5 Steps to Build the Ultimate Sales Prospect List

Success in sales depends on many factors – but the most important is the quality of your sales prospect list. 

Great sales prospect lists are the dream of every sales rep. The journey matters of course, but how can you start if you don’t have anything to begin with? The prospect list drives your purpose and allows you to set your future path. 

One would compare sales prospecting to casting a wide net in a vast ocean where the hopes of catching a sale is quite low. However, these practices have improved with time and sales leaders have learned to find their way around junk and hyper-target qualified prospects only.

Building a qualified B2B prospect list that will help you close faster is the key to success. However, how do you build an impressive list like that?

Building your own sales prospect list can be hard and time-consuming, but when done correctly, will become the best weapon in your arsenal to put you ahead of others. Here’s a compilation of 5 steps to build the ultimate sales prospect list that will help you close better.

Follow these 5 steps to build your ultimate sales prospect list

Step 1: Start with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the first choice for several sales professionals and B2B sellers around the world. A survey revealed top sellers use LinkedIn 3X more than other sources to build a highly targeted prospect list. 

You can use the ‘search’ tab of LinkedIn to find your targeted audience. View them in general or use the option of ‘filter’ to narrow down your list to specific companies, industries, locations, and connection levels.

There are many ways to reach out to the ones that qualify as your prospects. If a regular account is limiting you from connecting or communicating with interesting prospects, go for the premium account service by LinkedIn. You can also tap into exciting opportunities using the LinkedIn Sales Navigator tool built specifically for the same purpose.

Step 2: Use a contact management service

Tools like MailChimp and ConstantContact are popular names in sales prospecting. 

MailChimp is loved highly among sales professionals for its insights and easy-to-manage processes. From an all-in-one integrated marketing platform to a simple tool that can generate more leads for your business, MailChimp has many uses. On top of that, the service is available for Free for a contact list of 2000.

Bringing these and other similar tools into action can enhance your prospecting and create a quality list faster.

Step 3: Become a guest speaker

Just like influencers who drive traffic to websites, you can influence and attract prospects by speaking at webinars and events. 

Think about it – when you offer an expert opinion on something that a group of people are discussing, they are bound to follow your advice. 

Start this by getting truly involved in your domain and understanding it to its core. If you can offer insights that others can’t, you will lose no time in filling your list.

In other cases where you are not speaking at an event, but simply attending, ask guests if you can put their names on your list. 

Always remember – you need to keep earning the right to keep prospects’ names on your list. 

Step 4: Send out valuable information

This could be an email, newsletter, blog, white paper, or even constantly posting on social media.

If you are sending information about your products/services to a relevant audience, you will become the go-to person if the need arises for them. Staying relevant will keep you on top of their contact, making you easily approachable. 

Such informative engagements can also be used to send out invitations and links to webinars you are hosting.

Step 5: Send tailored messaging

The last piece of the puzzle is hyper-segmentation. This is where you try to build a list with higher intent. Do your final research and figure out if a prospect fits your list. Analyze your prospects via their social media profiles and company portfolios. You can also start monitoring their activity to find touchpoints that will help you establish a connection. 

Remember to cross off names that don’t match your list. Time spent in finding someone who is not suitable will act like a hurdle and prevent you from reaching the right prospects faster.