Steps in prospect database qualification

In B2B, successful sales prospecting depends to a large extent on the quality of the prospect files made available to sales forces in their day-to-day activities.

A well-filled prospect database with relevant, rich and, above all, up-to-date data will have a decisive impact on the effectiveness of any sales prospecting campaign. This database is the most valuable asset for your sales teams, and by providing them with a quality file, you offer them the best chances of converting. 

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The equation is simple: the larger the number of leads in your database, and the more accurate the data entered, the more likely your sales force is to convert (assuming your prospecting methods are even remotely effective). 

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The creation and enrichment of a B2B database can be broken down into several main stages, which we will attempt to detail in this article. The idea is to show you the main steps you need to take to develop this major asset for the success of your sales teams, and at each stage to consider the different possibilities available to you.

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The creation of a prospect file is an essential step, requiring firstly a knowledge of market tools and secondly a precise knowledge of your target. You need to know which companies to target, as well as the type of job, and the right personas you think are the most qualified and most likely to convert. 

Keeping this data up to date is just as essential , as prospecting campaigns are once again highly dependent on the accuracy of prospect files .

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Internalize the creation of your prospect file: 

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This is the choice of organizations that have the skills and resources to create prospect files that are sufficiently enriched for their business development.

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Setting up a prospect file that will stand the test of time and provide qualified leads for your sales offer requires in-depth knowledge of your market, but above all, from a strictly operational point of view, knowledge of all the tools and professional data collections that can be found online .

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Here are a few ways to create a prospect file:

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1. Online directories: Use online directories such as SIRENE and Greffes to find companies and professionals in your field of activity. This is one of the most important steps in creating your prospect file. Using all these resources, you can then cross-reference the data with your chosen criteria (business sector, postal address, number of employees, targeted positions, etc.). 

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2. Using Linkedin's Sales Navigator: Sales Navigator is the best prospecting tool Linkedin has to offer. Based on all the data entered (declaratively) on the social network, cross-referencing the data with tags of your choice will enable you to extract interesting profiles to build your prospecting lists. 

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3. Set up one or more contact form(s) on your website: by setting up Call-to-Actions and an intelligent customer journey, you can collect information on people who have browsed your website and are interested in your offers and/or the content it contains. These forms should encourage potential customers to fill in enough information to be included in your prospect files.

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4. Registering for trade shows and organizing webinars: by registering for trade shows, you can meet prospects face-to-face and exchange ideas with them. Organizing webinars on topics related to your business is another digital marketing practice that will enable you to collect interesting data for your prospect files. 

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So, by multiplying your customer data collection points, you multiply the chances of getting the maximum number of prospects in your target audience for your databases. 

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All this information must then be centralized in a single file that organizes all the data in a coherent and unified way. The key is to include only the data of interest to your sales teams. A good prospect file will therefore include at least the following information for each lead: 

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• Last name / First name
• Company
• Number of employees
• Email
• Phone number(s)
• Prospect status in the sales cycle
• History of calls, e-mails and other actions for each lead

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It's also worth bearing in mind that a database loses a significant percentage of its accuracy every year , due to changes in the company of the prospects listed and other internal mobility. These changes mean that your prospect files lose value every time, and if they are not kept up to date, they quickly become obsolete. 

Purchasing a database from a third party : 

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When you don't have the time or skills to develop a high-quality prospect database yourself, the second option is to purchase prospect databases from a third party.

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For a fee, it is possible to obtain a quality prospecting list from outsourced commercial prospecting providers who have made database creation and enrichment their expertise. This is often the best option when in-house processes are not sufficiently mature, and the quantity and/or quality of data is not yet sufficient for a prospecting campaign to run smoothly. 

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Once the creation of B2B prospect files is well established, as explained above, the implementation of a strategy to qualify your prospecting files becomes the new priority. 

The idea is, on the basis of the data collected, to set up a "sales funnel" so that we can determine where our leads are in terms of their desire to buy, and be able to put aside cold prospects.

What's more, precise and meticulous enrichment must be applied to each lead. The interactions you create with your leads in the course of your sales and marketing activities generate a wealth of information that you need to collect and include in your prospect files.

This naming and enrichment of leads is vital, as it will determine on which prospecting list your sales team will concentrate most of its efforts. For example, it's a good idea to implement a lead scoring strategy. By assigning a number of points to each lead in your database, you can differentiate between the hottest leads and those that still need to be nurtured. 

The management of these "hot" leads will then be the responsibility of your sales teams, who will prioritize their conversion. 

Leads with a lower score will be included in lead nurturing strategies to increase their desire to buy with each action (personal e-mail, newsletter, targeted advertising, etc.), and ultimately to hand them over to your sales teams for closing. 

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Lead scoring or not, a marketing and sales strategy worthy of the name must use its prospect file(s) in such a way that all leads are qualified . The whole point of your databases lies in the enrichment you make and the progress your leads make in the buying cycle you nurture. If you don't, you won't be creating value from your precious files (which, as time goes by, lose value through the obsolescence of some of the data they contain). 

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The most advanced phase in the qualification of your prospect files (which should concern only the most qualified prospects) is carried out by your own sales teams (or by an outsourced agency).

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A well-initiated prospecting phase enables you to establish numerous contacts with the prospects in your databases, and thus to gather a wealth of information about them. All this information is then used tore-estimate each prospect's position in the sales process , so that you can continuously update your prospects' progress towards converting each one into a sale.

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Creating a conversion tunnel and ensuring that your leads reach the end of this tunnel is the main objective of your B2B prospect files, which, once they reach the advanced stages of your sales cycle, will greatly need a multi-channel prospecting phase to convert .

Although sales prospecting is sometimes perceived as intrusive for your prospects, it's the only way you can hope to close the most qualified prospects in your B2B database. 

The idea is to establish contacts through prospecting channels adapted to your leads' personas. You need to know how to use each channel, taking into account the specificities of your market and those of your leads, to create a more direct and personalized relationship. 

Phone canvassing, direct mail, or even Linkedin canvassing will have a considerable effect on your conversion rates, provided you use each of these channels when it's suited to your persona and the relationship you've had with them from the outset. 

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Some of your leads may not have had any human contact with your teams, but they may have been in touch with your digital showcases (website, social networks, newsletter...) for months. You need to take into account all the digital interactions that have taken place to decide how to establish the first personalized human contact with your leads. 

The contacts a sales rep establishes with these qualified leads through telephone prospecting are both qualifying and engaging. A well-executed phone call will not only gather a great deal of valuable information from the prospect himself, but will also increase his desire to buy at the same time. 

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In conclusion, it's important not to overlook the importance of sales prospecting in your efforts to qualify prospect files. If, for the time being, these efforts are too costly to be carried out in-house, you may wish to consider outsourcing to an expert agency.outsourcing to an expert agency is an alternative worth considering. 

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