Outreach phone prospecting suggestions to help you get started
Outreach prospecting by phone is pretty simple to set up.
That's because you don't need a big list or the latest whiz bang software program.
Just an idea of what you want to accomplish with each list of prospects you want contacted.
To get you thinking how this could work here are some suggestions:
Start with any leads you already have on the books...but need them cleaned up and qualified so that your data is accurate and up-to-date.
This is probably your best list and will produce the biggest bounce for any outreach calls since these prospects already have an idea of what you do and are familiar with your services.
But for whatever the reason you never find time to do this yourself so these leads just stay idle and nothing much happens with them.
We just need to follow-up with them and show them you value their business and want to help them with any projects they may need.
Try these outreach phone prospecting suggestions.
Organize your prospects into three categories:
- A. reachable prospects during day
- B. reachable prospects after hours
- C. reachable only during day and only via gate-keeper
C above I generally avoid--- more productive to work A and B.
Voice mail or leaving messages with gate-keepers I have found ineffective on first calls to new prospects.
Q: What goals are realistic for outreach qualifying calls?
A: Forget phone prospecting for appointments.
Effective outreach phone prospecing is about qualifying prospects for future contacts.
You are calling to get information -- NOT to book an appointment!
That means finding out if your prospect qualifies being added to the front end of your sales funnel.
Picture a crowded room.
Your goal: find the folks interested --- more or less --- in what you offer.
How to do it? Ask for a show of hands.
There, that's the goal of your cold call ---
- finding the right prospects
- separating them from the crowd
- qualifying their interest level
My goodness --- now you have three goals!
Also, view each call as a means for fine tuning your prospect database.
Recommended reading:
100 Best Business Development Books of All Time
Seven Must read classic business books
Forbes: New Rules for Prospecting In The Age of The Customer
Also: Harvard Business Review reports on benefits of cold call lead development.
From Harvard Business School On-line: This On-line learning course sounds interesting