Alternative Prospecting Methods

Beyond Phone and Email

Not every prospect uses the same tools and channels. Heck, some prospects don’t even have active work phones, especially during the pandemic.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t the right contact.

Sometimes it’s as simple as them not seeing your message. Who among us hasn’t disregarded an external email or two on a busy day?

When your connect rate dips and responses become sparse, it’s time to make a change and meet prospects where they are.

Finding these alternate channels and testing them isn’t always easy, but it can make the difference between being a good SDR and a great one.

LinkedIn is the obvious answer, but by no means is it the only one.

Twitter, texting, video prospecting, in-person events, the list goes on.

So where do you start? Let’s dive into the pool of alternative prospecting resources and see what we find!

Symposium Recap

Our most recent SDR Symposium was all about Alternative Prospecting Methods. Anything that wasn’t phone and email was on the table to talk about.

🎥 Video? 🔗 LinkedIn? 📲 Texting?

You bet! When it comes to alternate prospecting methods, it pays to get creative.

At some point during their SDR journey, each of our panelists felt the need to try something different.

And each one came up with a unique solution to their problem.

That doesn’t mean they didn’t agree on certain aspects of their alternative outreach, like:

🖱 Reach out to prospects where they are. If they post on LinkedIn a lot, reach out on LinkedIn. Hold this true for every channel.

⏰ Not every prospect deserves the extra time you might spend crafting a message for them. Focus your efforts on the target accounts that really matter.

🧪 Experiment! Learning how to use new outreach methods also means learning how not to use them. Take note of mistakes made and lessons learned, sometimes that’s the only way to grow!

As an SDR, let this recap guide you toward understanding how you can start the process of building confidence now.

Reviving ISQLs

October isn’t just for finding new prospecting methods, it’s also for bringing old prospects back into your funnel.

Digging up these “dead” prospects can seem daunting, but we’ve got some strategies that can help.

As we enter Q4 it’s important to stay on top of your pipeline, but remember, the longer you wait the closer you get to the holiday season, where out of office replies can limit your success.

Reaching out during October and November, before things slow down, will keep your pipeline strong heading into the new year.

As for what messages actually work to revive old leads? You’re going to have to read the article to find out!

Don’t Trick – Intrigue

Trick or Treat!

Turns out this phrase can apply to handing out candy and subject lines.

Misleading subject lines are a great way to increase your open rate.

They’re terrible for just about everything else.

They come across as a gimmick, mislead the prospect, and do damage to your brand’s image.

Yes, any good subject line should be compelling, but not at any cost.

Check out the article for ideas and advice on crafting subject lines that actually work.

Greg’s Take

Of all the alternative prospecting methods that have come on the scene in the last 5-10 years, video prospecting has become one of the biggest.

And for good reason. It’s a logical step in the evolution of outreach when you think about it.

📩 Email just gets the words out there…

📞 Phone calls put a voice behind those words…

📹 Video puts a face to that voice.

It enables an SDR to send a message that’s authentic, believable, and engaging.

We sat down with Greg Cammarata, one of demandDrive’s top Account Execs (and former SDR) to learn his strategies for leveraging video outreach.

AMA With Lindsay Frey

Often, the best way to learn is by asking questions.

So we opened up the floor.

We reached out to our network and collected questions – any questions at all – for our President and Co-Founder Lindsay Frey.

Once we had them, we asked away!

Lindsay answered questions about everything from where an SDR can take their career to tactical objection handling techniques to her favorite memories from her time as an SDR.

Still have questions you’d like to ask? Follow this link to find the AMA landing page, where you can submit questions for future AMAs with Lindsay!

Use LinkedIn The Right Way

“There are channels where the main goal is to learn and grow, and you’re using it to sell. Don’t do that.”

Plain and simple, SDRs shouldn’t use the wrong types of social channels to try and pitch their product or service. We know that LinkedIn seems like the best place to close some deals, but in reality, this is just the place to start conversations – not end them.

The world is full of people wanting to pitch products all day every day.

But if you take the time to build trust with everyone you connect with, you’ll find a much higher rate of success.

Opt In to putting in the legwork and building connections before pitching.

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Let’s be honest, anyone can become a pretty good SDR without leveraging alternative prospecting methods as long as they have the right training and support.

But to reach that next level, that SDR mastery that makes people say “Wow! They’d be a great AE, SDR Manager, etc” You need to stand out to both your prospects and your organization.

If you have the support from your team and the creativity to experiment with things like video prospecting, social selling, texting, and the like, there’s no wrong step to take. Sure, you might fail fast and learn some lessons, but once you figure out what works for you, there’s no telling how far you could go.

What are your thoughts on alternative prospecting methods? Are there any that we didn’t cover? Drop us a line and continue the conversation.