What is Prospecting in Sales? Insights from a CRO

What is Prospecting in Sales? Insights from a CRO

I’ve collaborated with hundreds of vendors in the technology space and there’s ONE brutal truth I’ve observed: many new business prospecting teams are unfortunately failing. Over time in this industry, I have heard EVERY explanation under the sun as to why this is happening. In my opinion, most are simply excuses.

In this article, I’m about to give you the brutal truths behind these situations as far as I can see it. This isn’t a theory pulled from a book or Google; it’s based on real-life experience.

But First, What is Prospecting in Sales?

Sales prospecting, simply defined, is the process of reaching out to clients or customers (also called ‘prospects’) who have been identified/qualified as a good fit for a product or service based on specific criteria (ICP, for example). This is an attempt to guide them into the sales funnel until they’re ready to make a purchase.

Sales prospecting can be done in many ways such as through cold calls, social media outreach, email marketing, direct mail, and more. However, it is also more than just simply establishing contact with whoever is willing to listen in order to sell. It also involves:

This is why it’s important to understand the complexity of how sales prospecting works and its processes. By focusing on these efforts, you’ll likely be able to identify more opportunities and have better chances of effectively converting them into sales.

The Brutal Truth on Why Sales Prospecting Efforts Fail

Given its complexity, it’s no wonder that many organizations struggle with prospecting.

In fact, “more than 40% of salespeople” have identified it as the most challenging part of the sales process.

I have encountered various reasons for underperformance and challenges in sales prospecting teams over the years. One realization is for sure, these aren’t just surface-level issues; they often mask deeper problems. This list serves as an eye-opener on what to look out for that may be causing your sales prospecting efforts to fail.

Here are some of them:

Stuck in the Past: Micromanagement by Senior Sales Professionals

You had a great run setting up teams 15 years ago.

You are a senior sales professional who likes to micromanage and control everything.

Your ego has told you that you should be the person in charge of the team.

Unfortunately, your ego is WRONG.

The sales landscape has changed dramatically since then—and so should your approach. Clinging to outdated methods and micromanaging every detail is a recipe for failure.

Thriving in the modern sales environment requires you to trust your team’s expertise, embrace change, and encourage experimentation. When teams work together seamlessly, productivity and creativity soar—creating an environment that welcomes innovation and success.

Misaligned Expectations: The Experience Gap

You’ve hired bright and eager shiny new grads, who have no work experience and have never come up against any diversity. But these hires were based on the fact that you think they will make great future staff members and quickly evolve into top sales performers. You expect them to quickly hit the ground running in sales prospecting.

In reality, the team you hired do not want to prospect, cold call, or bear the harsh reality of NO—they also secretly think that they should be the new Sales Manager.

Sadly, your focus was on the wrong reasons. It should have been on: “Can they do the task at hand, and will they be happy doing the task I need them to do NOW for at least 12 months?”

And no, this is not about avoiding fresh talent; it’s that bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world sales skills is not a small task! Fresh talents still need to be nurtured well. For that to happen, they need the right mentorship, support, and realistic expectations to be able to grow into successful sales professionals.

Coaching Complacency: The Lost Commitment

You started with the best intentions—coaching your new hires, hosting morning meetings, delivering sales training, and doing everything your team needs to succeed.

But as time went on, reality set in. Listening to excuses as to why people can’t make it to work on a Monday morning after a festival is not as fun as meeting clients to play gold and closing those big-ticket deals.

Motivating a sales team holding them accountable and constantly addressing their excuses are faaaaar less enjoyable tasks.

The result?

Your team flounders without proper guidance. They will remain stagnant and lack the drive and direction needed to excel. This complacency not only stifles their potential but also hampers your organization’s ability to meet its sales targets.

The Outsourcing Escape

You don’t want to admit it but you are now bored of constantly trying to motivate the team. And when the frustration of a demotivated team sets in, it becomes increasingly tempting to outsource the lot.

The future stars you hired now spend all day doing “research” as they are so terrified of rejection that they’d rather quit.

It’s now about 6 weeks in, so I’ll assume correctly that some have already jumped ship as they now think they are ready for a promotion or a raise.

This vicious cycle of low motivation and high turnover leaves you considering outsourcing as an escape route. But without addressing the underlying issues within your team, outsourcing is just a temporary band-aid rather than a sustainable solution.

Environment Mismatch: The Silent Office

Your office environment is LOVELY. It’s sleek, modern, fully loaded with nice chairs, strong WIFI and latte machines! Indeed, you are so proud of it that you want to immediately fill it with staff and surround yourself with loyal subjects.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere is not indicative of sales success. Instead of being surrounded by fellow sales professionals, your team is nestled among admin and technical staff, and you can hear a pin drop!

This mismatch in the environment will leave your team uninspired and unequipped for the hardcore prospecting needed to succeed. The silence and lack of sales-focused energy can kill momentum, making it hard to stay focused and driven.

The LinkedIn Navigator Fallacy

You have invested in LinkedIn Navigator but don’t know how to use it yourself.

While it is a powerful prospecting tool, without the know-how to leverage its full potential then it quickly becomes just another underutilized resource.

Your team may be browsing profiles, but without a strategic approach, they’re missing out on valuable opportunities. Instead of generating leads and driving engagement, they’re left clicking aimlessly, missing opportunities that could have been converted into solid prospects.

Too Friendly, Too Familiar

You’ve hired the staff, hosted lunches, drinks and conversations around the water cooler—creating a friendly and inclusive culture within your sales team.

This is great, right? Well, not in all ways. This camaraderie has backfired.

Now the problem is that you don’t have the heart to tell them the truth. You find yourself struggling to hold your team accountable, reluctant to address underperformance or make tough decisions.

Over-familiarity has led to complacency, with underperformance going unchecked and stagnation setting in. The lack of tough love has resulted in a team that lacks the drive to push beyond their comfort zones and reach their true potential.

The Pipeline Crisis

You’re staring at numbers and what pipeline you have in order to hit it. The pipeline that should be brimming with prospects is barely trickling.

The stark reality is that you’re 90 days behind on your sales targets. Any action you take in the next 30 days will pay off in the next 90. This leaves you even further behind in an already lagging sales cycle.

This pipeline crisis puts immense pressure on your team and can lead to rushed decisions instead of strategic, sustainable growth.

The Cultural Disconnect

You’re convinced your team isn’t the right cultural fit, but even with new hires, the same issues persist. This cultural disconnect isn’t just about having the wrong people in the wrong roles—it’s about deeper, unaddressed problems causing a cycle of underperformance.

Without addressing these root issues, simply changing the team won’t solve your challenges. The disconnect between expectations and reality continues, perpetuating a cycle of frustration and unmet goals.

Conclusion: Transform Your Sales Team!

If any of these scenarios resonate with you, it’s time to take decisive action. Recognizing the problem is the first step toward revitalizing your prospecting team and hitting your targets.

There is still time.

About the Author

Steve Burton is the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of The Point Company, a leading technology-focused sales-team-as-a-service agency. With offices established in the UK, US, Mexico, and the Philippines, The Point Company (PointCo) excels in delivering innovative sales and marketing solutions that drive scalable revenue growth for companies around the world.

Bringing over 20 years of experience in sales, sales training, and sales management, Steve has partnered with some of the most cutting-edge and disruptive technology companies globally. His deep expertise has been instrumental in accelerating revenue growth and empowering organizations to achieve their most ambitious goals.

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