Published on · By the IT LABS PRO team
Prospecting means going out to find new customers rather than waiting for them to come to you. In B2B, where deals are often large and decisions carefully weighed, organised prospecting is the difference between a steady order book and a business that lurches from peak to trough. Here is a six-step method, and the tools that help you keep it up over time.
Step 1: define your target precisely
The first mistake is trying to talk to everyone. Define your ideal customer: industry, company size, location, the problem you solve for them, and the role of the person who decides (managing director, sales director, IT manager…). Use your best current customers as a guide: what do they have in common?
Step 2: build your list
From that target, build a list of companies and contacts: business directories, trade shows, professional social networks, referrals from your customers, partners. Qualify each contact: the right person, verified details, a potential need. A list of 100 well-targeted contacts is worth more than 2,000 generic addresses.
Careful: your prospects’ data is personal data. In Morocco, collecting and using it falls under law 09-08 (in Europe, under the GDPR); in particular, respect people’s right to object to being contacted. Our article on law 09-08 and the CNDP explains the Moroccan rules.
Step 3: choose your channels
The phone
Still effective in B2B for getting a meeting, provided the call is well prepared: a clear goal, a short opening, open questions.
Useful for a first approach or to follow up a call. An effective prospecting e-mail is short, personalised, focused on one of the prospect’s problems, and ends with a single, simple request.
Professional social networks
To find the right people, follow their news and get in touch less intrusively by sharing useful content.
In person
Visits, trade shows, business events: direct contact is still valuable, especially in local markets.
Your website
Often forgotten, it works for you around the clock: articles that answer your prospects’ questions, clear service pages, a simple contact form. It is the foundation of “inbound” prospecting.
Step 4: get the first contact right
The first few seconds often decide what happens next: introduce yourself clearly, explain why you are contacting this person in particular, ask questions instead of reciting your offer, and suggest a concrete next step. Our article on the steps of a first sales contact covers this phase in detail.
Step 5: follow up methodically
Most prospects do not answer the first message, not because they are not interested but because they are busy. Plan a sequence of spaced-out follow-ups, varying the channels and bringing something new each time (an example, a figure, a question). Without a tool, these follow-ups are quickly forgotten: that is one of the first benefits of a CRM.
Step 6: measure and adjust
Track a few simple indicators:
- the number of contacts approached per week;
- the response rate per channel and per message;
- the number of meetings booked;
- the number of proposals sent and contracts signed;
- the average time between first contact and signature.
These figures show what works: a message that gets twice as many replies, a more receptive industry, a channel to drop. They also feed the analysis of your sales cycle.
Tools that save time
- A CRM to centralise contacts, the history of conversations and follow-ups. See our guide to choosing a CRM in Morocco.
- Message templates for first contacts and follow-ups, personalised every time.
- A shared calendar and simple meeting booking.
- Dashboards to track the indicators without manual calculations.
When off-the-shelf tools do not match the way you prospect, custom sales management software can follow your stages and rules exactly.
Mistakes to avoid
- Talking about yourself instead of the prospect’s problem.
- Sending the same message to everyone.
- Giving up after a single attempt.
- Not writing anything down: every forgotten conversation is a lost opportunity.
- Prospecting in bursts when business slows down, instead of at a steady pace.
An example prospecting sequence
Here is an example sequence, to adapt to your industry and your target:
- Day 1: a short, personalised e-mail that mentions a common problem for this type of company and suggests a 15-minute call.
- Day 3: a phone call; if there is no answer, a brief voicemail pointing to the e-mail.
- Day 7: a second e-mail with something new: a concrete example, a figure, a comparable customer case.
- Day 14: another call at a different time of day.
- Day 21: a last message that leaves the door open and offers to get back in touch later.
Every exchange is recorded in your tool, with the next action and its date. A prospect who answers “not now” is not lost: they go on a list to contact again in a few months.
The message that gets replies
An effective first prospecting message fits in a few lines and follows a simple structure:
- a personalised opening: why you are contacting this person, at this company;
- a problem you solve for similar companies;
- a proof point: a result, a reference, a figure;
- a simple request: a short conversation or a question, not an order.
Avoid long presentations of your company: prospects care about their own problem first.
Prospecting and marketing: working together
Prospecting is easier when the prospect already knows you a little: blog articles that answer their questions, a presence on professional networks, customer testimonials, a clear and reassuring website. In return, feedback from the sales team (objections, frequent questions) feeds the website’s content. Organise regular exchanges between your sales and marketing teams.
Frequently asked questions
How much time should we spend prospecting?
Regular, protected slots every week work better than a big occasional campaign. Consistency keeps a steady flow of opportunities.
Should we favour the phone or e-mail?
They complement each other: e-mail to introduce yourself and leave a trace, the phone to build contact and book a meeting. Test and measure what works best with your target.
How many follow-ups should we send?
Several, spaced out over time and across channels, bringing something new each time. Stop if the prospect asks you not to contact them again.
In short
Effective B2B prospecting rests on a precise target, a qualified list, well-chosen channels, organised follow-ups and tracked indicators. The right CRM makes the method sustainable over time. Discover our custom CRM and sales management software.