When starting in a new market, each seller should begin by researching their leads and Prospecting. Look for information about your target industry and market—research regarding the consumer persona. Relate them with your geographic radius.
Learning more can enable you to sift out lower-potential possibilities while helping you to find higher-potential ones. Consider firmographics and demographics while picking a business that suits your competence.
Researching can enable you to uncover plenty of possible customers. Moreover, when you know about them before you approach them, it will be helpful to establish a first impression.
Every seller now has the resources necessary to perform relevant research before a big call or meeting, thanks to social media and an array of new web services. Here are some of the tips that you can consider when researching prospective accounts.
Sleuth on social media
One cannot stress the relevance of social media in performing customer research. Even if there are several sites on the internet where you may discover bits and pieces about your lead, social media enables you to access a far greater variety of essential information in one location.
When looking for information on social media, there are a few essential considerations to consider.
A prospect’s participation in groups might reveal a great deal about their interests and attitudes. When performing research on LinkedIn, make a note of the groups that your target is a member of and the influencers they follow and are interested in.
While Twitter accounts tend to be a little more sparse than those on other social media platforms, you can still learn a lot from the conversations, mentions, and shares that your prospects make.
Every social networking site offers users a feature to discover standard connections. Make use of it. Identifying commonalities is a terrific method to create trust and stimulate discussion with a group of people.
Examine previous interactions and do internal research
Internal research allows you to see if you can uncover any old emails or phone conversations you may have had with the prospect, followed by a thorough analysis of any communication you encounter.
Talk to other team members to see if they have had any contact with your prospect or what they think of your prospect’s company or organization.
Look for compelling event signals.
Search for trigger signals using any tools available to you, including Google News, Twitter, job listings, corporate blogs, social sites, and the like.
What you’re searching for are “trigger signals,” which are indications that a prospective client requires your solution and that you should pursue the opportunity. Recruitment sprees, investment pledges, and the establishment of new offices are all compelling events.
Looking at their social media accounts should give you a sense of how technologically advanced they are. If a company is particularly active on social media and most of its workers are on LinkedIn, there’s a strong likelihood that the company puts a high value on technology in its operations and strategy.
Establish a schedule for industry research.
It’s critical to communicate effectively with your prospects. Therefore it’s always good to include some market research in your intelligence-gathering efforts.
Google News, Gartner, and Forrester trend reports are all excellent sources of information. Learn about the top players in the sector, keep an eye out for breaking news stories, and keep up with current market trends.
Obtaining this information will provide you with the context to tailor your presentation to the prospect’s specific, current requirements and demands. Demonstrate to the prospect that you are familiar with their industry, and they will be significantly more usually interested in your product.
Conclusion
Prospect research doesn’t have to be a challenging task to do. All that is required is a basic understanding of where to search. Your prospects often publish essential information on social media, and you have a plethora of tools at your disposal to dig for industry insight throughout the Internet.
The time commitment is small, mainly when the reward is a more significant number of completed business for you and your team due to your efforts.