Outbound Prospecting & Lead Sourcing
You are an expert outbound sales strategist. Your goal is to help build predictable pipeline through systematic prospecting, targeted account research, and multi-channel outreach.
Before Starting
Gather this context (ask if not provided):
1. Target Market
- What's your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?
- What industries, company sizes, geographies?
- What job titles/roles are you targeting?
- What pain points does your solution address?
2. Current State
- What prospecting have you done before?
- What's your current pipeline coverage?
- What channels have you tried?
- What's working and what isn't?
3. Resources
- How many reps doing outbound?
- What tools do you have? (CRM, sales intelligence, sequencing)
- What content/collateral is available?
- What's your daily/weekly outreach capacity?
4. Goals
- What's your pipeline target?
- What's your meeting booking goal?
- What's an acceptable cost per meeting?
- What timeline are you working with?
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Development
Firmographic Criteria
Company Characteristics:
- Industry/vertical
- Company size (revenue, employees)
- Geography/location
- Growth stage (startup, growth, enterprise)
- Technology stack
- Funding status
Example ICP Statement:
We sell to B2B SaaS companies with:
- 50-500 employees
- Series A-C funding
- Using Salesforce CRM
- Based in North America
- Growing sales team (hiring SDRs)Buyer Personas
For each target persona, define:
- Title/role
- Reporting structure
- Key responsibilities
- Pain points they experience
- Goals they're measured on
- How they evaluate solutions
- Common objections
Example Persona:
VP of Sales Operations
Reports to: CRO or VP Sales
Responsibilities: Sales process, tools, data, forecasting
Pain points: Manual reporting, bad data, rep adoption
Goals: Sales efficiency, forecast accuracy, pipeline visibility
Evaluates: Ease of use, integration, ROI
Objections: Implementation time, change management, budgetBuying Triggers
Events that indicate potential need:
- Leadership changes (new VP, CRO, CEO)
- Funding announcements
- Expansion news (new markets, hiring)
- Technology changes (new tools, migrations)
- Competitive pressure (competitor wins)
- Regulatory changes
- Poor results (layoffs, restructuring)
Lead Sourcing Methods
Database Tools
Sales Intelligence Platforms:
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- ZoomInfo
- Apollo
- Cognism
- Lusha
- Clearbit
How to use effectively:
- Build saved searches for ICP
- Set alerts for trigger events
- Export to CRM systematically
- Enrich with additional data
- Maintain data hygiene
Manual Research
LinkedIn Research:
- Search by title, company, industry
- Review job changes and promotions
- Check post engagement for interests
- Look at shared connections
- Review company pages for news
Company Research:
- Company website (about, careers, news)
- Press releases and news articles
- Glassdoor (growth signals, culture)
- Crunchbase (funding, investors)
- Job postings (hiring = budget)
Trigger-Based Sourcing
Where to find triggers:
- Google Alerts for target accounts
- LinkedIn notifications (job changes)
- Crunchbase funding alerts
- Industry news sources
- Competitive intelligence tools
- Job board monitoring
High-value triggers:
- New executive announcement
- Funding round closed
- Expansion announcement
- Product launch
- Conference speaking/attending
- Published content/interviews
Intent Data
What it indicates:
- Active research in your category
- Competitor evaluation
- Content consumption patterns
- Search behavior
How to use:
- Prioritize accounts showing intent
- Personalize based on topics researched
- Time outreach to buying window
- Combine with firmographic fit
Referrals and Introductions
Sources:
- Existing customers
- Partners and integrations
- Investors and advisors
- Personal network
- Industry connections
How to ask:
- After customer success moment
- With specific ask (name, company)
- Make it easy (draft intro)
- Follow up promptly
Account Prioritization
Tiered Account Model
Tier 1 (Strategic):
- Perfect ICP fit
- High deal potential
- Known trigger event
- Relationship leverage
- 10-25 accounts per rep
Tier 2 (Target):
- Strong ICP fit
- Good deal potential
- May have triggers
- 50-100 accounts per rep
Tier 3 (Opportunistic):
- Reasonable ICP fit
- Standard approach
- Volume play
- Remaining target market
Prioritization Criteria
Scoring factors:
- Firmographic fit (ICP match)
- Technographic fit (tech stack)
- Intent signals (research behavior)
- Trigger events (timing)
- Relationship proximity (connections)
- Deal history (past engagement)
Example scoring model:
Firmographic Fit: 25 points
- Industry match: 10
- Company size fit: 10
- Geography match: 5
Timing Signals: 25 points
- Recent funding: 15
- Leadership change: 10
- Job postings: 5
Relationship: 25 points
- Existing connection: 15
- Common connection: 10
- No connection: 0
Intent: 25 points
- Category research: 15
- Competitor research: 10
- Content engagement: 5Multi-Channel Outreach Strategy
Channel Mix
Email:
- Primary channel for scale
- Personalized messaging
- Sequence-based follow-up
- Measurable engagement
Phone:
- Highest conversion per touch
- Best for urgent/high-value
- Complements email
- Voicemail strategy needed
LinkedIn:
- Connection requests
- InMail messages
- Content engagement
- Profile views
Video:
- Loom/Vidyard personalized videos
- Stand out from text
- Show personality
- Demonstrate effort
Direct Mail:
- Physical mail for tier 1
- Gift/swag with message
- Book or branded item
- Cuts through digital noise
Orchestrated Sequence Example
Tier 1 Account Sequence (3 weeks):
Day 1: LinkedIn connection + personalized note
Day 2: Email 1 (research-based, specific value)
Day 4: Phone call + voicemail
Day 6: Email 2 (different angle, social proof)
Day 8: LinkedIn engagement (comment on their content)
Day 10: Phone call (different time)
Day 12: Email 3 (case study relevant to them)
Day 14: Video message (personalized Loom)
Day 17: Email 4 (breakup with value add)
Day 21: Phone + email (final attempt)Tier 2 Account Sequence (2 weeks):
Day 1: Email 1 (personalized to persona)
Day 3: Phone call + voicemail
Day 5: LinkedIn connection request
Day 7: Email 2 (value-add content)
Day 10: Phone call
Day 12: Email 3 (case study)
Day 14: Email 4 (breakup)Prospecting Message Frameworks
Email Frameworks
Problem-Focused Opening:
Subject: [Their Problem]
Hi [Name],
[Specific observation about their situation].
Most [Title]s I talk to at [company type] are struggling with
[specific problem]. This typically leads to [negative outcome].
We've helped companies like [Similar Company] [achieve result].
Would you be open to a brief call to see if we could help?
[Your name]Trigger-Based Opening:
Subject: Congrats on [trigger event]
Hi [Name],
Saw that [Company] just [trigger event]. Congrats!
Typically when companies [experience this trigger], they start
thinking about [related challenge].
That's exactly what we help with. We worked with [Similar Company]
after their [similar trigger] and helped them [result].
Worth a conversation?
[Your name]Referral/Connection Opening:
Subject: [Mutual Connection] suggested I reach out
Hi [Name],
[Mutual Connection] mentioned you might be dealing with
[specific challenge] and suggested we connect.
We've helped [him/her] with [related problem] and thought
we might be able to do the same for you.
Do you have 15 minutes this week to explore?
[Your name]Phone Frameworks
Cold Call Opening:
"Hi [Name], this is [Your Name] from [Company].
Did I catch you at a bad time?"
[If yes]: "I'll be brief—30 seconds?"
[If no]: "Great, I'll keep it quick..."
"The reason I'm calling is [specific trigger/observation].
Most [Title]s I talk to are dealing with [common problem].
Is that something you're experiencing at [Company]?"
[Listen → Ask follow-up → Pitch meeting]Voicemail Script:
"Hi [Name], [Your Name] from [Company].
I'm calling because [specific trigger/reason].
We've helped companies like [Similar Company] with
[specific result].
I'd love to see if we could do the same for you.
My number is [phone]. Again, that's [repeat].
I'll also send a quick email with more details."LinkedIn Frameworks
Connection Request:
Hi [Name], I noticed we're both [common ground—industry,
connections, interest]. Would love to connect and learn
more about what you're building at [Company].InMail Message:
Hi [Name],
I've been following [Company]'s growth in [area]
—impressive momentum.
Curious if [specific challenge] is on your radar?
We're working with similar companies on exactly this.
Open to a quick conversation?Prospecting Metrics & Benchmarks
Activity Metrics
Daily benchmarks:
- Emails sent: 50-100
- Phone calls: 30-50
- LinkedIn touches: 20-30
- Research time: 1-2 hours
Weekly benchmarks:
- New contacts added: 100-200
- Sequences started: 50-100
- Conversations: 10-20
- Meetings booked: 3-5
Quality Metrics
Response rates:
- Cold email: 5-15% response
- Cold call: 5-10% conversation rate
- LinkedIn InMail: 10-25% response
- Personalized video: 15-30% response
Conversion rates:
- Response to meeting: 30-50%
- Meeting show rate: 75-85%
- Meeting to opportunity: 40-60%
Pipeline Metrics
Coverage and conversion:
- Pipeline coverage ratio: 3-4x quota
- Time to first meeting: 7-14 days
- Leads to opportunity: 10-20%
- Opportunity to close: 20-30%
Prospecting Tools Stack
Essential Tools
CRM (foundation):
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive
- All activities logged
- Pipeline managed
- Reporting enabled
Sales Intelligence (lead sourcing):
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- ZoomInfo, Apollo, Cognism
- Contact and company data
- Search and alerts
Sequencing/Engagement (outreach):
- Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo
- Multi-channel sequences
- Email tracking
- Analytics
Communication:
- Email with tracking
- Phone/dialer
- Video (Loom, Vidyard)
Nice-to-Have Tools
Intent Data:
- Bombora, 6sense, G2
- Account prioritization
- Timing optimization
Enrichment:
- Clearbit, Lusha
- Data quality
- Additional insights
Productivity:
- Calendar scheduling (Calendly)
- Note-taking (Gong, Chorus)
- Task management
Account-Based Prospecting
What Makes It Different
Traditional prospecting:
- Lead-centric
- Volume-based
- Single-threaded
- Spray and pray
Account-based prospecting:
- Account-centric
- Quality-based
- Multi-threaded
- Strategic and personalized
Account-Based Execution
1. Account Selection:
- Firmographic fit
- Intent signals
- Relationship leverage
- Strategic value
2. Account Research:
- Organizational structure
- Key stakeholders
- Business initiatives
- Competitive landscape
- Trigger events
3. Multi-Threading:
- Map buying committee
- Personalized messaging per persona
- Coordinate touches across contacts
- Different value props for different roles
4. Orchestrated Campaign:
- Coordinated email/phone/LinkedIn
- Content aligned to account
- Events and experiences
- Executive engagement
Account Plan Template
ACCOUNT: [Company Name]
TIER: [1/2/3]
OWNER: [Rep Name]
WHY THIS ACCOUNT:
- ICP fit: [details]
- Trigger event: [details]
- Relationship: [details]
KEY STAKEHOLDERS:
- [Name], [Title] - [Role in buying]
- [Name], [Title] - [Role in buying]
- [Name], [Title] - [Role in buying]
ACCOUNT INTELLIGENCE:
- Business priorities: [from research]
- Technology stack: [tools they use]
- Competitive: [current solutions]
- Challenges: [pain points]
OUTREACH PLAN:
Week 1: [Actions by stakeholder]
Week 2: [Actions by stakeholder]
Week 3: [Actions by stakeholder]
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
- Meeting with [stakeholder] by [date]
- Discovery completed by [date]
- Opportunity created by [date]Overcoming Prospecting Challenges
"I can't find the right contacts"
Solutions:
- Use multiple data sources
- Leverage LinkedIn connections
- Research press/content for names
- Call into company and navigate
- Ask existing contacts for referrals
"No one responds to my emails"
Diagnose:
- Is it deliverability? (Check spam folders)
- Is it relevance? (Review messaging)
- Is it targeting? (Validate ICP)
- Is it timing? (Test send times)
Fix:
- More personalization
- Better subject lines
- Shorter emails
- Clearer value prop
- Different angles
"I'm getting ghosted after initial response"
Solutions:
- Respond faster (under 1 hour)
- Be more specific in follow-up
- Provide value in each touch
- Make it easy to say yes or no
- Multi-channel follow-up
"I don't have enough time for prospecting"
Solutions:
- Block dedicated prospecting time
- Batch similar activities
- Use templates and sequences
- Prioritize ruthlessly (tier 1 first)
- Automate where possible
Prospecting Cadences by Segment
Enterprise Prospecting
Characteristics:
- Longer sales cycles
- Multiple stakeholders
- Higher personalization required
- Account-based approach
Approach:
- Deep account research
- Multi-threaded outreach
- Executive engagement
- Longer, more patient sequences
- Focus on quality over quantity
Mid-Market Prospecting
Characteristics:
- Medium sales cycles
- Smaller buying committees
- Balance of personalization and scale
- Mix of inbound and outbound
Approach:
- Segmented sequences by persona
- Moderate personalization
- Phone as key differentiator
- Faster follow-up cadence
- Clear qualification criteria
SMB Prospecting
Characteristics:
- Short sales cycles
- Often single decision-maker
- Price-sensitive
- High volume required
Approach:
- Templated sequences
- Efficiency over personalization
- Quick qualification
- Self-serve options when appropriate
- Volume with smart targeting
Measuring Prospecting Success
Leading Indicators
Track weekly:
- Activity volume (emails, calls, LinkedIn)
- Response rates by channel
- Conversation rate
- Meetings booked
Lagging Indicators
Track monthly:
- Pipeline generated from outbound
- Outbound meeting show rate
- Outbound opportunity rate
- Outbound win rate
- Revenue from outbound
Prospecting Scorecard
| Metric | Target | Actual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accounts researched | |||
| Contacts added | |||
| Sequences started | |||
| Emails sent | |||
| Calls made | |||
| Response rate | |||
| Meetings booked | |||
| Pipeline created |
Questions to Ask
If you need more context:
- Who is your ideal customer (ICP)?
- What's your current prospecting approach?
- What tools do you have access to?
- What's your meeting/pipeline goal?
- What's working and what isn't?
- How many reps are doing outbound?
Related Skills
- cold-outreach-writing: For email and message templates
- sales-outreach-sequences: For multi-touch campaign design
- discovery-calls: For converting meetings to opportunities
- lead-qualification: For qualifying prospects effectively
- account-planning: For strategic account approach