In this week’s newsletter, I’m going to show you how you can use a graph to catch the attention of your prospects, and get replies.

Great prospecting is about starting conversations, and to do that, you need to get replies. Using a graphical representation of a problem is a simple way to stand out, and start a conversation.

Unfortunately, most SDRs I meet do not know how to represent their prospects’ problem visually.

They don’t do it because they have no idea what problem they are solving for their customers.

When reaching out to prospects, SDRs typically:

• Write long emails

• Share case studies

• Talk about their solution’s features

• Ask for meetings without adding value in exchange

But don’t worry, I’m going to show you exactly how to stop doing that.

Here’s how, step by step:

Step 1: Identify a key problem of your prospect

Prospects typically reply to cold outreach when they think you can solve a problem for them. The best way to show your understanding of a problem is to write about symptoms.

For example, I talk to a lot of VPs of Sales and CROs. They are evaluated on their forecasting accuracy. If their team’s performance is way off for a few quarters in a row, their jobs are on the line.

An early indicator of a forecasting accuracy gap is a U-shaped pipeline. The team has a lot of early-stage opportunities, a lot of late-stage opportunities, but a lot less in between.

Step 2: Create a visual representation of this problem

Now that I have a clear idea of the symptoms I want to focus on, I’ll create a visual representation of the problem.

I like using pie charts or column charts as they are simple ways to represent data.

In my example above, I’ll open an Excel spreadsheet, create 5 sales process stages, and add some dummy data to reflect the problem. I then end up with a graph like the one below:

This week, I’m going to show you a simple strategy to book meetings with LinkedIn voice notes.

Voice notes on LinkedIn are incredibly powerful. Most reps do not know they exist, and including them in your outreach strategy will instantly boost your reply rate.

Unfortunately, dropping voice notes on LinkedIn is harder than it looks.

You will feel insanely uncomfortable at first

Most people who have tried LinkedIn voice notes fail because of the following reasons:

• They don’t know what to say

• They sound super stressed

• They speak without clear intention

• They do not finish with a question

But don’t worry, I’m going to show you how you can fix that.

Here’s how, step by step:

Step 1: Know how to send voice notes on LinkedIn

Voices notes are hidden. If you go on LinkedIn with your computer, you won’t be able to send one.

The first step is to download the LinkedIn app on your mobile phone. Be it iOS or Android, you’ll have access to this functionality (if your OS is not too old).

Keep in mind that you can only send voice notes to people you are connected with (1st degree connection). Head to the messaging section, locate the person you want to contact, and look for a small microphone icon (like below):

Sales is a profession filled with clichés. From movies like The Wolf of Wall Street to Glengarry Glen Ross, most people think we’re money-thirsty, always grinding, sharks.

Sales, and prospecting in particular, is not about hard work.

It’s about consistency. About showing up every day and tackling repetitive, boring tasks.

It’s like a gym workout. If you work out for a week and stop, you’ll get no results. If you show up every day for months, you’ll create a habit, and you’ll see compounding results over time.

In today’s newsletter, I’m going to show you how to build that prospecting routine.

Let’s dive in.

1. Define your cruising altitude:

Prospecting without knowing how many people to contact daily is a recipe for failure.

There’s a simple way to fix that. Start by figuring out what’s your target. Maybe you need to book a certain amount of meeting, or your need to generate opportunities. Then, get a rough estimate of your meeting rate and reply rate.

You’ll be able to convert your target into a number of prospects you need to contact. Just divide this by the number of days you’ll be working in that period and you have your daily activity.

You can use my Sales Process Calculator to do what I did above.

2. Build a prospecting ritual

Rituals are incredibly important in sales. We have weekly sales meetings, offsites, sales kickoffs, and president clubs.

But the most important ritual is often forgotten: a prospecting block. Block 30-60 minutes every day at the same time. You can add as many prospecting blocks as you want, based on the effort you need to reach your cruising altitude.

Most reps do not protect their times and end up dragged into useless meetings (often from their bosses). They end up with no pipeline, they prospect like crazy for a few days, only to finish burnt out.

Here’s how my prospecting schedule looks like:

Today I’m going to show you how to generate opportunities with decision-makers (Above The Line buyers as we call them with the ProActive Selling methodology).

You will discover the exact playbook I used to get a 39% reply rate from VPs of Sales and CROs, and how I got 75% of them to join an online roundtable I organized.

Unfortunately, most SDRs do not try this tactic because it looks a lot more complicated than it is.

The prospecting tactics you use today won’t work tomorrow

When I see SDRs prospecting, they are just copying existing tactics without ever updating them.

• They use the same scripts as everyone else.

• They use the same old channels.

• They never try new tactics.

I’m going to share how you can avoid these traps and use a new play that actually works.

Here’s how, step by step:

Step 1: Plan a 45 minute online roundtable

Gathering business leaders of a similar industry is a simple way to create value. They love exchanging with peers and measuring how they compare with others.

You can block 45 to 60 minutes 4 weeks from now, so you’ll have enough time to prospect and gather participants.

Here’s an example of a simple roundtable agenda:

• Intro (5 min)

• Survey results (5 min)

• Roundtable (30)

• Wrap up (5 min)

Step 2: Build a survey to send to the participants

The problem with most roundtables is the content. Without guidance, it gets super boring, and participants often decide to skip it, even if they said they would attend.

To avoid that, you can create a simple multiple choice survey with the following questions:

• How was your {previous quarter performance} vs your plan?

• What are you implementing for {next quarter} and beyond?

• How are you {current quarter goals} vs {previous quarter goals}?

• What are you hiring plans for {next quarter} and beyond?

• What’s your biggest risk for {next quarter}?

Feel free to add any relevant question for your industry, as well as collecting data that will make the roundtable more interesting.

Step 3: Build a sequence to invite decision-makers to the roundtable

Now that you have your roundtable and survey concept, you just need to create a few touchpoints to invite your prospects.

Here’s an example of the latest sequence I have used for a sales leader roundtable: