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 prospects, let's target all the hospitals in France and contact all the CEOs." » Such a list is far too vast . Even if you have the best messaging for LinkedIn and cold emails, you'll still have 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 to hit something” . They reach out to everyone, hoping to land a few appointments.

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 businesses on your list that you can track. These events can 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).
• Followers on social media (FollowerWonk).
• Website metrics (Alexa, SEMRush).
• Participating in webinars and downloading podcasts (various sources).

By following these steps, you can build a highly targeted and refined prospecting list tailored to your specific industry . This approach increases the likelihood of finding prospects who actually need your product or service and are likely to convert into qualified leads. This process can be time-consuming, but it's worth it to maximize your prospecting efforts . Consider this 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 “blind shot 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 .

In addition, this method allows you to maximize your success rate. By targeting businesses that have recently experienced specific events, you can connect with them at the appropriate time. For example, a company that has just raised funding might be more open to new investments . On the other hand, a company that recently faced a public relations crisis may be in immediate need of repair.

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 collected, sorted and analyzed carefully to ensure a refined 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 only most promising prospects . Additionally, it can significantly improve your conversion rates, which ultimately translates into 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 >>