. Personalized video email is the quickest way to catch the attention of an enterprise employee with a crowded inbox. Covideo’s CTAs also help keep the sales process moving with enterprise clients, who value efficiency and quick response times. This is especially important while many businesses work remotely and in-person meetings are more difficult to schedule. Keep up the same personal rapport with your business clients using a video email!

Makes Your Sales Prospecting More Effective Today!

Now that you’ve learned all about prospecting best practices, you’re ready to improve your lead prospecting strategy. Remember that the most effective sales prospecting plans use multiple techniques to achieve maximum results. Pair phone calls, social selling, and networking with video email to reach the widest possible audience, generate more leads, and close more deals.

If you’re looking for free sales prospecting tools to help you get started, try Covideo for free today. Get instant access to Covideo’s software and try video prospecting completely with free trial, no credit card or payment information necessary and no strings attached. We believe that once you see for yourself how effective and efficient video prospecting is, you’ll never go back!