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Sales Prospecting Strategies for 2021 and Beyond

The past year has shown us that our sales prospecting strategies need to be more flexible and be agile. It was a year filled with uncertainty, which is far from the ideal climate for sales prospecting.

As a result, marketing and sales strategies had to be adapted in order to respond to the overall economical changes, changes in supply and demand, as well as decreased budgets.

With teachable experiences from 2020 in mind, what new sales trends can we expect in the months to come, and which strategies should you implement as the year 2021 progresses?

Automation Is Essential

Many sales trends come and go, but automation seems to be the one that’s here to stay. It might not even be appropriate to call it a trend, but rather a necessary element of your sales strategy that allows you to maintain a competitive advantage.

According to EY, 41% of companies have invested in accelerating automation in order to respond to the changing business climate due to the pandemic.

Using automation to optimize the prospecting process is a great way to ensure that your prospecting efforts are not only gonna yield good results but also won’t take too much time.

Automation can help you in every step of your sales process, from supplying you with new leads to leading them through the sales funnel and eventually closing the deal.

Personalize Your Outreach

When it comes to automation, many people think that it takes away from personalization and creativity.

However, by automating repetitive tasks and delegating them to dedicated software, you will be left with more time on your hands to personalize your approach.

Using automation software doesn’t mean you should blast your prospects with generic emails or just pick up the phone without doing your due diligence. You have to understand exactly what your prospects want and need and adjust your outreach strategy accordingly.

When choosing email campaign management software, look for the one that allows you to use the information you have about prospects and customize your templates for a highly personalized approach.

By referring to your prospects by their name and using other personal information such as company name, industry, etc. you will not only boost your engagement and response but also avoid landing into spam and improve deliverability.

Bridge the Gap Between Marketing and Sales

No matter how personalized and effective your marketing approach is, it’s still only the first step of the process that will help you attract a large pool of people and raise awareness. However, you’re still a long way to convert your leads into customers.

This process requires careful lead nurturing. Here, personalization is even more critical, but so is being fast and efficient. That’s why you need to use tools that will help and allow your sales reps to focus on selling.

Make sure to find the right sales engagement platform that covers multiple different features such as queue-based lead routing, lead tracking, call scripting, auto-dialing, call recording, etc.

With all features of your business’s sales prospecting strategies in one place and a robust data management system, your sales team will be able to make the most out of each lead and close deals more efficiently without being distracted by menial tasks.