5 SALES PROSPECTING
MYTHS DEBUNKED
488 Buyers Sound Off About How Sellers
Get Through and Win Their Business
Authored by Mike Schultz, Jason Murray, and Gord SmithPROSPECTING IS CHANGING.
HERE’S HOW TO GET THROUGH AND WIN SALES.
57% of purchase decisions are made before a customer calls a supplier.

Selling has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and it is true that

67% of the buying journey is done digitally. Buyers don’t want to hearprospecting has changed the most. However, what people say isfrom sellers. Cold calling is dead. It’s impossible for sellers to get through tohappening and what is really happening are not the same things.

buyers. With all the information available on the Internet, buyers do theirown research. Buyers don’t want to hear about your capabilities.

Conventional wisdom usually sounds good, but it can be both wrong
and unhelpful. Such is the case with sales prospecting.

Sellers are given these messages all the time.
In this report, you’ll find five prospecting myths debunked with new data
Are they true?

and insights from the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research’s recentbuyer and seller analysis. Take them to heart if you want to break

According to the 488 buyers we talked to, and 489 sellers whothrough to top executives, fill your pipeline, and win more sales.

prospect, absolutely not. In fact, their opposites are true.

DEMOGRAPHICS
BUYER

SELLERn 488 buyers responsible for $4.2 billion in purchases

n 489 sellers

n Over 25 industriesn 26 industries

Roles
Indiv. Contributor
Professional
11%

Manager
44%© RAIN Group

Geography

Geography
C-Level/VP
22%

Director
23%

APAC
10%

APAC
16%
EMEA
19%

EMEA16%Americas
65%Americas
73%
5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

MYTH 1BUYERS DON’T WANT TO HEAR FROM SELLERS

Because of some research, such as from the Corporate Executive Board

They’re dead wrong. Buyers want to hear from sellers and they want tothat 57% of the purchase decision is complete before a customer calls

hear from them early.

a supplier, and Sirius Decision’s statistic that 67% of the buying journey
is now done digitally, many sellers assume buyers don’t want or need toIn fact, 82% of buyers accept meetings with sellers. These buyers want

talk to them early in the buying process.

to meet sellers early in the buying process.

WHEN DO BUYERS WANT TO HEAR FROM SELLERS IN THE BUYING PROCESS?
To view the full RAIN Group buying
and selling process, click here.

30%
71%

When I’m looking for
new ideas andpossibilities to drivestronger results toimprove my business.

49%

62%
When I’m actively
looking for a solution
to ﬁx what’s broken
or solve a problem.

When I’m analyzing
a situation and itscauses.

BUYING PROCESSDEFINE VISIONDISSATISFACTIONA. PASSIVELY | B. ACTIVELY§ Future seeking:§ Problem solving:
Looking for
Looking for a
possibilities to drive
solution to ﬁx
stronger results
what’s broken

54%
When I’m identifying
and evaluating
possible providers.

After a provider has
responded to myrequest for proposal orquote, such as a ﬁnalist
presentation.

Only 2% of buyers say they don’t
want to engage with providers at
all during the buying process.

EXECUTE PURCHASEANALYSIS§ Analyzing situation /causes§ Vetting intervention
options§ Evaluating feasibility

INTERVENTION§ Identifying provider
options§ Evaluating options

DRIVE RESULTS
SELECTION§ Making a "Go" or “NoGo" decision§ Selecting an option

COMMITMENT§ Negotiatingagreement§ Making commitment§ Executingagreement§ Allocating funds

IMPLEMENTATION§ Evaluating success§ Continuing ordiscontinuing§ Improving, evolving,and expanding

Takeaway: Sure, buyers do their own research now, but so what? Buyers want to hear from sellers, and hear from them early in the buying process.
© RAIN Group5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

MYTH 2COLD CALLING IS DEAD

HOW DO BUYERS PREFER TO BE CONTACTED AND HOW DO
BUYERS SAY SELLERS ACTUALLY CONNECT WITH THEM?

49%

Phone call
36%

Direct mailExhibit at conferences, seminars,
or trade shows

Text message
Voice mail message
Comment on social media
channel(s)Preferred Methods

70%

50%

Sellers who prospect agree the phone is essential, including coldcalls.
According to sellers, of the 15 most effective outreach methods
we studied, using the phone represents three of the top fivestatistics, including making phone calls to existing clients, past

36%
32%clients, and new contacts.

32%
31%

Both buyers and sellers agree: cold calling works and it’s still one

Presentation or speech at conferences,seminars, or trade shows

LinkedIngenerate meetings using the phone. This is second only to email.
80%
78%

EmailAccording to buyers, 70% of sellers connect with them and21%of the most effective ways to generate initial sales conversations.

32%

NOTE ABOUT CONTACTING TOP EXECUTIVE AND

21%
27%
21%

TECHNOLOGY BUYERS
38%

18%
24%
Actual Methods

Takeaways: The common article title “COLD CALLING IS DEAD” gets a

Tech sellers in particular tell us how it is impossible to get techbuyers on the phone. Interestingly, tech buyers prefer thetelephone (54%) more than their peers in financial services(40%) and professional services (50%).
C-level and VP buyers across industries prefer the phone evenmore (57%) versus directors (51%) and managers (47%).

lot of clicks. Many sellers don’t want to cold call, so they want this to betrue. It’s not. The phone is essential for prospecting, especially when you
are selling to C-level and VP buyers.
© RAIN Group5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

MYTH 3IT’S IMPOSSIBLE FOR SELLERS TO GET THROUGH

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE IF A BUYER

Sellers often complain it’s impossible to get through. It’s certainly not

CONNECTS WITH A SELLER

easy, but sellers who work at it get through. In fact, 82% of buyers
say they accept meetings with sellers who reach out to them.

Need for the product orservice now or future

75%

Currently have budget

64%

Provider oﬀers to sharesomething of value

63%

I have a pre-existingrelationship with the provider

61%

I have bought from the provider’scompany previously

60%

Have heard of theprovider’s company

58%

Provider was referred to me bysomeone inside my company

57%

I checked out the provider’s
proﬁle and found them credible

57%

Received informationfrom the provider

56%

Provider has posted
valuable content online

55%

Provider engages me peer-to-peer

54%

Do not feel like I’m being sold to51%

We know people in common

49%

Provider was referred to me bysomeone outside my company

49%

I am dissatisﬁed with mycurrent provider
Seller Controls
Directly© RAIN Groupor not buyers open the door.
n Need: Buyers may not perceive the need for your offering, butthey may want the results your offering can bring. Educate andinspire to connect their goals to what you offer.
n Budget: Buyers usually have no budget for new possibilities
and unseen challenges. Senior-level buyers often never havebudget; they invest when they see opportunity. Inspire with theopportunity you bring. Budgets will appear.
n Heard of provider’s company: Don’t leave this to marketing.
Run multi-touch attraction campaigns and create your own
awareness with your ideal buyers.
n Provider referred to me: Find contacts in the buyer’s company
and ask for referrals. Make new contacts and do the same. Get
introduced through your connections and efforts.
n We know people in common: Make LinkedIn and relationshipdevelopment an ongoing effort. If you do, connections incommon will be inevitable.
n Dissatisfied: Buyers may not know they should be. Show themthat better exists, and you will sow the seeds of dissatisfaction.

45%
Seller CanInﬂuence

Furthermore, sellers control many of the factors that influence whether

Outside Seller
Control

Takeaway: Sellers influence many of the factors that get buyers to openthe door.
5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

MYTH 4BUYERS DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR CAPABILITIESCONTENT THAT INFLUENCES BUYERS TO
ACCEPT A MEETING OR OTHERWISE CONNECT

WHICH CONTENT INFLUENCES C-LEVEL AND VP BUYERS?
If you sell to the executive suite, focus on content 100%

Primary research data
relevant to our business69%

Descriptions of the provider’scapabilities

67%

Content 100% customized toour speciﬁc situation

67%

Insight on the use of products orservices to solve business problems

66%

to take a meeting, or otherwise connect, by ROI cases (75%!)

Best-practice methodology basedon the provider’s area of expertise65%

customized content written just for them: C-level and VP buyers

Insight into new and emerging
business issues or market trends

63%(75%), directors (71%), and managers (63%).

Financial justiﬁcation such as return on
investment and total cost of ownership

63%

Also, for buyers who accept meetings at least sometimes,

Client case studies andsuccess stories

61%

How-to tips, tactics, and advice

56%

Client testimonials

55%

Invitation to events

customized to their specific situation and financial justifications
with strong return on investment (ROI) cases.
C-level and VP buyers are significantly more likely to be influenced
compared to directors (64%) and managers (59%). Same for 100%

customized content is an incredibly strong influence. 83% of those
who accept meetings frequently, and 61% of those who accept
meetings sometimes, are very/extremely influenced to do so bycontent that is 100% customized to them vs. 40% for those whorarely/never accept meetings.

46%

According to buyers, insight and capabilities capture their attention. While many sellers are told not to pitch their capabilities, buyers want a
combination of insight and knowing what you do.
Contrary to popular thought, buyers do want to hear about your offerings and how they should use them, but they want an individual focus on
their situations. Buyers also report being awash in information, but needing help sorting it out. If you can provide research and 100% customized
content along with capabilities information, you will have a powerful content cocktail.
Takeaway: Just because buyers want valuable content doesn’t mean they don’t need to hear about your capabilities as well.
© RAIN Group5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

MYTH 5COLD MEETINGS DON’T CONVERT TO SALES WINS

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE BUYER PURCHASE DECISION(MODERATELY/VERY/EXTREMELY INFLUENTIAL)
Focuses on value theycould deliver me

96%

Collaborates with me

93%

Educates me with newideas and perspectives

92%Provides valuable insight related
to my industry or market

92%

Deepens my understandingof my needs

92%

58%
OF SALES MEETINGS ARE NOTVALUABLE TO BUYERS

It’s one thing to get meetings. It’s another to generate sales wins. We
wanted to know if factors the seller could control, regardless of theiroffering, influenced purchase decisions. It turns out yes, to an extraordinary
extent.
62%

If you want to get the meeting and eventually get the sale, focus on thevalue you can deliver to buyers, work with them collaboratively, and bring

Value-Drivenforward ideas that will make a difference for their business.

respondents were39%

much more likely to
Value converts to sales, but sellers aren’t delivering. Buyers say 58% of theirrate their prospecting

sales meetings are not valuable. Bring the value and you’ll generate strong

as excellent/very

results and sales wins.

good/good than
Non-Value-Driven

Takeaway: If buyers see you as valuable, you’ll get more initial meetings

respondents.

and convert more into sales wins.

Value-Driven
Respondents

Non-ValueDriven© RAIN Group5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

CONCLUDINGTHOUGHTS
Conventional wisdom sounds good, but it’s not always true, anddoesn’t always serve you well. Prospecting is fraught with emotion.
People want to believe certain things (e.g., cold calling is dead). Manypundits have a dog in the hunt of getting sellers to believe one thingor another so they can support their positions (e.g., buyers do all theirresearch online and contact sellers late if at all).
At the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research, our goal is to find out
what’s actually happening. In doing so, we’ve learned some prospecting“truths” are, in fact, prospecting myths. It turns out:
1. Buyers want to hear from sellers early. However, it’s sellers’ fault
that buyers find 58% of their meetings to be of no value.
2. Cold calling is not dead, it just has the company of other tactics.
3. Buyers do take meetings (82%), and sellers control much ofwhat needs to happen to get on buyers’ calendars.
4. Buyers may do research online, but they still want to hear aboutcapabilities while receiving valuable insights from sellers.
5. When buyers find sellers valuable, sellers convert more initial
meetings into eventual sales.
As you think about your own prospecting efforts, take these findings
to heart. Leave the myths behind. You can break through to top
executives, fill your pipeline, and win more sales.

© RAIN Group5 Sales Prospecting Myths Debunked

71% OF BUYERS WANT TO SPEAK TO SELLERS DURING THE EARLY STAGES OF
THE BUYING PROCESS. ARM YOUR SELLERS WITH THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO
GET THROUGH.
RAIN SALES PROSPECTING: CREATING CONVERSATIONS WITH IDEAS AND INSIGHTS2-DAY LIVE SALES TRAINING PROGRAMCOMPONENTS

Nothing has changed more in sales in the last decade than prospecting. It’s more difficult

Live Prospecting: Participants apply

than ever to get through and get meetings. Based on groundbreaking work from the RAIN

what they learn in real time to reachGroup Center for Sales Research, we know what works and what doesn’t. If you want yourout to prospective buyers and generateteam to achieve top performance in sales prospecting, this is the program for you.

meetings.

In RAIN Sales Prospecting, your team will learn to:Prospecting Messaging: We work withn Develop a compelling value proposition and reason to get decision makers to accept
a meetingn Deliver the value proposition over the phone, email, and other methods to setappointments
n Work with gatekeepers to drive prospecting successn Leverage the power of LinkedIn to build relationshipsn Establish credibility, rapport, and trust early in the sales processn Maximize seller motivation, energy, and focus for consistent prospecting productivity
If the sellers on your team have difficulty breaking through to difficult-to-reach executives,overcoming prospecting reluctance, or establishing themselves as valuable experts, RAIN
Group's 2-day live training program will give them the tactics and tools they need todevelop, manage, and sell to a robust pipeline.

you to develop the key messages most
likely to resonate with your targets.
Attraction Campaigns: We work withyou to develop and write multi-touch,multi-modal Attraction Campaigns forphone, mail, email, and social media to set
appointments at a high rate.
Extreme Prospecting Productivity:
Our Extreme Productivity approach toprospecting helps your sellers stay focusedand obsessed on generating prospecting
results.

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RAIN GROUP IS A GLOBAL SALES TRAINING AND PERFORMANCEIMPROVEMENT COMPANY THAT UNLEASHES SALES POTENTIAL BY
DELIVERING TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR OUR CLIENTS.
We help organizations:n Develop and improve sales strategy, process, messaging, and talentn Enhance sales capability through world-class sales educationn Design and execute strategic account management initiatives
n Increase effectiveness of sales management and coaching
Named a Top 20 Sales Training Company globally by Selling Power, RAIN Group has helped hundreds of thousands ofprofessionals, managers, and sales leaders significantly increase their sales results. Headquartered in Boston, we have offices
across the U.S. and internationally in Bogotá, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Mumbai, Sydney, and Toronto.
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approaches, methods, andand achieve high client satisfaction

Research. Our research and field work allows

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producing transformational results

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