Sales development leaders debate how much research should be done on a prospect. Some companies feel SDRs need to make hundreds of calls in a week to get anyone that will listen on the phone, and do little research. Others think SDRs should put in time to research for specific outreach, work to build rapport on social media, and believe cold calling is dead.
The answer likely falls somewhere in the middle for most companies; there is no right or wrong answer. However, no matter what is right for you, be sure to do these five actions after conducting prospect research.
Enter Information Into CRM
If you do the work early, you only have to do it once. Enter research into your CRM, so you don't have to waste time and repeat research. Set a time on your calendar to do research on your prospects and accounts, and stick to it. This will limit the amount of time you spend researching, and you can avoid the time suck of changing tasks.
A simple 3x3 research method allows you to quickly move through your research and gather enough relevant information to be informed when you have a conversation with your prospect. It's more about ensuring you are effectively using your time than having specific topics to discuss.
Don't Overthink Your Outreach
SDRs make mistakes. You will send an email to one of your target accounts and use the wrong company name. You will build a massive email list and mess up the variable so that instead of the prospect's name, it just says FIRST NAME. You will forget to write a subject line. It happens. Get over it. The most successful SDRs ride the emotional waves when they make mistakes and know that if they just keep working their process, things will even out.
That said, don't overthink your outreach to the point that you need it to be perfect. Your email will never be perfect, and spending an hour on it will likely get the same result as if you just quickly wrote something with the research you did.
Pick Up The Phone
There is no amount of research you can do that will get your prospect to pick up the phone. Calling someone on the phone is hard sometimes, and feeling underprepared for a conversation can make you a bit nervous. Trust me, you got this. Cold calling is all about building up your calling muscle: the more you practice, the better you get at it.
I've never seen a successful SDR who didn't have great skills on the phone. There is a place for social selling and email, but the phone is where the rubber meets the road. Stop making excuses for yourself not getting on the phone and just do it.
Give Yourself Credit For The Work You Did
If you get a prospect to answer the phone, or respond via email, don't trip over your own feet. Give yourself credit for the work you have already done. If you know a prospect is a fit from the research you have done, make sure you tell them why. You should be calling into the C-Suite, and they are likely busy, so make the time you have with them as effective as possible by cutting down the amount of time you need to get to your endgame.
It isn't creepy to tell your prospect that you went to their LinkedIn page, company page, and recent blog doing research about them. It shows you are prepared and spent time being thoughtful about your approach to reach them. Your prospect cannot feel like they are just another number in an assembly line, there has to be a one-to-one relationship built before they will trust you enough to take the next step in the sales process.
Try To Not Let Emotion Take Over
There are more than 45,000 companies listed on stock exchanges across the world. That doesn't include all of the private companies, which is likely in the hundreds of millions. Don't get emotional when the rabbit you are chasing gets away, there will be another rabbit.
If you have been working on an account for a few weeks and have had multiple conversations with different stakeholders inside of the organization, you still might get shot down by the decision-maker. If you spend time finding the perfect company, they might not be a fit because they have other solutions or a process different than you anticipated. You can't let one loss spiral into more losses, you have to move on to the next one.
Doing research is a requirement to be a successful SDR, but research alone will not put opportunities on the board. You need to ensure you are engaging in proactive activities to move the needle. Allot time to do research, and be efficient with the use of your time as you do. It is an important part of your daily job, and it needs to happen for you to be successful. However, don't let it get in the way of actually reaching out to your prospects.