How do you prospect across channels?

Channels don’t matter. Tbh, they’re all saturated. Email automation, contact databases, have literally obliterated buyers inboxes. That coupled with the fact that most executives are stuck in meetings, traditional outbound is dead. The best sdrs & aes know how to break through the noise. Because if you aren’t breaking through the noise, you’re just creating it. Top sellers use the following to prospect 1) the persona of who they sell to intimately. They know what makes them lose sleep. They know that on 2 pm meeting on Wednesday they get shredded for X. 2) they know their product & specifically how it differentiates vs the competitor 3) they leverage “signals” (usage, Nps, g2 review, mutual connects, champion tracking data, etc)

It comes down to one thing - Be where your buyers are. Not everyone has Inbox Zero, not everyone's active on LinkedIn, not everyone answers cold calls. The best way to prospect across different channels is would be for you to identify where your prospects are at and double down on that. The other channels should point them back to the primary channel you're focused on. For example, lets say you are trying to reach out to CFO who's probably never going to pick up his phone, but checks his emails. Send an email first, and leverage the other channels to point them back to your email. Call them, leave a VM, connect on LinkedIn. Do all of it with an intention of getting a reply on that email.

The first step to prospect across channels is knowing your ICP and your buyer persona. If you know your ICP you know what channels they frequent. ICPs = High-fit companies you should target. Buyer persona = People who buy from you. Attributes to nail your ICP 1. Cost of switching from their current way 2. Pain points you solve for them 3. Cost of doing nothing 4. Purchasing process 5. Techographic info 6. Average deal Size 7. Geography 8. Headcount 9. Industry Attributes to nail your buyer's persona 1. Buyer’s role and title 2. Buying committee 3. Stakeholders-mapping 4. Where they hang out online and consume content 5. Filters to use on LInkedin sales navigator to find it. 6. Is there any community elevating that niche?

Understanding your ICP is paramount. But only if it's understood across the different industries and company sizes. Partnering with marketing will help you build those. For example, a Marketing Director might have completely different pain points, goals, and functions across Retail, Software, or Gas. The same way as it is in an Enterprise/Mid Market/SMB

I think when you're prospecting, you need to know everything there is to know about your prospect and their company. Download annual reports, follow their LinkedIn page(s), set up Google alerts for notification. While LI is a great forum for prospecting, not everyone is engaged there. Are they engaged with local chambers of commerce. What charities/community foundations are they engaged with.

I personally believe that multichannel is key when prospecting. Also leveraging social presence on LinkedIn. But you need to understand where your customers are more "convertible". Is it calling? Emailing? etc.

For the past year using LinkedIn as my main B2B prospecting channel, i admit its the first and the best source for outbound lead generation. Its better than sending prospective emails and it gives you a solid head start for lead convertion through phone calls.

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket. People don't always respond to the same channels. Call/text/email and/or visit in person if possible. Sometimes social media.

Selecting the right channels is pivotal. Don't be "that brand" that’s everywhere, annoyingly so. Use email for deep dives, calls for real connections, social media for rapport, and video to shine. It's a balancing act: being present without being overwhelming. Remember, it’s not about how often you're seen, but how effectively you engage. Pace it, and always put value first. No one likes a pushy sales pitch. Keep it genuine and timely. Less is often more.????

When choosing channels, consider orchestration. Having all of your sales prospecting activities sync back to your CRM is key. This way you can track activity, trigger workflows, run reports, etc. You want to be able to orchestrate your work from a single place. And if you're choosing purpose-built tools for specific channels, make sure they sync back.

Share valuable content with your prospect (ebook, studies..) Use every channel to add value to your prospect Do multi channel

Prospecting through single or multiple channel should not be challenging if we set our customer connect with solution selling approach and have clear agenda before we engage or have our first connect . If we can help Customer through their requirements on areas of interest or specialization they belong too, prospects would respect mutual time and support to build business association.

2 / 2 Nail your content game. Consistency is king. Regardless of the platform, your message should be seamless. Mix it up with videos, testimonials, or case studies, but always be genuine. Remember, prospects aren’t just buying a product; they're investing in a story, your story. And always, without fail, have a clear call-to-action. If they've read until the end, they want to know what to do next. Make it worth their while. Don't just sell; provide value.

Use tools that help you manage and schedule your different content across socials like Taplio or hypefury to schedule and repurpose content across multiple social channels.

Keep an eye on the scoreboard. Just like in sports, numbers in sales don't lie. Tracking helps identify which channels drive results and which need tweaking. Dive into metrics like open rates and conversions, but don’t forget the qualitative stuff – feedback. Always be ready to pivot, learn, and refine. Your future self, hitting those sales targets, will thank you. Always remember: it's not just about the hustle; it's about the smart hustle. Stay agile. Stay informed.????

It's important to know what system is working. Track your results and try doubling down on the ones that are working. Start phasing out what's not working and experiment with new channels....rinse and repeat. For me, I am trying a mix of Social (Linkedin, X, and YouTube), creating personalized videos on Loom, email sequences, contributing to slack channels where my prospects frequent. Read the book "Thinking in Systems" for more!

In my experience a great way to nurture relationships is keeping in mind that at the end of the day we are all human. Some of my greatest connections come from acknowledging when people have personal lives and being a collaborator in their passions. Our values and love of what we do shows in everything.

Building connections is a marathon, not a sprint. The sale might be the finish line, but the relationship is the ongoing race. Check in, add value, and genuinely care. Word-of-mouth and referrals? They’re gold. And here's a thought: how about spotlighting a customer once a month? It not only builds trust but showcases your success. After all, it's the long-term relationships that often lead to the most significant results. Always play the long game. Sales might be the goal, but relationships? That's the legacy. Stay genuine. Stay in touch.

For your very top targets, find key people, find out what they care about and help them in their cause. I follow my key targets on twitter, Linkedin, listen if they were on a podcast, etc. I'll follow them, contribute to their content, mention their podcast. I'll make sure they've seen my name, and then ill send them something personalized and tie something from their content in my messaging to show i listened.

Nurturing is critical in prospecting. Here are 3 things to do when nurturing; a. Share relevant and valuable information b. Share product changes, launches and CSR activities with potential clients. c. Invite them for in-house events. Get together, Webinars, etc. These enable you to remain top of mind, increase trust levels and make it easy for them to buy.

It's being there at the right time with the right products. Landscaping is a good exercise or having the right data. Have plan of attack, every fail and hurdle along the way will make you stronger ??

Since a lot of buyers do their due diligence before contacting potential new ‘vendors’ the “dark/pre” funnel is key. Leveraging website tracking technology across multiple properties, there are ways to identify either people or organizations on the look out for new solutions.