“Focus on two accounts per week and block an hour on your calendar each day to prospect and execute tasks within those two accounts.” – Anthony Natoli in today’s Tip 1109
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Transcript
Scott Ingram: You’re listening to the Daily Sales Tips podcast and I’m your host, Scott Ingram. Today’s tip comes from Anthony Natoli. Anthony is a former SDR turned Account Executive who shares daily content on real-life, in the trenches, and tactical tips for SDRs and AEs. He’s also on a mission to bring awareness to the importance of mental health & mindset based on his own personal experiences and journey. Here he is:
Anthony Natoli: Most Account Executives want more pipeline, yet they don’t like prospecting, which is ironic. So as a former SDR turned AE, I’m laser-focused on prospecting. And the top sales professionals and account executives that I know are also focused on prospecting because having a large amount of quality opportunities that you’re working makes life so much easier. Right? You’re not worried that if you lose and up to a competitor that your whole quarter or years ruined, right? You become less attached to the outcome of those opportunities. And it’s just a better way to live and think when you have opportunities that you know are quality and that you are actively working.
So obviously it’s a great feeling, but most AEs don’t have a process in place to build pipeline effectively. So again, as in the former SDR and now turn to AE, that’s super focused on prospecting. I want to share my no-nonsense, easy-to-follow prospecting foundation, and strategy that you can implement tomorrow.
So number one, you want to focus on two accounts per week and block an hour on your calendar each day to prospect and execute tasks within those two accounts.
Number two. You want to know the business that you’re going after and the prospects within that business and organization inside and out. So a few different ways to do this is understand previous engagement with old opportunities, current news about the business, listen to earnings calls, especially the questions that analysts will ask the CEO, CFO, CRO at the end of those calls. Because there is gold there. Understand some of competitors of theirs that are customers of yours. Also understand customers of yours that are also their customers. So sharing mutual customers, understand mutual investors, things like that, right? The net of point number two is relevancy. Right? Why are you reaching out to them, et cetera.
Number three. At those two accounts, you want to put five people into a sequence at each of those accounts. So ten people total.
Number four. You want to use research from number two, where we gain the relevancy to develop your personalization strategy. So personalization is not enough. Knowing where someone went to college is not enough. You need to have relevancy. So understand the compelling why behind your outreach is going to be super crucial for your outreach strategy.
Number five. Follow these prospects and these companies on LinkedIn and Twitter because there’s absolute gold on these channels that you could be using in your messaging.
The last thing is, how many times have you wrote an awesome first touch personalized email to have it just go on red and unnoticed and you feel like you got to start from scratch. Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t. So take that first touch email that you spent a good amount of time on doing your research and just recycle it. So after your sequence is finished, restart another outreach sequence or whatever tool that you’re using with that personalized note. Because if they haven’t read it, you should use it again because there’s awesome information in there that might get them to respond.
So again, to wrap it up, focus on two accounts per week. Do research to understand relevance of why you’re reaching out. Number three, focus on five people at a minimum at those two accounts for ten people total. And number four, use the research from number two to guide your messaging within your email touches and your phone calls. Number five, make sure you’re following those prospects and those companies on LinkedIn and Twitter. And number six, don’t let that first awesome touch point go to waste. Recycle it if they don’t read or open it.
So again, this may vary on the size of your target account list or if you’re an SDR, you may be focused on more accounts per week. But again, this is a super easy, no-nonsense foundation for prospecting that I’ve seen time and time again allow me to build large-quality opportunities that I’m absolutely working. So hopefully this is helpful and follow me on LinkedIn for some more tips for SDRs and AEs. Take care
Scott Ingram: For those links to follow Anthony on LinkedIn and Twitter, just click over to DailySales.Tips/1109 and we’ll have those there as well as a handy transcript of this tip as well. Once you’ve done that, be sure to come back tomorrow for another great sales tip. Thanks for listening!