Sales Prospecting Perspectives

Don't Neglect the Phone!

A resourceful BDR is great.  A resourceful BDR who generates success is even better.   Today, we are spoiled by a plethora of resources such as Jigsaw, Linked In, Hoovers, Zoom info, etc.  While these are great research tools that can offer some assistance, they are not the only way to begin prospecting into a new account.  As a trainer, I have admired some of my reps savvy research skills.  I have noticed outstanding success rates of those who instinctively choose to pick up the phone and dial into a new account with the first attempt.  Online resources are an excellent source for companies that are difficult to navigate, but reps that are accustomed to logging into Jigsaw before making the dial are missing a very important piece of teleprospecting.
 
When calling into a main line or even a direct dial, chances are you will be passed around from contact to contact before getting the decision maker on the phone.  Reps who view this as wasteful time can be mistaken.  This process many times gets you to the decision maker faster while providing real time information that can be artfully pulled out from contacts leading up to the decision maker.  All of the prior conversations and internal referrals, if used properly, can dramatically increase the decision maker's response to your message.
 
With all these resources at our fingertips, it's easy to get bogged down in lengthy research.  Naturally, our reps that rely heavily on researching contacts have far less volume.   If you choose to pick up the phone and make more calls, with great listening skills you may very well get where you need to be faster and with more success.  I can't stress enough that using online resources helps, but until you need that help, pick up the phone and dial!  As the saying goes, you can't shoot the moose from the lodge and in our case you can't get a qualified lead without picking up the phone.