Sales Prospecting Methods

I’ve joined 100s of discovery calls as a buyer—only 1 in 10 was run to help me vs the AE. Most companies treat discovery as just a stage and rely on weak BANT. That’s why AEs get stuck at ‘Level 1’ thinking Disco = Qualification and NEVER win 6-figure deals. Here’s my breakdown of Discovery Levels 1–3 (and the exact steps to finally break free): LEVEL 1 - Thinks: “Discovery is for me—are they worth my time?” - Uses BANT as box ☑ qualification (and to get managers off their backs).  - Asks a few surface questions (“Why are we here?”, “Do you have budget?”). - Disco isn’t leveraged throughout the sales process; it sits in call-1 notes. - If it is used, it’s only for ‘guilt-trip’ moves—“I guess solving X is not a priority?”. - Deals lost/stall/heavily discounted; disco never influenced the buying process. LEVEL 2 - Thinks: “Discovery is for prospects; to help THEM see why they should buy”. - Levels up from BANT to *real* disco using GAP Selling, MEDDIC, SPICED, etc. - Dives deeper than Need—to Impact, Priorities, and Rout Causes of Problems. - Disco is leveraged to tailor demos—give problem-solving tours vs generic tour. - Deals close at OK win rate. Buyers feel understood and see high $$$ problems. LEVEL 3 - Thinks: “Discovery IS the sales process—shaping buying and sales decisions”. - Framework agnostic; digs deep, letters only used for consistency & forecast. - Every call is about shaping the ultimate buying moment—the Business Case. - Every call gets documented; discovery continuously builds their Account Plan. - Doesn’t use a bank of questions; but prepares points to explore (e.g. urgency). - Leverage MAPs to discover & align on how to best run the process—together. - Disco drives unstoppable business case narratives that unlock $6-7 fig budgets. —— Stop treating discovery like just another task. Turn it into your entire selling strategy. Business Case > BANT Qualification. Mutual Plan > “What’s your Timeline?” Discovery as a Service. That’s how you go from chasing… To being a partner that gets trusted with 6-7-figure budgets. Always be discovering.

How I'd fill pipeline as an AE if I started fresh today. (Send this to your Slack group) Here is my plan: 1. Find Active Buyers The secret? Focus on prospects who posted in the last 30 days. Response rates are 2x higher from active profiles. Quick setup in Sales Nav: ↳ Create saved searches by seniority ↳  Build targeted prospect lists ↳ Update lists weekly for fresh leads Smart reps look for prospects who are active. 2. Strategic Outreach     Too many people say never do a cold dm, and tell you to sit back and wait. Please don't listen to this advice. Here's what I would do: ↳ Block 1 focused hour daily ↳ Send 20-30 targeted messages ↳ Be brief, brilliant, gone Example framework: "Reason I am reaching out [specific insight] → This matters to you because [direct benefit] → Imagine [concrete result/use ask] → CTA [simple, compelling next action]" The big fat pipeline is in the outreach. 3. Smart Engagement Don't just drop "Great post!" comments. Like real talk.. please don't do this. Start real conversations instead. The framework: ↳ Find a post ↳ Share specific insights from their content ↳ Ask one thought-provoking question Now if you did 20 messages a day check the math: 400 messages/month 10% conversion rate = 40 meetings/month There are no silver bullets. This is just an example, If you stay consistent what could happen. Stay prospecting my friends. ----- P.S. Mention someone who could benefit from this strategy. P.S.S. Which step are you going to use today?

I’ve done 350+ discovery calls in the past 3 years and closed 7+ figures in contract value. I always structure my 1st call in the same 5-step format: Great sales is nothing more than a structured approach to help prospects make a decision. It shows them that I’m understanding and have their best interest at heart. I consider sales to be part of the service. It’s consulting. Here's how my discovery calls look: 𝟭. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 I want to find out as much as possible about them. My goal is to understand their journey & personality, and also make them feel heard & understood off the bat. They talk, I shut up. If they jump straight into business, I gently steer them back. ___ 𝟮. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘁 Next, I dive into their business model, bottlenecks, and top goals: • Who’s your ICP? • What do you offer? • What’s your marketing status quo? • etc. I figure out if a collaboration makes sense and whether they need our help or something else entirely—like coaching, a new tool, a different vendor, or just advice on improving their current setup. ___ 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 I recap what they’ve shared and then introduce myself. Here, I try to mirror how they shared their story: • what topics did they focus on? • how far back did they go? • what did they highlight? At the same time, I look for similarities between us to create relatability. Then at the end, I explain what I do on a high level. ___ 𝟰. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 From there, I introduce the 3 key theses they need to believe for us to work together. • Thesis 1: The decisions we make are influenced by the people we trust and the content we consume. • Thesis 2: Content helps build relationships & trust at scale. • Thesis 3: Content is an infinite game If they're not aligned with this thesis, it usually indicates we're not a fit. At the same time, I also discuss the rough budget range to make sure we're on the same page about expectations early on. ___ 5. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 If it feels like a fit, I lock in a follow-up call right then. I never leave this for later—it just adds uncertainty and hassle. If it’s not a fit, I still try to offer value—maybe I send some free resources or give advice. ___ 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄: • I call out any elephants in the room. • I recap what they say to confirm my understanding and give them a chance to add details. • This also helps me process what they’ve shared. • I always leave room for their questions. • Their needs are #1 priority. #b2bsales #founderledsales #consultativesales

10 reasons why nobody cares about your cold email: 1. Your “I” to “You” ratio is 4:1. If you see a lot of “I,” “we,” “our,” and “us” words in your copy, it’s a sign your message is too focused on your company and too little on your prospect. Flip the ratio. 2. Your message is too broad. We know from research on social loafing that people are more likely to respond when they feel uniquely qualified to do so. Niche down. What inspired you to email this person? 3. Your preview isn’t enticing. This is often overlooked because people focus on subject lines. Prospects see your subject line and your first sentence in their inbox. Start with words like “caught,” “read,” “saw,” “your,” “scanned,” and “you.” 4. You’re not focused on the problem. Problems get attention. It’s why you avoid puddles. Example for Descript: “What podcast hosts hate is editing - stuff like cutting "ums" and "ahs," removing dead spots, etc.” When people feel like you get them, they naturally become curious about what you have. Solutions have no value without problems. 5. You’re asking for time. That’s a big ask. Start with a small ask. Gauge interest first. Original “Do you have 30 minutes on Friday?” Revision “Think this might help?”
 6. You’re talking about what you do, not what prospects can do. Nope - What You Do “Descript is an all-in-one video editing platform.” Yup - What Prospects Can Do “Descript takes your podcast audio and turns them into a doc so you can click, drag and cut unwanted bits in seconds instead of hours. 7. Your email is too long. Keep it under five sentences. Prospects are scanners. So are you. So is everybody. 8. You’re too generic. Generic: “Save time and money.” Everyone says that so you don’t stand out. Crispy of Specific: “You’re probably customizing reports for individual reps + hard-pasting entire Excel pages into Google Sheets/making adjustments to determine payouts.” When you’re specific, you’re more believable. 9. Your subject line is more than three words. Try “open to this?” 10. You’re not following up on unresponsive emails. It takes 6-8 touches to stack the odds in your favor for getting a response. Don’t make all your chess moves at once—one problem per email.

Last quarter I received a perfect cold email. It followed the same simple prospecting framework I teach. Here's a line-by-line breakdown of why it works so well: SUBJECT LINE: Make it all about them and reference your research Why it works: Shows that it's not spam or automated, and creates curiosity to open the e-mail and here what they have to say PARAGRAPH #1: Warm, personal, with a sincere compliment Why it works: Shows the prospect you took the time to learn about them, and humanizes you. PARAGRAPH #2: Share relevant observations based on research and a potential problem which their research uncovered Why it works: Shows that you are reaching out to identify a potential way to help them which they may not be thinking about PARAGRAPH #3: Shares specific, clear value proposition which includes the problem you solve and the outcomes you deliver Why it works: people need to clearly understand what you do so they can decide for themselves if it makes sense to meet with you. Sharing generic outcomes without being direct or specific confuses and annoys prospects because they still don't know what you do after reading the e-mail. PARAGRAPH #4: Soft Call to Interest (CTI): Ask if they have ever given thought to what you wrote, and if they're open to discussing further. Why it works: Never assume that a prospect needs what you are selling. Instead, confirm whether they've thought about the problem you solve and are open to discussing further. A call to interest (CTI) is much softer than a call to action (CTA), such as asking them to meet before you've confirmed they even have a need or interest. Don't assume anything, just ask and validate first. Kudos to the seller for sending a well-written, thoughtful e-mail.

“But, you said we will get 4x ROAS!” In our industry, there’s always someone making louder promises. It’s tempting to join the race, promise big numbers, get the deal, deal with the fallout later. But here’s what most people miss: It’s easy to talk up results in a pitch deck. It’s much harder to build real, repeatable success in the wild. That’s why I’m a firm believer in that classic advice (Tom Peters said it best): “Under promise and over deliver.” Not because I want to play it safe, or because we can’t achieve bold results. But because I’ve seen what happens when the entire ecosystem starts chasing unrealistic benchmarks. Margins shrink, trust erodes, and clients hop agencies the minute a new, shinier offer comes along. This isn’t just about protecting my agency. It’s about building a healthy market where fair pricing, sustainable growth, and honest expectations win out over one-upmanship. I’ve worked both sides: corporate and agency. I know how much pressure there is to show up with “guarantees.” But now, I’d rather have tough conversations up front than scramble for explanations later. In business and in life, overpromising looks flashy but rarely pays off. A spouse who hears “I’ll bring you the stars” is happy for a day. But it’s showing up, doing the work, and quietly delivering more than you promised, that’s what sticks. I’d rather be the one who delivers steady, compounding wins than someone chasing their own hype. If you’ve ever faced the pressure to “promise the moon,” you know how tempting it is. But the real win? Building trust that outlasts the campaign.

Over the past 9 years, I’ve acquired 1,000+ clients for my agencies. If I were starting over today, here’s exactly how I’d land my first 10 clients: Step 1: Start with the right data The biggest challenge when starting out? Finding highly targeted prospects who are ready to buy. Here’s how I’d solve that: Google Maps. Yes, I said Google Maps. Why? Because it’s an untapped goldmine for qualified leads. With over 4,000 B2B categories, it’s packed with local businesses and SMBs often overlooked - or missing - from LinkedIn. These are hidden gems waiting to be discovered. Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) transforms this goldmine into actionable leads by extracting from Google Maps listings: - Emails, phone numbers, & websites - Social media profiles - Website technologies - Even Google Maps ratings & reviews Filter and focus on your ideal targets in just 2 clicks. For example: - Restaurants with 4+ ratings but no Instagram. - Local businesses with websites but no ad pixels. - SMBs in specific niches or locations. Scrap’s real-time data extraction ensures you always have the most accurate info - and it’s available as a Chrome Extension for instant insights. Step 2: Personalize your outreach Generic outreach doesn’t work - relevance is everything. Try this playbook: - Subject Line: Use something attention-grabbing like “Quick question about [business name]” or “Idea for [service].” - Personalize: Reference their Google Maps reviews, website, or niche. For example: “Congrats on your 4.9-star rating - I can see why people love your café.” - Partner Up: “I help cafes like yours boost foot traffic through email marketing. I noticed a few opportunities I’d love to share.” - CTA: End with a low-pressure ask: “Does this sound worth exploring?” Pro Tip: Pair the emails from Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) with LinkedIn outreach - connect or engage with their posts to build trust. Step 3: Stay consistent and scale your efforts Build momentum through persistence: - Follow Up: Most responses come after the 2nd or 3rd touch. Example sequence: Email → LinkedIn connect → Follow-up email → Call. - Track Metrics: Monitor open rates, replies, and booked calls. Aim for a 20%+ email response rate and 10%+ meetings booked. - Leverage Referrals: Once you’ve landed a few clients, ask, “Know anyone else who might benefit?” and share testimonials like, “We helped a local coffee shop grow foot traffic by 20% in 30 days.” - Automate: Use Scrap for fast lead gen and a CRM to manage outreach. Recap: - Use Scrap (https://scrap.io/s/9MYK) to turn Google Maps into a lead-gen machine for local businesses, SMBs, and niche prospects. - Personalize your emails with insights and a clear CTA. - Stay consistent by following up, tracking results, and leveraging referrals. - And remember: Your first 10 clients lay the foundation for scaling. #ScrapPartner

Bad Enterprise Sales Prospecting: - The reps pick accounts that seems ‘easiest to get something going’ - Create a list of all possible customer contacts - Cold call/email campaign with sequences - Cold calls some more - Customer execs get utterly annoyed with sequences and black list the rep - The rep starts conversations with anyone who will listen - Quickly gets stuck with lower level contacts - High rate of failure after spending too much time to get there. Good Enterprise Sales Prospecting: - Picks a big account with capacity to buy big - Identifies key customer executives - Pings entire ecosystem (their own executives, board members and investors, SI partners, former customer employees, etc.) to find existing relationships/warm introductions - Uses those warm intros to get the executive overview and guidance of how to approach the account. - Initial conversations with customer executives lead to serious, qualified evaluations or failing fast. #sales #enterprisesales #prospecting

❌ 7 Things You Should Never Write in an Email to a Prospect Your first email to a prospect can make or break the deal. A poorly written message can lead to instant disinterest or worse—your email getting ignored. 🚫 Here’s what to NEVER include in your prospecting emails: 🚫 1. “Just following up” or “Checking in” ✅ Instead: Add value! Say, “I wanted to share a quick insight that could help you with [specific pain point].” 🚫 2. “I hope you are doing well” (as your entire opening) ✅ Instead: Get straight to the point. Show that you respect their time. 🚫 3. Overly formal or robotic language ✅ Instead: Keep it professional yet conversational. No one wants to read, “Dear Sir/Madam, I hereby request your esteemed presence…” 😵 🚫 4. Too much ‘I’ and not enough ‘You’ ✅ Instead: Focus on them. “I want to introduce my company…” → ❌ “You might find this useful because…” → ✅ 🚫 5. Large blocks of text ✅ Instead: Keep it scannable. Use bullet points or short paragraphs to make it easy to read. 🚫 6. Asking for too much upfront ✅ Instead: Build the relationship first. Instead of “Can we hop on a call?” say, “Would love to share a quick insight—would you be open to it?” 🚫 7. A vague or weak CTA (Call to Action) ✅ Instead: End with a clear next step. Instead of “Let me know what you think,” try “Would Tuesday or Wednesday work for a quick chat?” ✨ An email should be short, clear, and valuable. Keep it prospect-focused, not sales-focused! 💬 What’s one email mistake that instantly makes you lose interest? Drop it below! 👇 #email #communicationskills #writtencommunication

Sellers who sell to IT can't wait to tell me how the rules that apply to every other persona are different for IT. They insist that IT buyers process information differently. That their analytical nature means they need more details, more complexity, and more depth in emails. 👉 On the surface, that assumption seems logical. If someone is highly technical, wouldn't they want as much information as possible? 📌 That’s where behavioral science comes in. Human behavior follows patterns, no matter the persona. Outliers exist, but they are minimal. The data is clear, when it comes to email engagement, cognitive ease wins. IT buyers aren’t special (I mean, we’re all special, but you know what I mean). Sellers who sell to IT personas love to say: ❌ "IT buyers are analytical, so they need more information in emails." ❌ "They’re smarter than the average buyer, so they can handle complex messaging." ❌ "They won’t take me seriously unless I include a ton of detail upfront." It’s all BS. Sellers think they’re doing what their buyers want. They believe IT buyers need longer, more detailed emails because they’re technical. they base those assumptions on flawed intuition and limited experience, not actual data. The data tells a different story. IT buyers are human. They scan emails just like everyone else. If you overload their brain with too much information, they won’t engage. 👉 Here’s what actually works when emailing IT buyers: - Keep it short. If your email is over 100 words, it’s probably too long. - Simplify your language. Big words don’t impress, clear ones do. - Make the ask easy to say yes to. No one wants to decode what you’re asking. Data trumps intuition when you’re building cold email strategies, even in IT. If you want to earn a response, honor what buyers actually respond to, not what you think they want. Even buyers themselves don’t always know what makes them engage, but behavioral science does. 📌 What’s one cold email myth you’ve had to unlearn? ✨ Enjoyed this post? Let me know in the comments & follow Leslie Venetz for more.