Prospecting doesn’t have to be a guessing game.
Prospecting is always a challenge. For everyone. Yet if you want your sales efforts to pay off, you need to get serious about the work you put in before the first contact ever happens. This is where a pre-prospecting plan comes into play.
You might think taking time to plan slows you down, but it doesn’t. When you do the heavy lifting up front, prospecting gets faster, not slower. The whole process becomes more efficient. You waste less time spinning your wheels and more time with real prospects.
Here’s how to set yourself up for prospecting success every single time.
1. Are we converting or educating?
Start by drawing a clear line: Are you converting or educating?
If you’re converting, you’re approaching someone already in a relationship with a provider in your space. Your job is to flip that loyalty. These prospects will cut to the chase. They want price. You need to bring clear reasons for why you’re different, and why you’re better.
On the other hand, if you’re educating, these prospects have never bought this type of solution before. The path is longer. More people will get involved. The conversation will change. You’re building understanding from scratch, not just pitching a replacement.
Get this step right. Your whole approach depends on it.
2. What is our best point of entry?
There’s no rule saying you must go it alone. Do you have a partner or joint supplier you can team up with? Maybe a distributor opens the doors for you. Sometimes, targeting the VP of Sales or the CIO makes sense. Other times, working through a trade association is your way forward.
Map it out. Influencers can help. Business owners often drive the final choice, but many voices get heard along the way.
Best of all, you don’t have to pick just one path. Multiple points of entry give you options. When you know the routes, you can tailor your approach for each one.
3. People to be contacted?
This is more than jotting down the name on their website. Dig in. Use LinkedIn, company pages, and industry sources to identify the real players: operations, marketing, decision-makers. Build out your list. You’ll probably have to reach out to a half dozen, maybe even a dozen people to start real momentum.
The buyer might not be who you expect. Be ready to work around, not just through, the org chart.
4. Messaging plan?
Your messaging is not about you.
Remember the first question: converting or educating? Your messaging needs to connect to what’s relevant to THEM. If you’re educating, shine a light on industry trends, changes, challenges—things that build urgency for your solution. If you’re converting, you need a message that stands out and simply can’t be ignored.
Don’t blast one message to everyone. Instead, tailor it. Make each message feel as if it was built just for that individual.
5. How often should you reach out?
Cadence matters.
Here’s the rule: The higher up you go in an organization, the less frequently you reach out. If you’re working with frontline employees, daily contact is normal and sometimes necessary. When your target sits in the C-suite, respect their time. Every couple of weeks is likely enough.
Adjust your messaging alongside your outreach frequency. You don’t want to overwhelm. But don’t vanish entirely, either.
6. Other resources?
Don’t limit yourself to what’s obvious. Tap into other resources.
If you can partner up with another company that’s established in the space, do it. If there’s an industry event on the calendar, show up. When your prospect authors an article or appears in a publication, use that as a conversation starter.
Attend conferences. Reference industry news. Connect through associations. Every resource is a door. Find as many doors as you can.
Pre-prospecting takes some time on the front end, but the return is real. Stay focused, be clear, and put yourself in the right position again and again. Prospecting doesn’t have to be a guessing game, and if you own your pre-prospecting plan, it never will be.
The most significant differentiator isn’t your product, price, or even your pitch—it’s your integrity.
Why Buyers Haggle
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Find episode #441 wherever you download podcasts!
Let’s Boost Your Sales Discovery Game
w/ Becc Holland
The conversation challenges outdated tactics and explores the power of uncovering what buyers don’t know about their own needs.
Episode #442 is out THURSDAY!!
Copyright 2026, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of A Mind for Sales and High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results.
