Episode Summary

When was the last time you changed up your prospecting routine?

If you’re still using the same old-school tactics you used in 2017, you’re probably not seeing the close rates you’d like.

So how has prospecting changed? We’re now in an era where buyers often ignore sellers’ messaging, and the traditional hustle of outbound calls just doesn’t work well anymore.  

Why are we still trying to win on the phone when data shows that buyers don’t want to talk to you unless you have a reason to reach out? This is one of the biggest issues with old-school prospecting.

Instead of targeting any prospect that remotely fits your persona, qualify your list before sending a single email or phone call.

It’s time to forget about extensive outreach lists, spending every moment of your day calling prospects, and losing deals because you didn’t uncover the most relevant pain points.

If you’re worried about not winning a big account, conduct an accusation audit before your first meeting. This audit gets ahead of any challenges your prospect might throw at you. Make a list of points of resistance, such as price, time to implement, and time to realize ROI, then write up a data-backed solution.

Hungry for more actionable tips about winning prospects over?

On this episode of the B2B Power Hour, we explore why old-school tactics no longer work as well and what to do instead. Plus, we share hard data that shows why outreach fails and what the most successful SDRs spend their time talking about. (Hint: It’s not product features.)

Listen in to learn how to shift your prospecting strategy in 2023. We’ll teach you why narrow lists are winning, how you can get past prospects’ mental spam filters, and ways to reach out to the most qualified buyers.

B2B Power Plays

Top takeaways from this week’s conversation

👎 The main problem with old-school prospecting is hustle without intention.

The main reason old-school prospecting doesn’t work anymore? It pushes the hustle of sales without any intention behind those efforts. Modern prospecting values quality over quantity — making a certain number of phone calls in a day doesn’t equate to success.


What defines success is whether those calls turn into sales and if you spent your time wisely. A few tactics the most successful SDRs in 2023 implement include time blocking to use every moment wisely, writing excellent copy, and qualifying their list before reaching out.

✅ Qualify your list before conducting any outreach.

Narrow lists win in 2023.

Instead of wasting time with prospects who might not have the pain points you can help solve or aren’t ready to buy, qualify your list before ever sending an email or picking up the phone.

Data shows that 50% of prospects that sellers reach out to aren’t able to buy even if they wanted to. If you qualify your prospect list to make sure they can buy, you’ll be twice as effective.  

😀 Lead with emotion, not logic.

Lead conversations with emotion first, tapping into people’s anger about a problem they’re facing or their excitement to try something new. Capitalizing on these strong feelings can help you earn a champion at the company.

Identify emotional shifts by paying attention to trigger events. These include anything from a new restrictive government regulation affecting the prospect’s industry to a huge round of financing. Tune in to whatever is going on for them and reach out with the right message at the right time.

Episode Highlights

Inflection points from the show

[4:22] How selling has changed: Buyers have more choices than ever before, so traditional selling tactics aren’t nearly as effective as they used to be.  

[8:46] Why deals fall through: Nick breaks down the most common (data-backed) reasons that deals fall through, including budget, timing, decision-making, value, and connection.

[14:47] Old-school prospecting’s problem: Old-school prospecting pushes the sales hustle too hard. Modern prospecting is about time blocking, intentional outreach, and powerful copywriting.

[18:39] Qualifying prospects: Top sellers spend an average of six hours every week researching their prospects. If you make sure your prospects can actually buy, you’ll be twice as effective.

[21:30] Being a problem solver: We break down the three main types of issues businesses have and how sellers can be the most valuable solution for each kind.  

[25:05] The bro test: The best type of prospect to go after is one that is aware of their problem and is complaining about it — Nick calls this “the bro test.”

[32:00] Signs and symptoms: Use the signs and symptoms of pain points to construct a business case about why a company is deciding to behave in a particular way or why certain things are happening —  then plug your solution.

[34:24] Accusation audits: Get ahead of the challenges your prospects might have for you by conducting an accusation audit. We break down some examples so you can see how it works.

[42:27] Lead with emotion: Take advantage of trigger events to lead conversations with emotion, rather than logic — maybe your prospect got a round of funding or is facing a new government regulation.


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