The different types of prospecting: how to choose?

For a company, prospecting is one of the solutions to find new clients. The world of prospecting is vast and varied in methods. Whereas analogue prospecting (phone calls, door‑to‑door, trade shows, etc.) used to be the only technique, it is now gradually being replaced by digital prospecting. Strategies vary depending on each company’s objectives.

In this guide, you’ll find our advice on how to choose the type of prospecting suited to your needs.

What is prospecting?

Every year, companies undergo attrition: they “naturally” lose part of their customer base. There are two types of attrition:

• Switching to another offer from the same brand (so‑called relative attrition);
  
• Abandoning a product or service to purchase from a competitor;
  
• Or ceasing to use the brand’s product, cancelling a subscription.
  

In the last two cases, the attrition is total for the company. To avoid affecting profitability, the company must proactively try to prevent this loss.

Commercial prospecting relies on identifying new clients in order to boost revenue. It is vital for companies because it allows them to offset customer loss. Alongside phone calls, door‑to‑door or trade shows, digital prospecting has emerged as a complementary tool.

Online prospecting is an ongoing and sometimes lengthy process. Between the first contact, the decision phase, and the purchase action, a prospect goes through several stages. The further they move through the sales funnel, the stronger their interest in your brand. The challenge of prospecting effectively lies in quickly identifying the client profile to which your offer may correspond.

What are the stages of the conversion funnel?

A conversion funnel — or sales funnel — corresponds to the journey a lead takes until conversion into a customer. It’s often illustrated as an inverted pyramid. A sales funnel consists of four key stages, each with major stakes:

• Discovery: grab attention, increase visibility, get known, generate traffic, turn strangers into visitors;
  
• Interest: optimize content, advertising, SEO; make the visitor want to know more; turn visitors into prospects; identify pain points;
  
• Action: trigger the purchase decision; convert prospects into customers;
  
• Delight (or Retention): build customer loyalty and turn them into brand ambassadors.
  

What are the different prospecting categories?

There are two main categories of commercial prospecting:

• Classic or analogue (“offline”) prospecting;
  
• Digital (“online”) prospecting.
  

Offline prospecting techniques

• Phone: For sales teams, this technique relies on a database. On average, a company makes 52 calls per day; 45% of prospects contacted by phone end up buying a product or service; 81% of sales are closed after the 5th call.
  
• Fieldwork: This involves meeting prospects in person, without intermediaries.
  
• Trade shows: These events can be accessed by any company and are opportunities to boost brand awareness while increasing revenue.
  

Online prospecting techniques

• Social networks / Social selling: Half of French salespeople use LinkedIn to collect prospect data; 67% of B2B companies use Twitter; 96% of B2C marketers use Facebook to prospect; 96% of B2B marketers rely on LinkedIn to publish content.
  
• Emailing: Half of clients appreciate receiving promotional emails; 21.5% of emails are opened.
  
• Lead generation: A commercial prospecting tool based on collecting qualified prospects.
  

What are the advantages and drawbacks of each category?

Offline commercial prospecting

Phone

Pros

• Direct contact with the prospect;
  
• Interactive and personalized communication;
  
• Ability to choose the best time to call;
  
• Quick feedback (positive or negative);
  
• No travel expenses for salespeople.
  

Cons

• Hard job for sales staff;
  
• May generate stress, demotivation, frustration;
  
• Intrusive nature;
  
• Poor quality interactions;
  
• Launching a phone prospecting campaign is time‑consuming.
  

Fieldwork

Pros

• Ideal for staying connected with your market;
  
• Cost-effective (no need to buy contact lists or pay for calls);
  
• Helps build a personal connection with the client.
  

Cons

• Might be perceived as intrusive or pushy;
  
• Possible negative impact on company or salesperson’s image;
  
• Significant travel time required.
  

Trade shows

Pros

• Access to many qualified prospects;
  
• Great place for meetings and exchanges.
  

Cons

• Hard to compete with major players;
  
• High costs;
  
• Profitability not always guaranteed.
  

Online commercial prospecting

Social media

Pros

• Work for both B2B and B2C;
  
• Access to precise analytics for prospecting campaigns.
  

Cons

• Poor results if content is inadequate or low quality;
  
• Requires sustained effort;
  
• Constant monitoring needed to maintain visibility.
  

Emailing

Pros

• No technical skills required;
  
• Personalized communication;
  
• Ability to segment databases;
  
• Precise targeting;
  
• Message personalization;
  
• Measurable follow-up.
  

Cons

• Once sent, emails cannot be modified;
  
• Risk of being marked as spam;
  
• You must stand out to ensure good open rates.
  

Lead generation

Pros

• Prospecting process can be automated;
  
• Cost savings;
  
• Time-efficient;
  
• Long-term ROI-driven approach.
  

Cons

• Risk of fake or low-quality leads;
  
• Significant time investment needed to create compelling content;
  
• Requires good SEO positioning.
  
  

The 4 stages of a prospecting campaign

To find new clients, follow these steps:

1. Define your objectives and target. Do you aim to generate a specific revenue? Acquire a certain number of customers? Precisely identify your prospecting goals. To define your target, analyze your personas: understand their problems, needs, expectations, etc. Then segment your targets using quantitative and qualitative criteria.
   
   
2. Choose the prospecting channels to use. As seen above, there are multiple prospecting techniques. Your choice will depend on your budget, internal resources, and your objectives. Using a multichannel approach is key to a successful commercial strategy.
   
   
3. Multiply touchpoints to convert prospects into customers: websites, physical stores, word-of-mouth, salespeople, expert testimonials, search engines, emailing, ads, catalogs, social networks, mobile apps, etc. Increasing the number of touchpoints helps guide the prospect step by step toward a purchase decision. These touchpoints provide reassurance and build trust between the prospect and the company; they reinforce the brand’s presence in the prospect’s mind.
   
   
4. Track the performance of the prospecting campaign. This lets you evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy and determine relevant indicators such as revenue generated, campaign ROI, number of new customers, or gained market share.
   
   

The different stages of prospect engagement

Depending on your prospecting actions, your prospects and customers can shift between statuses. Correctly categorizing them allows you to address them in the most suitable way:

• A cold prospect does not yet know your company. They may be interested in the features of your product or service, but they don’t have a need yet. Here, the goal is to create that need by sending newsletters, publishing informative content, etc.
  
  
• A warm prospect has a real need and shows interest in your brand. They are likely to purchase your product or service. To push them toward purchase, you need to maintain communication and nurture the relationship.
  
  
• A hot prospect has an imminent buying intention and urgent need. They may ask for a meeting or quote themselves. At this stage, the priority is to retain them and turn them into brand ambassadors.
  
  

5 Tips to make your prospecting campaigns a success

• Rely on the complementarity of different prospecting techniques. Using several channels, alternately or simultaneously, helps acquire more leads.
  
• Build a unique bond with your targets. Whatever the technique used, it's essential to continuously anticipate their new needs. The goal is to offer them a product or service that truly matches their expectations. Personalization is key to strengthening their sense of being valued.
  
• Adapt to your prospects’ behavior by collecting and analyzing data.
  
• Enhance your sales pitch using the CAP · SONCAS method.
  
• Manage follow-ups properly.
  

How to do prospecting online?

Various tools can be used to prospect online:

• Marketing automation;
  
• Chatbots, perfect for handling first-level prospecting;
  
• Commercial prospecting software: Waalaxy, GetProspect, GetQuanty, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Dux‑Soup, HubSpot, etc.;
  
• CRM (customer relationship management) systems.
  

Dataventure offers to implement tailor‑made prospect recruitment campaigns. These are based on performance emailing, display ads, or premium co‑registration. Have a project in mind? Contact us!