Prospecting: build a pipeline that does not run dry

Decide who to look for, contact them by phone, email, LinkedIn and WhatsApp within the rules, and keep your pipeline steady.

Many sellers prospect in bursts. A slow month pushes them into a week of calls, the calls lead to meetings, the meetings fill the calendar, and prospecting stops until the next slow month. In this course you set up a weekly routine you can keep going instead. You decide who you are looking for, find them in the sources that lead to meetings, and contact them with openers and messages people reply to. You learn what the Do Not Call Registry and the PDPA require before you send anything, and you set up a simple CRM and the maths that show how much activity your target needs each week.

What you'll be able to do

• Write a one-page ideal customer profile with personas, trigger events and warning signs
• Build a lead source scorecard and pick sources by fit, cost and warmth
• Deliver a four-part cold call opener and handle the first brush-off
• Write cold emails and LinkedIn messages and test versions against each other
• Check outreach against the Do Not Call Registry and the PDPA before you send it
• Run a multi-touch sequence from a CRM with a next step set for every prospect
• Work out the weekly activity your sales target needs from your own conversion rates

Syllabus

Module 1: Decide exactly who you are looking for

Write an ideal customer profile based on your best customers, turn it into personas, and list the trigger events that show when someone is ready to talk.

• 1.1 Your best customers tell you who to look for next
• 1.2 Turn the profile into personas who actually make the call
• 1.3 Trigger events tell you when to reach out
• 1.4 Write your ideal customer profile on one page

Module 2: Find leads in the places that turn into meetings

Go through your network, referrals, events, inbound enquiries and lists, and rate each source on how well it fits your profile and how warm its leads are.

• 2.1 Your network is a list you have not written down
• 2.2 Referrals as a lead source, briefly
• 2.3 Events, inbound enquiries and bought lists, judged honestly
• 2.4 Build a lead source scorecard

Module 3: Make cold calls people stay on the line for

Open a cold call in four parts, give a reason that is about the buyer, and answer the first brush-off with one calm question.

• 3.1 The four-part cold call opener
• 3.2 A reason for calling that is about them
• 3.3 The first brush-off and what to say next
• 3.4 Script and record ten practice openers

Module 4: Write emails and LinkedIn messages that get replies

Write short cold emails and LinkedIn messages about the buyer, personalise them quickly, and test versions so your messages get better each month.

• 4.1 Anatomy of a cold email that gets a reply
• 4.2 LinkedIn connection requests and first messages
• 4.3 Personalise in five minutes, not fifty
• 4.4 Write and test three cold emails

Module 5: Stay on the right side of the DNC and PDPA rules

You will learn when the Do Not Call Registry applies, what the PDPA expects when you collect and use prospect details, and when WhatsApp is a fair way to reach someone.

• 5.1 What the Do Not Call Registry covers and how to check it
• 5.2 PDPA basics for prospecting: consent, purpose and records
• 5.3 WhatsApp etiquette for first contact
• 5.4 Build a compliance checklist for your outreach

Module 6: Let a sequence and a CRM remember for you

Plan a sequence of touches across several channels, space them so you stay in view without pestering anyone, and keep a small CRM that always shows your next step.

• 6.1 Why one message is never enough
• 6.2 Cadence: spacing touches without nagging
• 6.3 The minimum CRM fields worth tracking
• 6.4 Set up your CRM and a five-touch sequence

Module 7: Run the numbers and protect the weekly block

Work back from your sales target to the weekly activity it needs, find the stage where your pipeline loses the most people, and set a weekly prospecting habit you keep even in busy months.

• 7.1 Pipeline maths: work backwards from your target
• 7.2 Read your conversion rates to find the leak
• 7.3 Protect a weekly prospecting block
• 7.4 Your 90-day pipeline plan

Frequently asked questions

How long does the course take?

About seven and a half hours of lessons and exercises across seven modules. The final project runs over a month alongside your normal work.

Do I have to make cold calls?

No. The calling module is included because many buyers still answer the phone, but the system also works with email, LinkedIn and warm introductions if calling does not suit your market.

Is the PDPA and DNC module legal advice?

No. It explains how the rules work and where to check them on the PDPC website. For a specific case, ask your compliance team or a lawyer.

How is this different from Social selling and referrals?

This course covers going out and finding buyers yourself. Social selling and referrals: LinkedIn, content and word of mouth covers getting buyers to come to you through content and introductions. Many people take both.

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