The 18 Best Places for Sales Reps to Research Prospects [Expert Tips]

Sales reps run into trouble when they try to go into a call totally cold. The modern buyer doesn't have the patience to address basic questions with answers that anyone can find through a cursory search — nor do they have the time to fill you in on their challenges.

If you pick up the phone without gathering any background information, at best, you stand to annoy the person — and at worst, you could be hung up on mid-sentence. Either way, that deal is probably going nowhere

Prospect research is a challenge that's every bit as frustrating as it is essential — so to help you out, we've put together a list of 18 of the best places to research buyers before sales conversations.

销售对话之前的18个最佳研究购买者的地方

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become a staple of prospect research — it has a case for being the most centralized, effective platform for gathering valuable information on potential customers.

如果您决定利用LinkedIn指导或支持您的前景研究工作，则应采用一些关键步骤。在网络上找到您的买家，并查看其个人资料的以下每个区域：

• Experience at their current job:Most people list primary job duties or major projects they’ve worked on. This can help you get a sense of their decision-making authority and place within their organization.
• 在他们以前的工作中的经验基于寡糖:定制你的消息r career history. Is this their first time making this kind of purchasing decision? Or have they done this many times?
• Shared connections:如果您与潜在客户有共同的联系，请确保在对话期间提出它。询问他们如何知道这个人建立信誉感，并为潜在的转诊机会奠定基础。
• Groups:Click through to their groups to gauge their interests and see what’s being talked about.
• 近期活动: Take a look at what your buyer has recently shared and where.

2. The Buyer’s Twitter Account

If your prospect has a Twitter account, spend a few minutes on their page to get a sense of what they’re interested in. If they've retweeted any articles, take a look at them. If they consistently express interest in a particular issue, familiarize yourself with it.

You don't necessarily have to be too ham-handed and direct about everything you saw on their feed on your call — but it helps to be able to speak to their interests a bit. Adding an element of familiarity to a sales conversation is disarming and often productive.

3. The Company’s Twitter Account

A company's Twitter account can give you valuable information on its messaging, identity, and mission. Seeing the kind of content it's promoting and getting a feel for its brand voice helps you understand how to better present yourself to a buyer.

For instance, if the company's Twitter comes off as stern and no-nonsense, you'll know that prospects from it will probably be more receptive to consummate professionalism than a more laid-back approach.

One way or another, leverage the platform to get a read on their company's identity. Doing so can give you the perspective needed to tailor a targeted, effective pitch that suits how their business operates.

4. The Company’s Press and Media Releases Page

新闻和媒体发布给你宝贵的上下文into how the company operates and has been performing. Being able to discuss announcements like leadership changes, product releases, or financial statements lets a buyer know you've taken a sincere, vested interest in their business.

That kind of information can also help you determine the most appropriate, relevant subject matter to touch on during your call. If you know where their business stands, you can have a better picture of what they need to hear.

5. Their Competitor's Press and Media Releases Pages

竞争对手在过去几个月内提出的任何重大公告都会像买家看待您的产品一样为竞争优势或不必要的费用带来色彩。

Where does their business stand, relative to its competition? If you have a pulse on how their industry peers are performing, you can frame your pitch with a special sense of urgency — you can pin down the company's current place in its market and give yourself the space to demonstrate how you can improve it.

6. The Company's Financial Statements

If your buyer works for a public company, it might be a good idea to check out its most recent financial reports on the SEC’s website. This will give you an idea of how the company is performing — as well as the problems it’s facing.

这一点的价值与上面的价值相似 - 它为您提供了业务所在的位置的参考框架，并允许您与解决方案可以增强其基础的方式交谈。

7. Various Blogs

Read what your buyer reads, and read what your buyer writes. If your prospect maintains a blog, be sure to read at least the last few posts and comment on them during your call. Referencing the company's content demonstrates interest and shows you've done your homework.

You should also look over popular industry blogs to get a feel for the trends and challenges your prospect is likely facing. You want to show that you're in tune with their needs, interests, and specific pain points — that often starts with understanding the nuances of their industry.

8. The Buyer's Facebook Profile

Facebook是一个不太专业，更个人化的社交网络 - 因此，您不太可能在LinkedIn或Twitter上找到有关它的立即相关的公司特定信息。bob全站app

Still, checking out your buyer's Facebook profile to pick up a few personal tidbits about them generally doesn't hurt. But be careful with that kind of intel — weave it into the conversation naturally. You don't want to come off as intrusive or flat-out creepy with an overly personal appeal.

9. Your Marketing Automation System

Sure, this might be the first time you're checking up on your prospect — but it might not be the first time they've checkedyouout. Search your prospect's name in your marketing automation system to turn up any existing contact records or interaction history.

您可能只会发现这个特殊的买家对您的产品或服务的了解比您想象的要多得多 - 或者他们可能对解决方案提供的某些功能或应用特别感兴趣。

That kind of information gives you perspective on their level of familiarity with your product or service and where they stand in their buying process — allowing you to make a more thoughtfully tailored appeal on your call.

10.您的CRM

除了营销自动化系统外，还请您可信赖的CRM停止确定过去的销售团队成员是否过去已经接触到了这一潜在客户 - 如果是，结果是什么。

You don't want to overwhelm your prospect with overly aggressive contact or inundate them with too many sales emails. See whether they've engaged with your sales team previously — that perspective lets you know how hard you should press the gas when pursuing their business.

11.公司的Gobob全站appogle业绩

搜索公司来提出他们拒绝新闻网页bob全站app的任何新闻报道 - 好是坏。bob官网官方网站在走这条路线时，请务必选择高质量的可靠第三方出版物。

This strategy can give you more objective intel about the prospect's company's performance and any issues it might be facing. Backing your conversations with that kind of insight can make you seem more in tune with the business's unique challenges.

12.买方的Google结果

Search your buyer’s name in quotes to surface any other information about them that might’ve fallen through the cracks. Just like researching your prospect on Facebook, this method gives you a more personal perspective on your prospect.

他们是烘焙比赛的冠军吗？业余小号手？出版的创意作家？与该信息进行销售对话可能会解除武装 - 但不要被带走。请记住，过于熟悉会引起一些不舒服的问题或令人毛骨悚然的问题。

13. Quora

使用Quora了解您的前景希望学习的内容。例如，也许他们三天前发布了一个有关公司面临的挑战的问题。bob全站app

如果您在会议上遇到一些相关技巧，那么您的潜在客户肯定会留下深刻的印象 - 如果您可以证明解决方案如何纠正他们在平台上提出的问题，则奖励积分。

14.玻璃门

Looking at a company's Glassdoor page reveals a few important details. First, it helps you understand its culture. Does almost every review from the past two years mention the organization's stellar philanthropic record? If so, you might want to build rapport by asking the buyer about the company's charitable initiatives.

Glassdoor will also tell you which positions the company is hiring for. If it's looking for new employees in a division related to your product, that's definitely a good sign. The organization is clearly investing in that area of its business.

15. AngelList

如果您卖给初创企业，天使主义者is an essential research tool. You can see the company's funding history — including the timing, value, and participants in each round, past and present employees, advisory team, founders, products, launches, and open roles.

所有这些信息使您对他们的业务所面临的挑战有了更好的了解。销售是关于解决的 - 如果您不知道问题是什么，您将很难做到这一点。

16. Datanyze

Knowing what technology your prospect uses can help you personalize your messaging and make a more persuasive pitch. Datanyze offers a free铬扩展您可以在潜在客户网站上单击，以查看其公司当前正在使用的工具。bob全站app

17. crunchbase

UseCrunchbaseto discover your prospect's acquisition history, funding rounds, investors, team members, news, timeline, competitors, former employees, customers, partners, sub-organizations, board members and advisors, and other related details.

18. Yelp

你的工作前景directly with consumers? If so, browsing theirYelppage is a great way to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses. For example, maybe 40% of their reviews mention their poor customer service.

If that was the case, you could give a few suggestions to improve service in your initial email. Or maybe multiple reviewers praise its reasonable prices. You might offer to share some strategies for directing customers to the most high-margin products.

前景研究对于进行生产销售对话和最终结束交易至关重要。您永远不想与潜在客户的盲人进行任何参与，所以alwaysthoroughly prepare for those kinds of interactions with focused, thoughtful intel gathering from a variety of sources.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness and accuracy.