If you are unable to find qualified leads, your lead list may not be refined enough. Simply developing a list of prospects that match your ideal customer profile carries obvious risks, including wasted time and money.
It's not enough to say, "I need real estate leads, let's target every hospital in France and contact every CEO." Such a list is far too broad . Even if you have the best LinkedIn and cold email messaging, you'll end up with qualified leads with such an imprecise prospecting list.
It is essential to target prospects who:
- Need what you sell,
- Have the budget to purchase your product or service,
- Are the right decision makers with purchasing power.
The only way to do this is to focus on creating a list of prospects who have a 90% chance of saying yes to your offer.
Unfortunately, many salespeople use the “shoot in all directions and hope they hit something” . They approach everyone, hoping to land a few meetings.
However, this method is risky . That's why we're going to explain how we build highly refined lead lists that guarantee at least one qualified lead per day. You can incorporate this strategy into your own prospecting efforts.
Examine the data
Start by analyzing your recent sales data to identify common characteristics of your previous customers. You need to determine what they have in common.
Ask yourself the following questions
- What type of healthcare company has purchased from you (hospitals, clinics, psychologists, veterinarians, health insurance, non-profit organizations)?
- How big are these companies (number of hospital beds, number of employees, annual turnover)?
- What services do these companies offer (day clinics, psychiatry, emergency services)?
- Where are these companies located (United States, Europe, less than 80 kilometers from New York)?
- What departments do they have within their structure (marketing, human resources, nursing directors)?
- What are the titles of the people who made the purchases?
Use data filters
Apply different filters to further refine your prospecting list . These filters may include:
- People-related filters (company size, department size, job title).
- Financial filters (turnover, financing).
- Temporal filters (company founding date, start-up status).
- Intent data (identify companies actively looking to buy your product or service).
- Hiring data (know if they are hiring for new job titles).
- Social media signals (e.g. number of followers on platforms like Facebook).
Analyze events
Identify “events” related to the companies on your list that you can track. These events may indicate a potential need or interest in your offering. Here are some examples of events and where to find them:
- Fundraising (Angel.co, Crunchbase).
- Acquisitions (TechCrunch, Angel.co).
- Hiring for new positions (Indeed.com).
- New advertising campaigns (SpyFu.com).
- New hires (LinkedIn Sales Navigator, company websites).
- Entry into new markets (various sources).
- Holidays and seasons (Google Calendar).
- Company anniversaries (LinkedIn, Who.is for the date the domain was acquired).
- Featured on platforms like Product Hunt.
- Bad employee reviews (glassdoor.com).
Consider the Attributes
On the other hand, attributes refer to specific characteristics of a company that might make it a good fit for your product or service . You can find these attributes in various places, such as:
- The size of the company (LinkedIn, Angel.co, Crunchbase).
- The company's turnover (LinkedIn).
- Office locations (LinkedIn, Google Maps, Yelp, Foursquare).
- CEO longevity (LinkedIn).
- The technologies used (BuiltWith, Datanyze, NerdyData, LinkedIn Sales Navigator).
- Website optimization for mobile (NerdyData).
- Advertising spending (SpyFu.com).
- Social media subscribers (Followerwonk).
- Website metrics (Alexa, SEMRush).
- Participation in webinars and downloading podcasts (various sources).
Being these steps, you can build a highly targeted and refined prospecting list adapted to your specific industry . This approach increases the probability of finding prospects that really need your product or service and likely to convert into qualified leads. This process can be time -consuming, but it is worth it to maximize your prospecting efforts . Consider this as an essential investment for your business.
By the way, this video is for you if you are looking to optimize your sales approach.
Why is this method crucial?
The method described above is crucial for several reasons. First, it helps you avoid the “shot-in-the-sky” strategy . Targeting all available prospects indiscriminately is inefficient and costly in terms of resources and time. On the other hand, by clearly identifying the characteristics of your previous customers, you can focus your efforts on highly qualified prospects .
Furthermore, this method allows you to maximize your success rate. By targeting companies that have recently experienced specific events, you can connect with them at the opportune moment. For example, a company that has just raised funds might be more open to new investments . Conversely, a company that has recently faced a public relations crisis might have an immediate need for repairs.
Finally, by considering business attributes, you can ensure that the ones on your list actually match your target market. For example, if you sell software solutions for large businesses, it is crucial to target large businesses with the budget for your products.
READ ALSO: Customer Prospecting: Definition, Methods and Implementation Steps
Accuracy takes time
Note that this process requires time and resources . Data must be carefully collected, sorted, and analyzed to ensure a prospect list . However, the time investment is worth it. A highly refined prospecting list can save you time and money in the long run because you're the most promising prospects . Additionally, it can significantly improve your conversion rates, which ultimately translates to sales growth .
A list tailored to your industry
This approach can be adapted to any industry. The fundamental principles remain the same, whether you work in healthcare, finance, technology, communications agencies… The main thing is to analyze your data, identify relevant events, and take into account specific attributes to your domain.
Every Thursday at 6 p.m., we offer to answer all your questions about modern prospecting and show you how Magileads can radically transform your Marketing and Sales results.
You want to know more, contact us >>
