Prospecting is hard and time-consuming, but it’s something that has to be done right to get better results.
Here are five ways salespeople can find prospects fast and keep filling up their pipelines.
1- Twitter
The key to use Twitter for prospecting is having a list of the top keywords your target prospects care about (three or four should be fine). Then run Twitter searches to find people who are talking about those topics and reach out to them.
2- Blogs and Forums
Forum newsletters like GrowthHacker.com and related forums like Product Hunt can be a great way for prospecting.
These newsletters keep you updated about new companies and studies of different businesses that are doing well.
There are three benefits to subscribing to these newsletters:
- Learn more about new companies
- Learn about successful companies
- Stay up to date on industry trends and strategies
You can also meet new people in the same industry as you who are struggling with the same issues, you can learn from each other and share your experiences.
3- LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be a gold mine of prospects. LinkedIn groups are full of people looking for help.
Join relevant groups and help the community. While it wouldn’t be a good idea to go in and sell right off the bat, keep these individuals and companies on your list of prospects to monitor and engage with.
You can easily find people who match your buyer persona with the help of advanced search. Whether you search by location, the company they work at, their industry, or language they speak, it’s easy to find specific communities of people
4- CrunchBase
CrunchBase provides information on funding, company exits, and tech events. You can also search for companies in your ideal customer profile (ICP) and narrow search results to companies within your category.
5- Quora
Quora is a Q&A platform where users post questions, source answers, and upvote good responses from community members — giving these answers more visibility and authority.
As a best practice, follow other salespeople in your industry and buyers or clients you currently work with. View questions they’re asking and threads they’re currently involved in to get greater insight into other valuable channels to join.
You can find prospects by simply creating an account, following “channels” relevant to your industry, adding your own areas of expertise, and following other users then engage with them.