Expanding Your Network of Prospects Within a Company
Sales is all about relationship building. But, not only is it important to build relationships, but it’s extremely important to build relationships with the right people.
Have you ever had a deal you were working on diligently, and a few months in, realized you had been talking to the completely wrong person all along?
Losing valuable time barking up the wrong tree can be frustrating, to say the least.
One solution is to form relationships with a few different contacts within the same company. Cast your net wide, and you’re bound to catch the right fish.
Here are 5 ways to help you expand your network of prospects within a single company:
1. Always Ask “and Who Else…”
When you are setting up a meeting with a prospect, it’s best practice to always ask, “who else should join us on this call?” It’s a simple way to broaden your reach and gain a few new contacts at the company. Make sure your email communication also includes a question like, “is there anyone else I should loop in on this email?”
Then be sure to enter these additional prospects into your CRM (or invest in Spiro’s AI-Powered CRM that does that for you automatically), reach out to them immediately, and include them in all subsequent communications, where applicable.
2. Put LinkedIn to Work for You
If your prospect doesn’t suggest any other connections at their company, you should use LinkedIn to do your own research. Think about who best benefits from the product you are pitching. Then search LinkedIn by title for anyone at the company you are selling to.
The next time you email your prospect, strategically name drop any of the LinkedIn results you may have found. Ask them to “cc or forward” your message to their coworkers, as you think they may also benefit from your product or service. If they agree, a forwarded email from an internal source can act as a personal reference and get those new contacts to open your email and expand your circle of influence.
3. Suggest a Team Demo
If you are sending a link to your current prospect to sign up for a demo, why not suggest it be a team demo? In your demo link, have an option to include other email addresses and encourage a group of people to attend the online meeting as well.
Maybe the person you are having success reaching by email isn’t the person that will most benefit from your solution, or the decision maker. However, suggesting a team demo could lead you to the correct audience that you want to hear your pitch.
4. Use the Gatekeeper to Your Advantage
If you have a contact at a company and it’s going nowhere, then perhaps this person is not the decision maker, but the gatekeeper. Their job is to block the decision makers from unwanted solicitations. Instead of trying to go around the gatekeeper, us them to your advantage.
Ask them questions that can lead you to a better prospect, or even a different department. You can derive a lot of value from the gatekeeper. Ask questions about them, the company, and the decision makers there. This person may not only have the keys to the kingdom, but may also have the map of how to get there.
5. Use Technology to Help Expand Your Network of Prospects
Another way to expand your network is by putting artificial intelligence to work for you. Invest in technology to help you make new connections. For instance, your CRM should automatically scan through your emails and search for possible contacts that can be linked back to an existing company record. This gives you a broader reach within a single company.
If one of your contacts copies their co-worker on an email, your CRM should proactively suggest that you add them as a contact in your database. Software using artificial intelligence is capable of searching and appending data to this new contact. Thereby, connecting the dots for you and saving you valuable time. If you are interested in learning more on how Spiro’s AI-Powered CRM can help automatically expand your contact list and free up data entry time for sales reps, sign up for a demo here.
