When it comes to Sales prospecting, people in distinct regions tend to respond differently to prospecting efforts. Take, for example, Europe and the U.S.

To dig deeper into the differences between sales prospecting in Europe and the U.S., I recruited Operatix’s Sales Operations Lead, Stephen Chase (Texas), and Head of Training & Development, Joe Grieves (UK).

In the latest episode of B2B Revenue Acceleration, we chat about…

• The intricacies of prospecting in Europe and the U.S.

• 3 unique prospecting methods to try out

• Changes in sales prospecting due to the pandemic

First, let’s go over effective prospecting methods for Europe.

Prospecting in Europe

When you’re focused on an entire continent, the nuances of tone are crucial for each country. The tone that works in the U.K. (frank and oftentimes humorous) isn’t always going to be the same for outreach to Germany (polite and polished).

Cultural differences often mean that you have to use a different approach to cold outreach.

Joe Grieves – Head of Sales Training & Development

Although prospecting techniques vary depending on the country, Joe ranks the effectiveness of outreach methods in Europe as such:

1 – Phone calls are still the quickest and easiest way to foster sales engagements

2 – Emails work as long as you know what to do in order to stand out in your prospects’ inboxes.

3 – Social selling on platforms such as LinkedIn is effective as long as the prospect is active on that particular channel.

Everyone thinks that their region of Europe is the hardest to sell in. However, when it comes down to it, knowing your prospects’ preferences will make selling a bit easier anywhere.

Prospecting in the U.S.

Comparatively, in the States, Stephen recommends combining calls, emails, and social outreach for sales pros.

Call connection rates are up 60% whereas email sends are higher than ever but email response rates are down 26%.

Stephen Chase – Operatix’s Sales Operations Lead

Whilst email response rates have decreased, it’s still advisable to include email in your sales outreach strategy.

Stephen describes his prospecting approach as leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for the target to follow across multiple channels. The three main channels he’s been using are… 

1. Phone Calls and voicemail

2. Email

3. Social selling

Additionally, using genuine humor when communicating with prospects is a good idea in the U.S. Just don’t push it too hard — let it come naturally.

3 Unique prospecting methods

Together, Joe and Stephen offer four “off-the-wall” strategies for prospecting that they’ve seen work.

1. Be transparent about what you’re doing: cold outreach.

Maybe this doesn’t sound super off-the-wall to you, but you’d be surprised (or not) at the number of sales pros who aren’t totally honest about what they’re doing.

We all know it’s a best practice to get right to the point in your outreach emails (Hi, I’m Aurelien and I have a solution for your BDR team, etc.). Why wouldn’t it be the same for your calls?

Open up by telling the person on the other end that yes, you’re reaching out cold, but if they have 30 seconds, you can share how you can benefit their company.

Joe started using this tactic and has seen an exceptional response rate.

2. Visual prospecting.

Stephen suggests summing up your written prospecting message in some form of visual, like an infographic or diagram.

For instance, Stephen has used a three-circle Venn diagram to represent his solution and those of his competitors. Of course, his solution is where the three circles overlap, showing that it has the most benefits for the prospect.

He sends a visual attached to a message or as a reply to his initial email.

3. Search for other beneficiaries of your solution.

It’s a savvy move to figure out who your prospect’s customers are and to leverage them throughout your outreach.

Find out the needs of your prospect’s customers and weave them into your messaging.

Find out who else could be a potential outlier in terms of benefits from your solution and thread those people into the conversation.

Stephen Chase – Operatix’s Sales Operations Lead

Whether you’re in Europe or the States, sales leaders need to learn how to stand out among the noise. These 3 unusual prospecting techniques can help you get your audience’s attention anywhere.

Changes for prospecting

The past few months have upended many global industries and sales prospecting hasn’t been immune. That doesn’t mean change hasn’t been a good thing, though.

A few developments Joe and Stephen have seen in the space due to the pandemic include… 

• An uptick in responses due to everyone being home more.

• COVID effectively being used as a conversation instigator.

• More relevant messaging.

• More touches with fewer prospects, generating higher quality conversations.

There’s always a silver lining, right?

1. Use multiple channels to get your prospects’ attention.

2. Do your research on your region and the individual decision-makers who are involved.

3. Don’t be afraid to try something new to stand out.