Sales Prospecting

Prospecting is the deliberate, systematic generation of new pipeline. Relying on inbound and referrals alone creates revenue fragility. A proactive outbound motion is the difference between a sales team and an order-taking team.

Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

The ICP is the foundation of all prospecting. Without a clear ICP, prospecting is random and conversion is low.

ICP Definition Framework

Firmographic:

• Industry / vertical (where you win and where you don't)
• Company size: revenue range, headcount range
• Geography
• Stage: startup, scale-up, enterprise, public

Technographic:

• Current tools and systems (what they use that you integrate with or replace)
• Technical maturity signal (do they have an IT team? Engineering team?)

Situational triggers (companies in a situation where your solution is needed):

• Recent funding round
• New executive hire (especially in the relevant function)
• Recent expansion (new market, new product)
• Regulatory change affecting their industry
• Rapid headcount growth
• Public complaints about the problem you solve

Negative ICP (who to explicitly avoid):

• Industries or sizes where you consistently lose or churn
• Companies with procurement complexity that exceeds deal value

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Account Targeting

Tier 1 accounts (10–20): High-fit, high-value. Full multi-channel, personalised outreach. Named account strategy.

Tier 2 accounts (50–100): Good fit. Semi-personalised sequencing with industry-level customisation.

Tier 3 accounts (100+): Broad fit. Automated sequencing with personalisation tokens.

Build your target list from:

• LinkedIn Sales Navigator (firmographic + seniority filters)
• Intent data (companies researching relevant topics)
• Trigger events (funding, hiring, expansion news)
• CRM: look-alike to your best existing customers

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Cold Email Framework

Subject line: Specific, not clever. Reference their company or role. Under 6 words.

• "Question about [Company]'s [function]"
• "[Mutual connection] suggested I reach out"
• "[Trigger event] — thought of you"

Email structure (under 100 words):

1. Pattern interrupt: One sentence that proves you know something specific about them
2. Problem: Name the pain you suspect they have (based on ICP triggers)
3. Proof: One-line credibility statement (who else you've helped)
4. CTA: One specific, low-commitment ask — not a demo, not a meeting, a question

Example:

"Noticed [Company] just opened three new sales positions — usually signals the team is scaling faster than the process.

We help RevOps teams at similar-stage companies cut ramp time by 40% by standardising the qualification process before headcount grows.

Worth a 15-minute call to see if we can help?"

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Sequencing

A sequence is a multi-touch, multi-channel outreach programme for a specific account or persona.

Standard 8-touch sequence over 3 weeks:

Day	Channel	Action
1	Email	First touch — problem-led
2	LinkedIn	Connect request (no note)
4	Email	Follow-up — different angle (insight, not chase)
6	LinkedIn	Message if connected — brief, specific
8	Phone	Call + voicemail if no answer
11	Email	Case study or relevant content
14	Phone	Second call attempt
18	Email	Break-up email — "closing the loop"

Break-up email performs best as the final touch:

"I've reached out a few times without hearing back — I'll assume the timing isn't right. If [problem] becomes a priority, I'm easy to find. Best of luck."

This email frequently generates replies from previously silent prospects.

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Cold Calling

Pre-call research: Know their role, company, and at least one reason to call (trigger event, ICP fit, relevant pain).

Opening (first 10 seconds):

• State your name and company confidently
• Ask if you've caught them at a bad time (not "is this a good time" — frame for a yes)
• Lead with a specific, relevant observation — not a generic pitch

Voicemail: Under 20 seconds. Name, company, specific reason for calling, callback number said clearly twice. Don't ask them to call back — say you'll try again.

Gatekeeper: Treat as an ally, not an obstacle. "I was hoping you could help me — I'm trying to reach [name] about [specific topic]. Is there a better time to reach them directly?"

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Metrics

Metric	Benchmark
Emails sent per booked meeting	50–100
Calls made per booked meeting	20–50
Meeting to opportunity conversion	40–60%
Sequence reply rate (positive)	3–8%

Track by sequence, persona, and ICP tier. Optimise the lowest-converting step first.