Identify and Reach Your Best International Sales Prospects
Trying to find more international prospects but don't know where to start?
With B2B sales prospecting having become even more challenging in recent years, the sales process is no longer linear like it once was.
Spurred by everything from increasing competition to the rise of self-educated buyers - who are increasingly going online to compare and buy - standing out from the crowd has never been more difficult. And this is only made more complex by the average of eight decision - makers that are now involved in purchase decisions - a 43% increase since 2019
A new customer profile
With this ever-growing reliance on digital, the information readily available through a multitude of digital channels means that B2B buyers can independently collect and gather information to inform their purchase decisions.
This puts sales professionals on the backfoot. In fact, even before the pandemic begun, Gartner research into the B2B buyer journey was somewhat significant. When B2B buyers are considering a purchase, they spend only 17% of that time meeting with potential suppliers. When buyers are comparing multiple suppliers, the amount of time spent with any one sales rep may be only 5% or 6%.
International Sales Priority Actions
It's unsurprising to learn that sales professionals are carrying out more research to reach out with value and differentiate themselves from the competition. But with 64% of their time now spent on non-selling activities, resources are stretched. This is only amplified on an international scale, where the awareness of local customers and their needs doesn't necessarily apply abroad.
Similarly, when reaching out to overseas prospects, messaging must resonate with them. For example, even if a prospect is in an English-speaking country, cultural, linguistic and other nuances should be considered - such as editing currency in line with the host country, or being mindful of differences in spelling (like organization / organisation).
Small differences like this may seem insignificant, but they can have a huge effect on your sales. But above all, it's imperative to reach out to the right prospects with relevant, market-specific insights that are delivered at the perfect time, ahead of the competition.
Spelling, cultural or linguistic issues are important. BUT getting your message to the right person at the right time is even more vital. Therefore, getting on the front foot, where you can start building your own list of prospects is essential.
Identifying high quality international prospects?
Who to target
D&B Hoovers is a tool that makes it easy to confidently identify which markets and companies to target when growing your business abroad. Sometimes, size matters, and that's why our data provides more contacts and more global business coverage than anyone, with insights on 220 million companies in over 190 countries.
But quantity counts for nothing when quality is lacking. It's a waste of everyone's valuable time - especially sales reps' - when contact information is incomplete or they're not looking to buy. And that's not forgetting the countless emails that are sent to prospects every day, only to be met with replies saying: 'let me talk to my boss'.
D&B Hoovers deems these challenges a problem of the past. Because not only does it have more contacts than anyone, it has more complete contacts. It's worthless knowing a name if you don't have their current contact info or title, so a prospect is only added to our database if all the relevant information is available.
Where to find similar targets
Our insights also enable you to see employee hierarchies, so you can easily contact the right decision makers. On top of this, they also uncover lookalike firms and company hierarchies (or family trees). If you've sold to a company that has a parent and/or subsidiaries, or a similar business with similar challenges, it's very possible they'll also be interested in what you're selling.
When to target
Knowing who to contact is just one piece of the puzzle, however. It's also vital to know exactly when to contact. Especially in an increasingly competitive sales landscape, where it's never been more important to beat your competition to the punch; sometimes all it comes down to is what sales expert gets their foot in the door first.
That's why our advanced insights are combined with real-time alerts to equip you with the best times to reach out across different time zones. As well as active buyer intent data, delivered by the world's leading intent data specialist, Bombora. Best of all? All of these insights are available at your fingertips on your personalized and customizable dashboard.
Realize Your International Growth Ambitions Today
International growth is a priority for many organizations. But as the global business landscape grows ever more competitive, reliable insights are needed to make confident business decisions.
Fortunately, with the right data and tools, identifying international prospects becomes far easier with the ability to target more strategically, get in the door first, have more informed conversations, and ensure your sales and marketing teams are aligned.
But don't just take our word for it. Try D&B Hoovers for free to see how it can empower your sales teams and fuel your global growth.
