5 Effective Channels for B2B Prospecting

What channels does your B2B company use for prospecting? While there are always exceptions, most sales begin with prospecting. It's the process of identifying potential buyers who may be interested in a product or service sold by your B2B company. These potential buyers are known as prospects. Once identified, you can reach out to them to nurture them through your B2B company's sales process. Prospecting, of course, requires the right channels. There are several different channels you can use for prospecting, some of which are listed below.

#1) Cold Calling

Cold calling is an effective prospecting channel. Statistics show that over half of all C-suite executives prefer to be contacted by phone. You can search for the phone numbers of potential buyers who fit your B2B company's ideal audience, after which you can cold call them. Cold calling consistently ranks as one of the top channels for B2B prospecting.

#2) Cold Emailing

In addition to cold calling, you can use cold emailing to identify potential buyers. As long as you know a potential buyer's email, you can use cold emailing to touch base with him or her. Both cold calling and cold emailing are prospecting channels. They are considered "cold" channels because they involve contacting prospects whom you haven't communicated with in the past.

#3) Google News

You can use Google News for prospecting as well. Available at https://news.google.com, it's Google's news aggregator. In the B2B industry, prospects are often Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Chief Information Officers (CIOs), business owners and other high-level professionals. Therefore, when businesses publish press releases, the names and contact information of these high-level professionals are often revealed. By scanning Google News, you can find the contact information of potential buyers, resulting in a more effective prospecting strategy.

#4) LinkedIn

Don't ignore the prospecting power of LinkedIn. LinkedIn isn't just an ordinary social media where users can interact with their friends and family members. While it offers user interactions, LinkedIn is designed for professionals. High-level professionals, such as C-suite executives, often use LinkedIn for professional networking purposes. In turn, many B2B companies use LinkedIn for prospecting purposes. One report found that over four in five B2B companies use LinkedIn.

#5) Referrals

Finally, referrals can connect your B2B company to new potential buyers. Referrals are existing buyers who "refer" a new buyer to your B2B company. Many B2B companies have a referral rewards program. With a referral rewards program, you can entice existing buyers to send these new buyers to your B2B company. Even without any rewards, though, your B2B company will probably identify prospects through referrals.