If you feel like sales prospecting trends are constantly changing, you aren’t alone. Sales reps and SDRs are always trying new strategies to connect with potential customers in order to obtain the best results. By staying up-to-date on the latest sales prospecting statistics, you can get the leg up on your competition.
With so much data out there, we’ve gathered some of the most notable prospecting statistics to help you identify how to widen your pipeline.
Sales prospecting statistics
Sales prospecting supports your sales efforts by allowing your reps to get their foot in the door with potential customers. During these initial conversations, your reps are able to generate interest in your solution and schedule a more in-depth discussion.
Encourage your reps to try different methods and channels for prospecting to cast a wider net over potential customers. As time goes on, your reps should adjust their prospecting efforts according to what proves most effective for your business.
- It takes about 8 calls to reach a prospect. (The Brevet Group)
- On average, 24% of sales emails are opened. (Gartner)
- 8 in 10 prospects prefer talking to a rep via email. (Spotio)
- Salespeople spend about 6 hours each week researching their prospects. (Crunchbase)
- About 90% of companies use two or more sources of data to meet their sales development needs. (Gartner)
- 50% of buyers use LinkedIn as a resource when making B2B purchase decisions. (Hubspot)
- 34% of prospects are open to speaking with a sales professional at industry events, 21% via LinkedIn, 21% via text, 21% via voicemail, and 18% via other social media platforms. (HubSpot)
- 56% of sales professionals use social media to find new prospects. (HubSpot)
- 63% of salespeople who use social media for prospecting say LinkedIn is one of the most effective platforms. (HubSpot)
Takeaway: Prospecting takes time, and it can be a trial and error process. Your reps may need to experiment with different channels to effectively reach and research decision makers. Prospecting also takes persistence since a first contact attempt may not be successful.
Due to the challenging and time-consuming process of prospecting, we recommend having an SDR team to handle the task. This will allow your sales reps to focus more on other responsibilities like closing deals.
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Download the B2B Appointment Setting Guide to learn how to properly prospect and cold-call best practices.
Sales statistics for cold calling
While some may doubt the effectiveness of cold calling, it’s an important piece of a comprehensive prospecting strategy. Cold calling is still a viable method because it allows reps to connect with people who aren’t actively looking for your solution but may be interested.
- 78% of decision-makers have agreed to meet or attend an event that came from a cold call. (The Pipeline)
- 6-10 minute calls convert at a higher rate (29%) than calls that are longer than 10 minutes (22%). (The Pipeline)
- The average voicemail response rate is 4.8%. (The Pipeline)
- 69% of buyers have accepted cold calls from new providers. (Crunchbase)
- Organizations that cold call experienced 42% more growth than those who did not cold call. (Crunchbase)
- Mentioning a common connection during a cold call can increase the likelihood of attaining a meeting by 70%. (LinkedIn)
Takeaway: Cold calling still yields results. As you can see, there are still plenty of decision makers that accept cold calls. The key is to personalize your message for each call. Remember to keep your pitch short and sweet to keep the lead engaged.
Above all, we recommend treating cold calls as one component of your prospecting strategy alongside inbound and other warm leads.
Read more: Best Cold Calling Scripts for Software Sales
Sales follow up statistics
Consistent follow-up is a critical step in prospecting because not every prospect is ready to speak with sales or purchase your solution. Follow-up keeps your business top-of-mind until they are closer to converting.
The need for consistent follow-up is another reason SDRs are beneficial for prospecting. Because they’re focused entirely on the top of the funnel, they’re able to dedicate enough time to the right amount of follow-up.
- 44% of sales reps give up on their prospects after the first follow-up attempt. (IRC Sales Solutions)
- On average, it takes 8 points of contact to get an initial meeting. (RAIN Group)
- 60% of customers deny offers four times before making a purchasing decision. (Invespcro)
- 92% of salespeople give up after 4 rejections. (Invespro)
- Reps who contacted leads within an hour of obtaining a query were 60x as likely to qualify the lead compared to those who waited 24 hours or longer to contact the prospect (Invespcro)
Takeaway: Follow up persistently. Don’t give up on prospects who aren’t ready for your solution yet. For warmer leads, the best tactic is to strike while the iron is hot. If you don’t follow up with an inquiry quickly, your competitors might.
By promptly following up, your sales development reps will increase appointments set for your salespeople. This ensures your salespeople will have more time to focus on qualified leads while your SDRs handle warming up the others.
Read more: B2B Sales Prospecting Strategies to Grow Your Pipeline
B2B buyer journey statistics
Today’s buyers are actively doing their own research before ever speaking to a salesperson or SDR. It’s imperative for your reps to understand where a potential client is in the buyer’s journey so they know how serious their leads are about purchasing your solution. Through effective discovery conversations, reps should be able to identify how ready a prospect is to buy your solution.
- 19% of buyers want to connect with sales during the awareness stage of their buying process. (Hubspot)
- 60% want to get in touch with a salesperson during the consideration stage. (Hubspot)
- 20% want to meet during the decision stage. (Hubspot)
- 71% of B2B customers want to hear from a sales professional early in the buyer journey. (RAIN Group)
Takeaway: Most prospects want to connect early. As prospects begin to do their research on potential solutions, you may be one of many providers on their list. That’s why it’s up to your reps to ask the right discovery questions to learn which of those buyers are ready to purchase. This will also help them tailor their message to address the needs of the prospect and persuade them to choose you.
Download the Ultimate Guide to the B2B Buyer’s Journey
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How sales prospecting trends impact your pipeline
From cold calling trends to buyer journey statistics, we’ve discussed key prospecting tactics and how they can affect your sales pipeline. Applying these takeaways to your prospecting efforts will help your reps more effectively connect with potential customers and increase their quality of sales meetings.
Keep in mind that sales prospecting trends do change, so make sure you stay informed on what the top sales teams are doing. As you stay knowledgeable, remember to adjust your strategies accordingly.
If you’re looking for a reliable SDR team that can prospect, cold call, and follow up with leads, then our sales development reps are ready to help.
