Commercial prospecting or lead generation is a process that consists of identifying the people or entities corresponding to the customer profile sought by a company. More commonly known as "potential customers", these may be individuals or businesses. Commercial prospecting is an approach based on a methodical and structured marketing strategy . Prospectors, also known as sales representatives or business development representatives, are the actors of commercial prospecting. They establish contact with new potential customers using different approach techniques, including: field trips; outgoing calls; sending e-mail or sms. With increased competition, commercial prospecting becomes a vital element for companies. The marketing strategy to adopt will depend on the size of the sales force .

What place does commercial prospecting occupy in the sales process? Commercial prospecting is the first step in the sales process . The latter designates all the operations aimed at transforming prospects into customers in the context of marketing and sales business-to-business or b2b . In a b2b sales process, the term "sales pipeline" is generally Whatsapp phone number list used to describe the process of converting prospects into customers. In order to sell a product or service well, the first step is to contact the company's potential customers, but it must first identify them. It is at this stage of the sales process that commercial prospecting comes into play. The objective is to define in the reliable customer base.

The audience segments adapted to the type of product or service offered. How to start commercial prospecting? Commercial prospecting is a process that requires a thoughtful methodology, great involvement and a lot of time. To obtain new customers and thus develop turnover, it is important to deliver the message adapted to the profile and the targeted channel (postal mail, e-mail or telephone). Determine the profile of the ideal client the profile of the ideal customer or icp (ideal customer profile) represents the first point to study in any prospecting operation. This is a description of the perfect type of customer. To establish the profile , several criteria must be taken into account: the area of ​​the activity.