Want to Be Successful Prospecting? Here’s What You Need to Do per Adam Snider, Ep #219

Do you have a plan for lead generation? Do you have an organized approach to prospecting? Have you developed the necessary skills to be successful with lead generation and prospecting? Adam Snider has a tried and true process that he follows wholeheartedly. Listen to this episode of Sales Reinvented as he shares some tips + strategies for salespeople to stay relevant and craft their approach. 

Adam Snider currently leads a B2B sales department, owns Leading Sales Results, is a Coach with The Sales Rebellion, and a Trainer with Quota International. He is also a frequent contributor to The Sales Expert Channel. Adam is passionate about changing the negative stereotypes of sales professionals. Don’t miss out on his 19+ years of experience. 

Outline of This Episode

• [1:00] The concept of prospecting and lead generation
• [1:39] Why both practices are essential to sales
• [2:25] Adam’s prospecting and lead generation process
• [5:20] Characteristics that make a salesperson great at lead gen
• [7:50] Top 3 lead generation + prospecting dos and don’ts
• [10:42] The importance of sharing a relevant message

Adam’s prospecting and lead gen process

Adam emphasizes that effective prospecting needs to start with a plan. Where are your leads coming from? Where are your customers? How will you find leads? How will you engage with your market?

Once you answer those questions, you need to organize your approach to generating leads. How do you plan to engage with potential customers on LinkedIn or other platforms and mediums? Perhaps you could target specific companies or contacts. Once you have an understanding of where your leads are, you should organize what Adam likes to call a “suspect list.”

Organize who you want to engage with. He recommends a list of a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 200 on your list at any given time. You want to feed the suspect list continually and continuously pull from it. Acclimate yourself with the companies and people, do your research.

Then you organize a daily prospecting plan. What prospecting are you going to do each day? You could make 50 calls on Monday, go to a networking event on Tuesday, or send target letters to C-level executives on Wednesday. Whatever you do, you need to set a plan and follow it.

Salespeople need to be inquisitive

Salespeople need to be tenacious. They need to learn to not take things personally. Some salespeople are born with traits such as extrovertedness, which is helpful. But you can also learn them. The #1 skillset Adam believes a salesperson needs is being inquisitive. 

Adam notes that before a military force storms enemy lines, they research and plan to increase the chance of success. If your only reason to call a potential customer is to talk to them about your product or service—do not speak to them. Get inquisitive and find out a reason to call besides selling yourself and your company.

Adam’s top 3 lead generation dos and don’ts

Adam shares some tips to help you improve your prospecting skills:

• Do it. Prospect, even if you’re not good at it. You’ll get better and you’ll increase your chance of success.
• Follow up with your prospects. Don’t write one email or leave one message. The more you become recognized by the person you’re trying to get in touch with, the better chance you have of connecting with them. 
• Do your research. Know who you’re calling, what they do, and what they oversee. What industry are they in? Who are their vendors? What about their competitors? 
• Don’t talk about yourself. Adam believes this so strongly that he created a t-shirt that says “Me, me, me—who cares.” Don’t make it about yourself. 
• Don’t be cocky. It comes from insecurity. Balance the insecurity you may feel with research and a reason to call. 
• Don’t give up. You will have bad calls, bad days, and bad door knocks. It’s a race of the tortoise—not the hare. You have to be persistent and tenacious. 

The importance of sharing a relevant message

Adam was coaching someone on his team who was struggling with prospecting. This person was doing all of the right activities. He was organized, tenacious, and worked hard to grow his pipeline. But he wasn’t getting results. So to diagnose the problem, Adam listened in on one of his sales calls. 

Adam noticed that the call was 100% salesy. His team member was even asked if it was a sales call, to which he sheepishly responded “yes.” Adam felt for him. Adam took the next call and ended up leaving a message. He believes you should always leave a message. If you don’t, what reason do they have to call back? 

The message he left was a relevant piece of information based on a regulation that came down in this person’s industry. He mentioned how the regulation would tie into the potential client’s business. He said he’d like to have a conversation about the plans they’re making based on this new regulation. Then he ended the voicemail. 

Adam was confident that the team member learned new skills. Even better, they got a call back. That rarely happens—even with a good voicemail. The moral of the story? Leaving something as impersonal as a voicemail—if it’s relevant to the listener—increases your chances of getting a call back.

Always remember: What do they want to hear? What’s important for customers? The relevance of your message is essential to your success. 

Resources & People Mentioned

• Quota International
• The Sales Experts Channel

Connect with Adam Snider

• Connect on LinkedIn
• Follow on Twitter

Connect With Paul Watts 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

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