How to Prospect Today

Sales pros live in one of two states, Bradley Hartmann says. They are either: 1) Prospecting, or 2) Avoiding prospecting.  

It has ever been so for reps, sales coaches like Hartmann say. But what’s different now is that there are more options than ever before for reps to work—and prosper—in prospecting mode.  

Employing artificial intelligence software, sales reps can create a tech-savvy assistant that can help them find and score leads. John B. Marshall, the former President and COO at Wilson Lumber, says there are numerous ways to put AI to work: 

• Pull data from permits, licenses, and directories to spot who is building. 
• Rank prospects based on who is most likely to buy. 
• Break down current customers into groups—framers, remodelers, and homeowners, for instance—and then identify non-customers in your market who have similar traits. 
• Draft emails or call scripts tailored to what a contractor is working on right now. 
• Write a series of e-mails that keep the drum beating even when you are busy pursuing other leads. 
• Flag when a builder pulls a permit or when a new development is announced, giving salespeople a better sense of when to reach out. 

A slightly older but still tech-oriented technique is to set up Google to search regularly for companies, people, and terms that could indicate activity worth following. Those alerts will save you the time of having to go through prospects’ websites daily. LinkedIn also is a good way to keep track of what people are doing. When you’re on the site, choose the “My Network” option at the top, go to “Catch Up,” and then click on “Job Changes.” 

Several of these ideas update long-used prospecting techniques, such as reviewing permit issuances and third-party real estate reports. Other old-time ideas include driving every block in a neighborhood and looking for projects under way that you hadn’t known, or were being done by builders you’ve never met. 

Whether old or new, all these techniques involve research. The more you know about people and projects, the better able you’ll be to perform your most valuable service: Finding solutions for the customer. “Solve people’s problems, and be honest, and you’ll always have more work than you can handle,” sales coach Brian McCauley says. 

Along with knowing about the prospect, what else matters? For numerous sales coaches, it’s the ability to leave a smooth, compelling voicemail message. This takes practice, but ultimately the personality you show and information you provide can help turn that cold call into a warm potentially productive conversation with a real human being. 

“Too many salespeople get stuck in “comfort zone” mode—servicing existing accounts while new opportunities pass them by,” sales coach Mike McDole says. “The truth is, if you’re not actively prospecting, you’re slowly losing ground. Customers move on, competitors move in, and market shifts leave you playing catch-up.”