Prospecting — finding and reaching potential customers — is the engine of sales and the core of every entry-level (SDR/BDR) role. Master it and you're immediately employable and set up to progress.
Start with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Don't sell to everyone. Define your ICP: the type of company/person who most needs what you sell and gets the most value (industry, size, role, pain points). Targeting your ICP makes every other activity far more effective.
Inbound vs outbound
- Inbound — leads come to you (marketing, content, referrals, website enquiries). Warmer, but you don't control volume.
- Outbound — you reach out proactively (calls, emails, LinkedIn). You control the volume — vital when you need pipeline. The best salespeople do both and never rely solely on inbound.
Effective outreach
- Personalise & research — reference something specific about them; generic blasts get ignored.
- Lead with their problem/value, not your product features.
- Be concise and human — a clear, short message with one easy call to action.
- Multi-touch, multi-channel — most replies come after several polite touches across email, phone and LinkedIn. Persistence (not pestering) wins.
- Track everything in the CRM.
Qualifying leads
Not every lead is worth your time. Qualify early using a framework:
- BANT — Budget, Authority, Need, Timing.
- MEDDIC (complex B2B) — Metrics, Economic buyer, Decision criteria, Decision process, Identify pain, Champion. Qualifying protects your time and keeps your pipeline healthy — it's fine (and smart) to disqualify a poor-fit lead.
Activity and consistency
Prospecting is a numbers and quality game. Set and hit daily activity targets (calls/emails/connects), because consistent leading activity is what fills the funnel.
Put it to work
Write a two-line, personalised outreach opener for a company that fits an ICP you choose. Then try the discovery call lab.