How To Build The Ultimate Sales Prospecting List In Just 8 Steps
Learn to build a high-quality sales prospecting list in 8 easy steps. Boost your sales pipeline and close more deals.
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Finding the right prospects can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Even with an abundance of information available on the Internet, honing in on the right decision-makers for your business can be challenging. That's why many sales reps, even experienced ones, struggle with B2B sales prospecting. Thankfully, there's a way to simplify the process: building a sales prospecting list. This article will discuss creating the ultimate sales prospecting list to make your prospecting efforts more efficient and effective.
Aomni's website technology checker can help you identify which technologies your prospects are using. This information can help you personalize your outreach and connect with your prospects more meaningfully.
What is a Sales Prospecting List?
Prospecting lists are lists of potential customers, usually in the form of datasheets, used to establish the first customer contact and guide each lead through the qualification process. These lists develop a solid client base, actively reach out to potential customers, and look for ways to build professional relationships. Once sales reps establish contact with prospects, they’re qualified and turned into leads.
Good quality data is vital for prospecting lists since it can help prioritize prospects and ensure the lead and contact data are current. This means that sales teams are only reaching out to active prospects.
The Power of Sales Prospecting Lists: How Targeted Outreach and Data-Driven Strategies Drive Conversions
You can generate data to help your sales team find leads and make sales by building and maintaining good prospecting lists.
Creating a sales prospecting list is essential for outbound sales development for many reasons, including:
- More targeted outreach: A prospecting list allows you to target specific buyer personas within your target market, improving the chances of resonating with decision-makers, securing more sales meetings, and generating more revenue.
- Increased efficiency: Building a prospecting list empowers you to prioritize your outreach efforts and save time on leads likely to convert into customers. This allows your SDRs to focus on building relationships and finding high-converting leads.
- More qualified leads: A prospecting list allows you to gather more information on potential leads, like their industry, job titles, and pain points. This information can help you tailor your sales messaging to their (and your business’s) needs.
- Improved customer relationship management: Tracking prospects in a list format allows you to build and maintain better relationships with them in the long run because you have an organized way to follow up with the right leads at the right time.
How Do Companies Get Prospecting Lists?
3 Powerful Ways to Build Your B2B Prospecting List
1. Browsing the Web to Find Prospects
Prospecting lists start with research. One way to find leads for your sales prospecting list is to browse the web. This method works best when you have some specifics in mind. You’ve probably got at least a few companies you’d like to snag on your radar. Maybe you just read about them on Forbes or saw on Tech Crunch that they’ve had a recent funding round.
Well, head on over to their website. Most company websites don’t give you more than a few crumbs about how to contact them, and they’re not super helpful for prospecting–just an info@ email address or an HQ phone number.
2. Using LinkedIn to Build Your Prospecting List
LinkedIn is everyone’s favorite way to spot new potential prospects, right? There are a few ways you can use LinkedIn for sales prospecting. One way is to look through the comment section of popular posts to find people discussing needing a solution like yours. Another method is to look at “People Also Viewed” in the sidebar for the profile of your star customer to find prospects just like them.
3. Use a Sales Intelligence Tool for Prospecting
This is one of the most common ways to build your prospecting list, and for good reason. There is no need to roam the internet when you can use one direct platform like a search engine that lets you find your ideal buyer utilizing a host of valuable filters.
If you’re like most salespeople, you want to build a list of thousands of prospects (and, of course, a way to contact them) as fast as you can. There are tons of sales intelligence tools out there that can help you do that; take your pick. Of course, some of them will fit your needs better than others.
Manual vs. Automatic Sales Prospect List Building
So, you can manually build a sales prospecting list by researching LinkedIn profiles, scanning business directories, or collecting event contact details. While this gives your sales team control over who makes it onto the list, the process is time-consuming and error-prone. It’s also hard to scale because it's taking sales reps away from more critical tasks.
On the other hand, automating prospecting with sales intelligence tools like Aomni is a win-win: it saves time, reduces errors, and scales quickly by pulling in real-time data. If you want better results with less effort, using the prospecting tools is the way to go.
Revolutionize Your B2B Sales Strategy with Aomni's AI-Powered Platform
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
How Aomni's AI-Powered Sales Tools Help Sales Professionals Close Bigger Deals and Accelerate Career Growth
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
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What's Included In A Sales Prospecting List
Contact Information: The Bedrock of Your Sales Prospecting List
Accurate contact details are the cornerstone of your list. This should include the following:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- LinkedIn profile
- Other relevant social media links
Having complete and updated information ensures your team can reach prospects efficiently without unnecessary delays.
Company Information: Understanding Your Prospects' Businesses
Understanding the prospect's company allows for tailored communication. Key details to include:
- Company name
- Industry or sector
- Company size (number of employees or revenue)
- Geographic location
This context enables personalized messaging that resonates with the prospect’s business environment.
Job Title and Role: Targeting the Right Decision-Makers
Knowing the prospect’s position helps target decision-makers or key influencers. Include:
- Job title
- Department or team
- Role-specific responsibilities
Focusing on the right individuals maximizes the impact of your outreach efforts.
Pain Points and Challenges: Documenting Your Prospects' Needs
A list that includes documented pain points adds depth to your outreach strategy. Sources for this information can include:
- Industry trends
- Specific challenges identified during previous interactions
- Any public information about the company’s struggles
This lets your sales team position your solution as a direct response to the prospect's needs.
Purchase History: Analyzing Existing Customers or Leads
For prospects who are existing customers or have engaged with your business before, include:
- Past purchases or service engagements
- Frequency and value of transactions
- Product or service preferences
This data helps tailor follow-up strategies, such as upselling or cross-selling.
Engagement History: Tracking Previous Interactions
Tracking previous touchpoints gives your team insight into the prospect’s level of interest and engagement. Include:
- Emails opened or ignored
- Links clicked
- Webinars attended or content downloaded
- Notes from prior meetings or calls.
A well-documented engagement history allows for context-rich interactions.
Lead Scoring: Prioritizing Your Prospecting Efforts
Assigning a score to each prospect based on their fit and interest helps prioritize outreach. Factors for scoring might include:
- Alignment with your ideal customer profile (ICP)
- Level of activity (e.g., frequent website visits or event participation)
- Likelihood of conversion based on historical data
Lead scoring ensures that your sales team focuses efforts where they are most likely to yield results.
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How To Build The Ultimate Sales Prospecting List In Just 8 Steps
1. Know Your Product
It is crucial to understand what you’re selling indeed. You’ve got to know precisely how your product helps solve customer problems. This knowledge will naturally lead you to determine your ideal customers. Take a moment to think about your best customers. Who are they, and what do they love about your product?
It’s also essential to go deeper than just the basics of your product. Explore use cases, listen to Gong calls, and dig into success stories. When you know your product inside and out, it won’t just make you a better salesperson. It will also give you a clearer picture of why customers buy.
2. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile
The second step in building your prospect list is to define your ICP. An ICP offers a broad strategic overview of the types of companies that would benefit most from your business. It outlines the general characteristics that define your target audience, helping you pinpoint the leading market segments you want to pursue, such as:
- Industry
- Company size
- Revenue
When creating an ICP, consider the following:
- Industry
- Company size
- Location
- Revenue factors
Refining Your Prospecting Strategy: Identifying the Key Attributes of Ideal Companies
But don’t stop there. Think about the finer details that make a company a perfect match.
- What stage of growth are they in?
- What challenges are they facing?
- What technology are they using, and what’s their company culture like?
The more specific you can get, the better your prospecting will be, helping you focus on companies that are the best fit and most likely to become long-term, happy customers.
3. Develop Buyer Personas
After defining your ICP, the next step is to create detailed buyer personas. A buyer persona represents the people within those companies who make purchasing decisions. It involves creating detailed, fictional profiles of typical representatives from your ICP that capture the following:
- Traits
- Preferences
- Behaviors
Think about who these decision-makers are, their job titles, and their day-to-day responsibilities. What are their main pain points, goals, and challenges? A well-defined buyer persona will help you:
- Personalize your messaging
- Speaking directly to your prospects’ needs
- Concerns
- Aspirations
4. Use Data to Identify Prospects
Once you’ve prepared your ICP and buyer persona, it’s time to use data to find prospects. You may want to use tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, or similar platforms to gather data on potential prospects.
In doing so, look for companies and individuals that match your ICP and buyer personas. And don’t just stop at basic information. Instead, dig deeper to understand their current challenges and how your solution can help.
5. Segment Your List
Segmenting your sales prospecting list will allow you to tailor your outreach. You can deliver more personalized and relevant messages, increasing the likelihood of engagement. It’s a good idea to segment your list based on factors like:
- Industry
- Company size
- Location
6. Lead Scoring
The next step is to analyze and sort the leads you’ve collected. Lead scoring helps you identify and prioritize the most promising leads for your sales follow-up list. Lead scoring involves assigning numbers to your leads based on their likelihood to purchase, the size of their company, the potential value of the account, and other relevant factors.
7. Clean and Verify Your Data
Clean and verify your data regularly to remove the following:
- Duplicates
- Outdated information
- Irrelevant contacts
This will ensure your sales team isn’t wasting time on dead-end leads.
8. Use Automation Tools to Streamline the Process
Automation tools can streamline the process of building and maintaining a sales prospecting list. These tools allow you to automate repetitive tasks like:
- Data entry
- List segmentation
- Messages
- Follow-up emails
Sales Prospecting List And Compliance
Before you start building your list, we have to discuss data privacy. With consumer privacy at the forefront of everyone’s mind, governments have enacted laws and regulations that limit the collection, sale, and use of personal data for companies.
The GDPR applies to any organization that processes or holds the personal data of individuals residing in the European Union (EU). This law sets strict guidelines on collecting, storing, and using personal data, with hefty fines for non-compliance.
The Legal Risks of Non-Compliant Data Use in Marketing: Understanding CCPA and GDPR
Similarly, if you operate in California, the CCPA grants consumers certain rights regarding their personal information, including the right to know what personal data you’re collecting, the right to delete their data, and the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information.
Your organization may be at legal risk if the provider fails to process the collected data in compliance with regulations like GDPR or CCPA.
In fact, buying cold call lists or email lists from unreliable sources can be more trouble than they’re worth. For example, two companies were fined £180,000 for using incompliant prospecting data to make 48,000 marketing calls.
Get Explicit Consent Before Collecting Personal Data
Before collecting or processing personal data, ensure that you have obtained explicit consent from individuals. This means providing clear and transparent information about how you will use their data and offering them the choice to opt in or opt out.
Respect Opt-Out Requests
If a prospect requests to opt out of further communications or delete their data, it’s critical to respect and remove their request promptly. The last thing you want is to continue emailing someone who has opted out.
Limit Your Data Collection for Prospecting
Only collect personal data necessary for your prospecting efforts and avoid collecting excessive or irrelevant information. If you want more data points on your prospects, data enrichment services can provide additional prospect information without collecting it yourself.
Disclose Your Data Practices to Prospects
Be transparent about your data collection and processing practices. Provide clear and accessible privacy policies explaining how you handle personal data so your prospects are not surprised when you reach out.
Why Compliance Is Critical for Your Reputation
Complying with any regulations is not only legally responsible when building your prospect list, but it also ensures that your company maintains a good reputation among buyers.
Try Our Website Technology Checker for Free Today
Aomni is an AI agent platform designed specifically for B2B sales intelligence software. Our solution empowers enterprise and strategic account executives to execute account-based sales and marketing strategies with unprecedented efficiency and effectiveness. Our key features include:
- AI-powered prospect and account research
- Comprehensive account mapping and planning
- Data-driven sales strategy development
- Automated call preparation
- Personalized AI agents for sales optimization
- AI chat interface for streamlined sales processes
- AI-assisted Account Based Sales/Marketing campaign execution tool
Aomni addresses critical pain points for sales managers whose Account Executives, Account Managers, and Customer Success Managers must perform better and include quotas. By leveraging our advanced AI technology, sales professionals can significantly enhance their preparation for customer conversations, leading to the following:
- Larger deal closures
- Increased promotion opportunities
For individual sales professionals, Aomni provides the tools and insights needed to:
- Elevate their performance
- Close more substantial deals
- Accelerate career progression
Our platform transforms the way B2B sales teams operate, ensuring they enter every customer interaction:
- Fully prepared
- Strategically positioned for success
Try our sales intelligence software and our website technology checker for free today!
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