Three Tips for Building the Perfect Prospect List

Having a powerful prospecting list is one of the most critical foundations to being successful in sales. Initially developing that powerful list can be difficult, and, if not done properly, can lead to a dramatic decline or shortcoming in your sales.

Here are three tips for building the perfect prospect list.

#1. Create your own niche. So often people are spreading themselves thin by calling on any prospect that they come across. Become very clear on the exact type of prospect you are looking to reach. Be specific about industries; be specific about revenues that they bring in; be specific about the title of the person you are looking to call on. Become very niched in exactly who you are seeking out as a prospect.

#2. Only call on high level decision makers. Salespeople are often much more comfortable calling on low level prospects when it comes to prospecting. The problem here is that only the higher level people within an organization can actually make a buying decision. So don’t call low, but rather, call high when you are developing that prospecting list.

Be sure that the titles of the prospects on your list indicate a very high level status in the company–people who can easily and immediately make a buying decision.

#3. Use a list company to fill in the blanks. Companies like Data.com or Hoovers.com are places where you can buy lists of prospects. In particular you can use the wealth of information that they have to fill in the blanks on the prospects you’re willing to reach.

By blanks I mean phone numbers, email addresses and a particular contact with a particular title within an organization. Use these list companies which, for a sales organization, are ultimately a small investment for filling in those holes; this way you are calling on exactly who you need to reach.

Be picky and choosy about who you prospect; this will quickly pay off. By implementing these three tips to build the perfect prospect list, you can now make your prospecting activities and time spent finding prospects as efficient as possible, ultimately increasing your sales. Which of these three tips did you find most useful? Please share below in the comments.

Marc Wayshak is a Motivational Sales Speaker, a Sales Keynote Speaker,
a Boston Motivational Speaker and a Sales Management Speaker