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What is B2B Prospecting: 7 Best Killer Methods for Success

Learn the top strategies, methods, and techniques for B2B prospecting. Enhance your approach to connect, engage, and convert potential leads successfully

Hadar Peretz

6 minute read

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Short answer

What is B2B Prospecting?

B2B prospecting is the process of identifying and reaching out to potential business customers to initiate and nurture relationships, with the aim of converting them into buying clients.

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Marketing vs. Sales (in B2B Prospecting)

We've pinpointed multiple elements highlighting their significance for B2B sales and marketing teams. These elements serve as a foundation for effective strategy and growth.

Marketing in B2B Prospecting

The process of identifying, researching, and targeting potential business clients to nurture their interest in a company's products or services.

5 basic elements of marketing in B2B prospecting:

Content creation to attract and educate potential leads.
Running targeted ad campaigns and automating Google Ads.
Hosting webinars or industry events.
Lead scoring to prioritize high-potential prospects.
Nurturing leads through email campaigns or other channels to make them sales-ready.

B2B Sales Prospecting

B2B sales prospecting is the direct outreach to potential business clients, after they have been identified and/or nurtured, with the aim of closing a deal.

5 basic elements of B2B sales prospecting:

Cold calling or emailing potential clients.
Setting up meetings or presentations.
Engaging and building relationships with decision-makers.
Qualifying leads to determine if they're a good fit for the product/service.
Following up on leads and addressing objections to close the deal.

5 Benefits of B2B Prospecting

B2B prospecting is your compass in the sea of customers, guiding you to focused growth, meaningful relationships, and proactive success.

Laser-Focused Targeting: Direct efforts at aligned companies, not in the dark.
Quality Over Quantity: Engage genuinely interested parties, not everyone.
Building Relationships: Start as problem solvers, not just salespeople.
Expanding Horizons: Explore new industries for opportunities.
Staying Ahead: Be proactive, not reactive, in the business race.

Actionable Tip: Define your ideal customer profile (ICP) and research prospects thoroughly for tailored approaches.

7 Proven Methods in B2B Prospecting

Mastering prospecting techniques is pivotal. These seven tried-and-true methods to ensure you're at the forefront of effective lead generation

1) Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

ABM flips traditional marketing on its head by targeting select accounts rather than a broad audience. It offers a higher ROI by aligning marketing efforts directly with sales targets.

Target Selection: Identify high-value accounts based on revenue potential and strategic fit.
Personalized Outreach: Design bespoke campaigns tailored specifically for these accounts.
Collaborative Approach: Ensure marketing and sales teams align on strategies and communication for each account.

2) LinkedIn Sales Prospecting

LinkedIn remains the premier platform for B2B networking and sales outreach. Harnessing its capabilities can open doors to valuable connections and leads.

Optimized Profiles: Ensure your company and individual profiles showcase expertise and value.
Engage with Content: Post, share, and comment on relevant industry content to increase visibility.
Sales Navigator: Use this tool to conduct advanced searches, scrape leads, and track interactions.

3) Content-Driven

Content remains king, and its ability to attract and educate potential leads is unparalleled. By delivering valuable insights, businesses can pull prospects into their sales funnel.

Quality Over Quantity: Focus on producing in-depth, high-value content like e-books, white papers, and webinars.
Promotion Strategy: Leverage email campaigns, social media, and paid advertising to boost content reach.
Lead Capture: Use landing pages with forms to collect lead information in exchange for content.

4) Predictive Analytics

The rapid advancements in AI offer an edge in sifting through data and predicting lead behavior. Embracing AI tools can exponentially improve lead quality and conversion rates.

Data Integration: Collate data from CRMs, marketing automation tools, and external databases.
Analyze Patterns: Use AI tools to identify patterns and predict which leads are most likely to convert.
Refine Outreach: Prioritize high-potential leads and customize outreach based on predictive insights.

5) Referral Programs

Word of mouth and trusted recommendations remain powerful tools in the B2B sphere. Referral programs tap into this by turning satisfied clients into brand advocates.

Incentivize Referrals: Offer discounts, exclusive content, or other incentives to current clients for referrals.
Streamlined Process: Make referring easy by using referral program software that provides templates, referral links, and dedicated platforms.
Acknowledge and Thank: Ensure every referral is acknowledged, and successes are celebrated.

6) Personalized Cold Outreach Automation

In the age of digital transformation, automating repetitive tasks has become a necessity. Cold email automation ensures consistent messaging while saving time and resources.

Segmentation: Group prospects based on industry, job role, or other relevant criteria.
Automated Sequences: Use platforms like Outreach.io or Reply.io to automate multi-touch outreach campaigns.
Personalization at Scale: Integrate personalization tokens to ensure messages resonate but maintain efficiency.
Personalized sales collateral: Nowadays you have tools like Storydoc that let you personalize the sales collateral you use in your prospecting campaigns at scale. Storydoc does this by integrating with your CRM and pulling the contact’s information from there into your collateral.

Here's an example of a great personalized sales deck used in B2B prospecting:

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7) Webinars & Virtual Events

Digital events provide a unique platform to connect, educate, and convert prospects on a global scale. Webinars and virtual events offer interactive experiences that can leave a lasting impression.

Hot Topics: Choose topics that address current challenges or innovations in your industry.
Promotion: Use email sending, social media, and partnerships to maximize attendance.
Follow-Up: Post-event, segment attendees based on engagement and follow up with tailored content or sales pitches.

How to Ensure Your Prospecting Strategy Is Working?

Consistently evaluating your strategy's effectiveness is crucial. Discover how to gauge its impact and make data-driven adjustments for optimal outcomes.

1) Define Your Metrics

Set Clear KPIs: Before implementing your strategy, know exactly what success looks like.
Example: If your goal is brand awareness, a KPI could be an increase in social media followers by 25% in 3 months.
Benchmark Against Competitors: Understand where your competition stands to set realistic goals.
Action: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to analyze competitors' performance.

2) Schedule Reviews

Consistency is Key: Don't wait for an end-of-year analysis. Check your progress regularly.
Action: Schedule monthly strategy review meetings.
Document Key Takeaways: After each review, list down the key insights.
Action: Maintain a shared document where team members can add their observations.

3) Seek Feedback

Ask and Listen: Get feedback from team members, stakeholders, and customers.
Pro Tip: Use surveys or feedback sessions for structured insights.
Implement a Feedback Loop: Ensure the feedback provided is acted upon and inform those who provided it about the changes made.
Action: Create a feedback tracker to monitor and act on received feedback.

4) Embrace Flexibility

Be Ready to Pivot: If a part of your strategy isn't yielding results, be prepared to adjust.
Example: If an ad campaign isn’t performing, consider altering the ad design or platform.
Scenario Planning: Regularly brainstorm potential changes in the market and have backup plans.
Action: Conduct bi-monthly scenario planning sessions.

5) Analyze Results

Dive into Data: Use analytical tools to measure your strategy's performance.
Action: Use tools like Google Analytics for digital strategies or customer feedback for product strategies.
AB Testing: Before finalizing a change, test variations to determine what works best.
Action: For digital campaigns, use platforms like Optimizely to perform A/B tests.

Check out this video for a walkthrough on monitoring performance using our analytics dashboard:

6) Celebrate Wins

Stay Positive: Every outcome is an opportunity to learn.
Guide: For every setback, identify at least one lesson or future action point.
Highlight Success Stories: Share wins with the team to boost morale and motivation.
Action: Organize a monthly "Wins Recap" meeting to discuss successes and celebrate achievements.

How Do You Prospect B2b Clients?

8 Tools to help you find B2B clients:

HubSpot CRM: Seamlessly integrates CRM with sales and marketing tools.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Offers targeted LinkedIn search and lead recommendations.
LeadFuze: Automates lead generation based on set criteria.
Clearbit: Enhances CRM with detailed lead data for targeted outreach.
Aircall: Manages and tracks team-based cloud phone calls. Various Aircall alternatives are available to suit different budgets.
Hunter.io: Finds email addresses associated with specific domains.
Clearout: Finds pre-verified B2B email addresses in bulk and collects email addresses and phone numbers from LinkedIn.
Storydoc: Integrates with CRM systems to create engaging, interactive email content for enhanced outreach

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Hadar Peretz

I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.

Table of contents

What is b2b prospecting? Marketing vs. Sales (in b2b prospecting) Why is b2b prospecting important? Proven methods in b2b prospecting How to ensure your strategy is working? How do you prospect b2b clients?

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