We asked the best sales experts how they prospect and motivate teams to go outbound, and we pulled together the best 99 tips and prospecting resources. You'll learn how to organize your sales process for efficiency, self-brand to build trust, identify the right prospects, connect with the most elusive ones, and engage in memorable and remarkable ways. Get the full guide here: http://knowledge.radiusintel.com/99prospectingtips/

3. Plan your work and work your plan. You
can’t take a fishing boat out and just
expect fish to jump into the boat.
@rbarsi
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4. Attract your audience. If a prospect hears
your voicemail or receives your email, they
may Google your name. Are you worth the
search?
@rbarsi
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5. Set up alerts for internal changes, such as
senior executive movement, acquisition,
divestiture, funding, credit status changes,
etc.
@dandade
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6. Do your research; you don’t want to sound like
any other schlep calling and interrupting their
day. Make sure to learn enough about their
business to articulate why you feel you can help.
@craig_ferrara
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7. Figuring out the best time of day to call changes
from vertical to vertical. You have to be
comfortable making several attempts at finding
the time to catch someone who’s in the office.
Getting an email address is helpful, but
understand that you may not get a reply until
much later in the day when they actually have a
second to sit down.
@chris_snell
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8. Are your customers gaining or sinking in
popularity? Foursquare check-ins and other
social indicators can be an easy way to
determine customer loyalty and interest.
@darian314
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9. When preparing your call script, think: you are 1
of 100s of salespeople calling this prospect.
What would make them want to call you back?
Craig Kaplan
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10. Stop writing emails that look like novels:
http://three.sentenc.es/
@rbarsi
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11. Decision makers that are SMBs are rarely sitting
waiting for a sales call; email is VERY important.
Always email first to let them know you’re going
to call. If you don’t get through email again, give
them a day and then call.
@davepolitis
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12. Know your prospects’ communication
preferences. Keep record of those preferences
and stick to them. Don’t keep emailing a
prospect that only answers your phone calls.
@johnsjawn
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13. Send your prospects handwritten birthday cards
– the old-fashioned way.
@barbaragiamanco
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14. Stop talking about your offerings. They’re not
interested in what you do; only what you can do
for them. There’s a big difference.
@mike_weinberg
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15. Offer something of value for nothing in return.
Rather than ask for a meeting, offer an
assessment or audit.
@heinzmarketing
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16. 5 before 9 and 9 after 5: extra calls to be made
to keep the funnel fat.
craig kaplan
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17. Prospects are not leads, clicks, or impressions;
they’re people and businesses. Get over your
own internal metrics and listen.
@kennymadden1973
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18. You’re not perfect for everyone. You may have
the best solution since sliced bread, but if it
doesn’t fit how a prospect does business, it
won’t fit. It’s nothing personal, it just doesn’t fit.
@kennymadden1973
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19. WOM is important. If you leave a bad taste in a
prospect’s mouth, more than likely LOTS of
people will know – quickly. On the flip side, if
you do something right, they will praise you with
accolades in front of many others. Word-of-
mouth is huge.
@kennymadden1973
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20. When it’s scheduled prospecting time, do
nothing else but prospect. Everything else can
wait.
@shawn_naggiar
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21. Follow your prospects on Twitter and watch for
appropriate ways to engage.
@barbaragiamanco
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22. Without a doubt, the best time to get a hold of
the hard-to-reach person is between :58 and
:02 each hour.
@thesaleshunter
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23. Don’t simply cold call. Do research in LinkedIn,
on the prospect’s website, in groups or other
discussions in which they are involved and on
any other press.
@dandade
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24. Connect with prospects who view your profile.
On LinkedIn, you can see who has viewed
your profile. When a prospect views your
profile, offer to connect. When you’re
connected, they’ll see your Activity Feed, and
you can track their activity.
@james_t_shanks
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25. Apply apps like Outlook’s Delay Delivery,
Boomerang, or ToutAPP to send your
messages on Sundays. It appears that you’re
working hard on the weekend and it catches
prospects in a relaxed environment.
@rbarsi
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26. If someone has been ignoring your cold-calling
for 5 years, THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED.
@kennymadden1973
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27. Uncover the decision-making process
(including the budgeting process) during the
prospecting phase of the selling cycle. This
helps you validate authority.
@dandade
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28. Hone your pitch: know the value that you offer
and find ways to engage potential buyers
through adding value for them – not from
selling your stuff.
@scoremoresales
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29. Don’t sell; help others buy. The buyer-centric
approach assures you speak in terms relevant
to real problems. Buyers don’t care about your
product. They care about solving their
problems.
@jill_rowley
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30. Build relationships. As with all sales, people
purchase based on emotion and likability. This
means you need to be open, honest and full of
integrity in your discussions and negotiations
with them.
@sandyrgans
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