It’s almost the end of February and most of you should have received your targets for the month/quarter/year. No matter if you’re an SDR, an AE, or managing a team of reps, it’s always a good idea to have a clear, actionable plan to reach your targets.

In this quick article, I’m going to show how to build that plan, step-by-step. Our goal is to find how many initial prospect meeting we need to run, assuming we have zero pipeline.

1. Set a yearly/quarterly/monthly goal

The first step is really simple. Just go and find out how much you’re supposed to close, or how many meetings/opportunities you’re supposed to generate. If you’re an AE, you’ll most likely have a yearly target, divided in quarters or months. If you’re an SDR, your targets will most likely me quarterly or monthly.

When you know your big number, divid it to match it with the period you’re evaluated on. For example, a €1.000.000 yearly target, evaluated quarterly = €250.000.

2. Set your average deal size and find out how many deals you need to close

If you’re new to the job, go check your CRM to find out the average deal size of your colleagues. If you have some experience already, use historical data, or known assumptions based on the pricing of your solution.

In our example above, €25.000 average deal size -> 10 deals to close per quarter, 40 for the year.

In January 2022, I booked 8 outbound meetings for 400 minutes of prospecting. That’s 1 meeting every 50 minutes.

Here’s how I did it:

1. Blocked 20 minutes to prospect daily

At the beginning of 2021, I decided to put a 30 minutes blocker at the beginning of every week day. It’s what Skip Miller calls a Power Hour. No one can book me, no one can disturb me as I’m 100% focused on getting rid of my prospecting tasks.

In 2022, I managed to reduce that slot to 20 minutes. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, no matter how busy my day is.

I start my day with this task because I know I will skip it if it’s not baked into my routine. It’s a bit like going to the gym. It’s not the most comfortable and enjoyable task, but it’s what you need to do to stay in shape (or generate opportunities).

2. Started with follow-ups

I always start my day with the same ritual. I pour my coffee, I open my computer, and I start bumping messages to prospects in my sequences. It typically takes 5 minutes as I use one single sequence.

And yes, the 5 minutes include LinkedIn messages, videos, and LinkedIn voice notes. I always use the same asynchronous messages, which can be dropped in any channel or media.

You know I love prospecting with videos.

As of early February 2022, I have a 36.13% reply rate and a 23.26% meeting with outbound. Every single sequence I use (outbound or inbound) includes a prospecting video.

And it’s a lot simpler than you think. Anyone with a webcam and a microphone can be successful with the right approach. You just need to get rid of your fear of video prospecting, and what best than a simple framework to help you do just that.

Here are the 5 steps I use to shoot and send prospecting videos:

1. Build your script

Have you ever tried shooting a prospecting video, only to freeze because you don’t know what to say after hitting the record button? If you said yes, you’re not alone.

Most reps I work with are faced with this terrifying feeling when shooting their first videos. The best way to solve this problem is to use a loose script.

Here’s the framework I use:

Trigger: A relevant piece of information about your prospect. It helps prospects answer the question: “Did this person do some research about my problems?”

Example: “Mary, noticed you also liked Heather’s post about boring hybrid events.”

Question: A question focused on the negative outcome of a situation. I recommend starting with snippets like: “How are you preventing/avoiding”, “What are you doing to avoid/prevent”.

Example: “I’m curious, how do you avoid losing half of your participants midway because of boring hybrid events?”

Teaser: A resource to help your prospects solve the problem you have uncovered in the question you asked.

Example: “If you’re into it, I can share a 3-step checklist on how to run engaging events with hybrid crowds.”

CTA: A close-ended question to get the prospect to reply.

Example: “Interested?”

In the first years of my sales career, I had no clue what inbound leads looked like. The only opportunities I had were through outbound prospecting.

Fast forward to today, I have almost 18.000 LinkedIn followers, a mailing list of 2.000+ people, and over 1.900 podcast downloads every months.

I get a ton of meeting through inbound leads.

Yet I prospect every single weekday.

I do it because it’s my business’s life insurance. I can’t control the outcome of my content and marketing initiatives, but I can control the outcome of my prospecting sequence.

On average, I book a meeting every 25 prospects I contact, which makes calculations easy.

If I need 2 meetings a week, I’ll contact 50 people a week. If I need 20, I’ll contact 500.

My prospecting routine is a trusty humming engine and I just need to keep fuelling it with prospects. It’s generating a steady flow of conversations, which in turn generate opportunities and business.

If you’re interested in building your own prospecting engine, then check my New Outreach System.

You’ll find out how many prospects you need to contact daily, how to get more replies, and how to navigate conversations to book more meetings.

I’m also working on a levels concept to help you create the V1 of your prospecting system, and then upgrade it as you get more familiar with your prospects’ problems. We’ll cover emails, video prospecting, advanced prospecting routines, and much more.

And today, you can get the system for €99 instead of €149. You pay once, and you’ll keep getting upgrades. The price will go up as the value of the program increases, but you’ll get access to everything at no additional cost.

Grab it today for €99 with the code “week3email”.

Price goes back to €149 in 24 hours.

If you have a marketing team, then I bet you’re missing out on opportunities to use their content to start outbound conversations and book meetings.

In “traditional” tech businesses, marketing departments are responsible for Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs). They come in the form of webinar leads, eBook downloads, or demo requests.

And these webinars, eBooks, podcasts, blog posts can be turned into killer outbound prospecting assets. Here’s how:

1. Find a blog post/podcast from your marketing team

Look for the resources page on your website. If your company is serious, you’ll have tons of long-form blog posts, some webinar recordings (often gated), and downloadable content.

For example, if you go to my website, you’ll find a blog, some videos, some downloadable content, and my podcast.

I recently did a podcast interview with a founder who books outbound meetings using user research as an excuse. That’s a great piece of content for VPs/Heads of Sales Development, who happen to be my prospects.

2. Find out what problem it solves for your prospects

One of the main issues I see with cold outreach sequences is the focus on features/USPs instead of problems.

Now that you have a good piece of content, your job is to flip it so it focuses on problems instead of solutions.

In sales, we hunt for problems, and leading with one is a great way to catch someone’s attention and start a conversation.

In the example above, the podcast title is “How to use user research as a prospecting tactic”. The problem it solves is “building a prospecting sequence when you don’t have a clear product-market fit, with Jack Lancaster”.

3. Summarize your findings in a quick Tolstoy video

The podcast with Jack is packed with nuggets of value, but it’s 35 minutes long. No one has time to listen to it.

So instead of sending it as is in my prospecting sequence, I’ll record a quick Tolstoy video where I talk about the problem and list the key points of the podcast.

Here are the 4 key points in my user research sequence example:

• Have a clear ICP
• Know your prospects’ problems
• Lead with these problems
• Ask if a user research call would make sense

I’m simply curating a long resource and making it more accessible to my prospects.

4. Add 2 call-to-actions

Now that the video is ready, add a call-to-action leading to the resource you just summarized, and a call-to-action to your calendar link.

This will help intrigued prospects explore the resource in details and/or book a call with you.

Some prospects won’t watch the video, and this is fine. Some will be interested and will listen to the podcast. Some will even reply to the video or book a meeting.

5. Pitch the resource in your sequence

Now don’t include this video in your prospecting sequence. Most reps are adding links to their email/LinkedIn texts, thinking prospects will stop everything they do to click on them.

In most people’s minds, a link in an unsolicited message equals a cyber threat, or someone trying to sell them something.

Use your copy to tease the resource instead. I recommend using a problem-centric question, followed by a teaser.

For example:

“Mary, curious to know how you’re preventing your reps from turning people off with pushy cold outreach. If you’re into it, I have a quick resource on how they can use user research to get a 38% reply rate.”

And don’t forget one thing:

Outbound prospecting is about starting conversations, and leading with problems is the shortest path to meetings.

And if you need a simple framework to create outbound prospecting sequences that get a 38% reply rate and an 11% meeting rate on LinkedIn, go check the New Outreach System. It’s been purchased by more than 100 salespeople, and I’m bumping the price to €149 in 24 hours.

I’m working on a levels concept to help you create the V1 of your prospecting system, and then upgrade it as you get more familiar with your prospects’ problems. We’ll cover emails, video prospecting, advanced prospecting routines, and much more.

And you can access all of it for €79 instead of €149 in the next 24 hours.

2022 is in full motion and I have recently discovered a prospecting tactic that allowed me to book 4 meetings for Tolstoy. It’s inspired by one of my students, Jack Lancaster.

Jack is the co-founder of Spoke.ai and a product guy by nature. He has been working at N26 for a while, before launching d a few businesses successfully. Now he’s trying to help Product Managers share information across remote organizations.

He has decided to try user research as a trigger to get in touch with product managers, and book meetings with them. Here’s his tactic and how you can use it too:

1. Have a clear ICP

First thing to do is to understand who you’re trying to reach out to. I typically separate prospects into two categories:

• Above The Line Buyer (ATL): Fiscal buyers, typically decide/change budgets based on their key initiatives
• Below The Line Buyer (BTL): User buyers, typically own budgets and cannot go above without the ATL’s permission

For example, a CRO (ATL) of a €200M ARR SaaS won’t have the same problems as the Head of Sales Development (BTL) of a €10M ARR EdTech business.

2. Know your prospects’ problems

ATLs and BTLs have totally different problems and initiatives.

ATLs will typically worry about strategic problems and initiatives like risks, market shares, brand, or time. BTLs will focus on more specific problems like how to get a raise, how to avoid being fired, how to hire people fast enough, and so on.

For example, a CRO is worrying about reaching her €300M ARR target within 12 months, when a Head of Sales Development is freaking out about his +30% opportunities quota.

These goals come with a series of problems and challenges to overcome.

3. Lead with these problems

Now that you know who to speak to, and what problems they care for, include the exact wording you found in your outreach. Be as precise and descriptive as possible.

For example, I’ll ask the CRO what she’s doing to prevent sales reps from quitting when she announces that every one of them has to generate opportunities through outbound.

For the Head of Sales Development, I’ll ask how he’s planning on reaching his goals with a team of SDRs who only deals with inbound leads.

4. Ask if a user research call would make sense

Finally, ask if they would be interested in telling you more about these challenges, because you may have something of interest for them.

For example, I’ll write:

“If any of these issues sound familiar, would it be a bad idea to hop on a quick chat so I can give you insights on how to mitigate them?”

And I insist on the “would it be a bad idea”. It’s a negative reversing sentence that works extremely well in cold outreach.

In summary:

• Know your ICP
• Know their problems
• Lead with these problems
• Ask for a user research call

Be an aspirin, not a vitamin.

And if you need a simple framework to find your Ideal Customer Profile, find out what problems they are working on, and build your outreach sequence based on them, go check the New Outreach System. Use the code “week2email” on checkout to get a €20 discount.

2022 has officially started and I’m back in Berlin after 12 days of holiday. I completely shut down and paused my normal activities and routines, including my prospecting.

And getting back to it on Monday was challenging, to say the least. I was rusty, I didn’t really remember what I was supposed to say, and the quality of my outreach was down. But I still got 5 replies and booked one meeting.

Here are the 4 steps I took to get back to it, and you can do it too:

1. Acknowledged that I was rusty

I switched off on the 23rd of December to spend time with my family and enjoy some great food. I completely stopped posting on LinkedIn, prospecting, and taking calls. I was totally off.

So when I went back to it on Monday morning at 08:00, it was a struggle. I stopped using my prospecting muscle for a while, and I could feel it.

My prospecting videos weren’t fluid, I was stuttering when leaving voice notes, but I didn’t care. I just focused on executing, and repetition would get me back to my pre-holiday level in no time.

2. Started with follow-ups

As my last touchpoints were on the 23rd of December, I followed up with every prospect as if the cadence hadn’t been interrupted. I review my 6-step sequence structure, checked the content of each touchpoint, and followed up with the right one.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy. I had lost the flow of words, I kept stuttering and I had to redo my prospecting videos a few times. In total, it took me 10 minutes (it normally takes around half of it when I’m working at normal speed).

3. Found 5 new prospects

I use 3 sources to find 5 interesting prospects on LinkedIn, every day:

• Profile viewers
• My post likes/comments
• Other people’s post likes/comments

As I hadn’t posted for 12 days, I only found 2 interesting prospects from my profile viewers. I captured them into my Outbound Prospecting List (more on that next week).

I then went to the last post I did on the 23rd of December, and luckily I found 3 interesting prospects. This task took me 15 minutes, which is again longer than normal.

4. Reached out to them

Finally, I quickly reviewed my prospecting scripts and engaged with these 5 news prospects.

It wasn’t nice to watch. It took me longer than before, I was confused and it felt like going back to the gym after a 2-week spring break (you know when everything cracks in your body…).

But after 4 days, I was back to my cruising altitude. This morning I started with my prospecting block and I was done in 20 minutes.

You can do it too. Your performance in Q1 will be determined by the pipeline you build in the next 3 – 4 weeks, so don’t spend too much time planning.

Start executing today.

And if you’re interested in building your prospecting routine for 2022, grab the New Outreach System for €59 instead of €79. Use the code “thursday20” on checkout.

It’s nearly the end of 2021. I am heading back to Berlin tonight and I had some time this morning to do a retrospective of the last 12 months.

2021 has been a fantastic year, and here’s my list of top resources and wins:

Most downloaded free resource

• What: The Ultimate LinkedIn Outreach Sequence
• Downloads: 1.711
• Why: This simple 6-step sequence perfectly illustrates my outbound prospecting philosophy. It shows you how to write a connection request, how to use video and LinkedIn voice notes, and a simple framework I use to get a 38% reply rate and an 11% meeting rate.

Most purchased online training

• What: The New Outreach System
• Purchases: 75
• Why: As a student of the course shared, this course is “the missing link” if you’re in sales. With a 5-star rating, it’s a simple 90-minute resource to build a prospecting routine. Grab it for €59 with the code “2022”. (24 hours only)

Most downloaded podcast episode

• What: From founder-led sales to building a fast-growing tech sales org, with Frederic Krahforst and Tyrone Smith
• Downloads: 329
• Why: Pivoting from selling as a founder to building a team is a recurring challenge. Fred and Tyrone shared how they did it.

Most consulted blog post

• What: The ultimate guide to inside sales prospecting in 2020
• Views: 333
• Why: One of the only SEO-optimized blog posts I did. I guess writing with keywords actually works.

My proudest moment

• What: Being interviewed by Josh Braun on his podcast
• Why: Josh has always been a role model for me and being invited by him to come to speak on his podcast was something I never thought would happen.

Picture of the year

At the beginning of 2021, I decided to prospect every single weekday I was working. The year 2020 had been really challenging for my business, and I committed to outbound prospecting in order to make 2021 more successful.

2021 was my best year so far, and I didn’t expect such a simple habit to create the results it did.

Here are the stats of 216 days of prospecting:

1081 prospects contacted

When I started the year, I calculated my cruising altitude and found out that I needed to add 5 new prospects to my sequence every single day. With that number, I would be able to reach my targets.

It was relatively simple to find these 5 prospects every day, thanks to 3 main sources:

• People who visited my LinkedIn profile/like or commented on my posts
• People who reacted to thought leaders’ posts
• People who attended LinkedIn events

374 prospects replied (34.6% reply rate)

In order to increase my replies, I created a 4-step outreach sequence on LinkedIn. I added 2 email touchpoints mid-year and then finished with a 5-step sequence that looks like that:

• Step 1: LinkedIn connection request
• Step 2: Tolstoy video
• Step 3: LinkedIn voice note
• Step 4: Tolstoy video (with 3 video paths)
• Step 5: LinkedIn text

If you want to know how I structured each touchpoint, download my Ultimate LinkedIn Outreach Sequence.

53 meetings booked (14.2% meeting rate)

Most conversations I had didn’t lead to a meeting right away, but a good amount of prospects came back a few months later as inbound leads. I also had a lot of introductions and congratulations because people loved the creativity and relevance of my outreach.

And this was a key learning for 2021.

Prospecting is about starting conversations and proactively building relationships. When your goal is to get replies, you’ll end up having more meetings, more introductions, and more business.

But this requires building a prospecting routine and sticking to it. And if you need help building yours for 2022, go check The New Outreach System.

It’s €39 instead of €79 for the next 24 hours. Just use the code “almostchristmas” on checkout.

Cheers,
Thibaut

It’s been a few months since I discovered a new video prospecting tool called Tolstoy. Most of my last emails and LinkedIn posts have been about the use cases I have discovered while I was using the tool.

After a few exchanges with the co-founders Dov and Omer, we thought it would be a good idea to have me as an advisor. Here’s why:

I love the vision and execution of the team

I heard about Tolstoy for the first time in a coaching call I was having with one of my students. I went to the website and loved that the tool was free (it still is, but that won’t be the case forever).

The team is currently identifying the product/marketing fit and focusing on collecting data from different ICPs. They chose to keep the product free while they are doing that, which I find brilliant.

The word of mouth around the product is great and a lot of my students have reported great results using Tolstoy. A CSO even called me to tell me one of his SDRs booked her first meeting with a Tolstoy video!

Here are some examples of how salespeople love Tolstoy: