Online Prospecting Methods

AI has made executive prospecting almost unfair. Not because it replaces the seller. Because it compresses the research, relevance, and writing that used to take hours into minutes. I’ve carried a quota for 25 years. I’ve booked meetings the old way: Cold calls. Manual research. Long account plans. Guessing at the executive angle. Trying to write the perfect note from scratch. Now? I use Copilot, ChatGPT, LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, annual reports, websites, press releases, and executive posts to build a point of view faster than ever. The goal is not “send more emails.” The goal is send better ones. More specific. More mission-aligned. More executive-ready. More worthy of a reply. Here are 5 prompts I’ve actually used lately to book meetings: 1. Executive research “Analyze this executive’s company website, mission, annual report, recent press releases, and LinkedIn activity. Identify their likely top 5 priorities, the language they use, and the strongest reason they would take a meeting with me.” 2. Two-sentence hook “Based on this executive’s mission, LinkedIn tone, current initiatives, and likely priorities, write a 2-sentence outreach hook that is specific, value-focused, non-salesy, and strong enough to earn a reply from a C-level executive.” 3. High-probability email “Write a 2-paragraph email to this executive that maximizes my probability of earning a meeting. Use themes from their mission, website, annual report, and LinkedIn page. Make it short, executive-ready, value-focused, and include a subject line designed for open rate.” 4. Sales Navigator targeting “Based on this organization, my solution set, and the outcomes I can help drive, identify the highest-probability executive titles and functions to target in Sales Navigator. Include keywords, seniority levels, departments, and likely buying committee roles.” 5. Account strategy “Build me a meeting strategy for this account. Identify likely business problems, executive stakeholders, mission-aligned value, the best first message, the best follow-up, and the strongest reason they should meet now.” Those prompts power 80% of my prospecting motion. AI didn’t replace the craft. It amplified it. It made me sharper. Faster. More prepared. More relevant. Most sellers are using AI to write. The best sellers are using AI to think. That is the difference. Save this if you’re building your own AI prospecting system. What is one AI prompt or workflow that has genuinely changed how you sell? For my entire playbook, check out Moneyball Sales 📘 Paperback: https://lnkd.in/gHunVM8R 📱 Kindle: https://lnkd.in/g-3N52Hu 🎧 Audible: https://lnkd.in/gdY6nHkw All proceeds go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

I wasted 3 hours a day on LinkedIn… for a 2% reply rate. Scrolling. Copy-pasting. Sending “hope this finds you well” connection requests. It looked like prospecting. It was actually blind guessing. Everything changed when I stopped using Sales Navigator like a basic filter tool… and started using the features 99% of people ignore. Here are 5 Sales Nav features that completely shifted our pipeline: 1️⃣ Competitor Connection Mining There’s a filter called “Connections of”. Most people ignore it. Here’s how we use it: • Connect with sales reps or team leads at competitor agencies • Go into Sales Nav • Use “Connections of” → select their name • Layer in your normal filters (industry, job title, company size) Now you’re looking at people your competitor already qualified and connected with. They’re in-market. They’ve likely been pitched. They might not be thrilled with the results. One six-figure conversation started from that filter alone. 2️⃣ Buying Intent Signals (Timing > Targeting) Two filters together: • Changed jobs in last 90 days • Posted on LinkedIn in last 30 days When someone starts a new role in marketing/PR, they need quick wins. If they’re also posting, they’re active. So instead of cold timing, you’re reaching them at a moment of leverage. 3️⃣ Technology Filtering This one is hidden because it’s only in Account Search, not Lead Search. You can filter companies by the software they use. If someone is using tools aligned with your service, they’re already spending money in that category. For example: If a brand is using Shopify + Google Analytics, they take e-commerce seriously. That changes your message from: “Want help?” To: “I noticed you’re running X. Here’s what you might be missing.” Relevance triples response rates. 4️⃣ Smart Links + Advanced Analytics Sales Nav lets you send bundled content through Smart Links. But the real power? You can see: • What they opened • How long they stayed • What pages mattered Now your follow-up isn’t: “Just checking in.” It’s: “Noticed you spent time on our case study about tech startups - want to explore something similar?” That’s a different level of conversation. 5️⃣ Boolean Searches (Used Correctly) Most people type random keywords and hope. Boolean lets you stack logic: ("VP of Marketing" OR "Head of PR") AND ("funding" OR "series A" OR "series B") Now you’re targeting senior marketing leaders at recently funded companies. That’s not broad prospecting. That’s precision. If you struggle with formatting,  you can just plug your search into ChatGPT and ask for it in boolean format. When we stopped guessing and started using these features properly, our pipeline went from unpredictable to consistent. If you’re still treating Sales Nav like a fancier search bar, you’re leaving leverage on the table. Which of these are you actually using right now?

By now, you already know: the best roles are rarely filled through job boards. They’re filled through relationships. Over the years, I’ve refined a method I call the “Strategic Access Framework.” Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ Identify the right people inside your target company Don’t just think about recruiters. Instead, ask: Who has insights about the team, culture, and challenges I want to be part of? These are the leaders and decision-makers worth building a connection with. 2️⃣ Initiate a conversation to learn, not to pitch Set up meetings with genuine curiosity. Ask about the company’s direction, leadership priorities, and what success looks like in their roles. When you focus on learning, you naturally leave a stronger impression. 3️⃣ Position yourself for a referral Referrals don’t happen by accident. They come from thoughtful conversations. By asking the right questions and sharing relevant experiences, you’ll naturally open the door for them to connect you to the right opportunity. 4️⃣ Nurture the relationship long-term A single meeting isn’t the end. It’s the beginning. Stay in touch, share insights, and keep the dialogue going. That way, when opportunities arise (and they will), your name is already top of mind. I’ve seen professionals land interviews and offers within weeks by applying this approach. The key is to stop relying on online applications and start investing in the relationships that drive hiring decisions.

Most prospect research is stuck in 2010. Here are 5 techniques that actually work in today's environment: 1. Behavioral data mining > wealth screening: Instead of just looking at capacity markers, analyze digital engagement patterns. Donors who consistently open emails about specific programs are signaling interest. We've found these behavioral signals predict giving 3x better than wealth indicators alone. 2. Social listening with AI tools: Set up automated monitoring of prospects' social media for life events, interests, and values alignment. The tools have become sophisticated enough to flag genuine opportunities without being creepy. 3. Collaborative intelligence gathering: Create systems for program staff, volunteers and board members to log prospect interactions in real-time. The collective intelligence of your entire organization is more powerful than any research database. 4. Relationship mapping visualization: Use software to visually map connections between current donors and prospects. These relationship webs reveal non-obvious pathways to new prospects that traditional research misses. 5. Predictive modeling for mid-level donors: Apply machine learning to identify which donors under $1,000 have major gift potential. The algorithms now accurately predict upgrade potential 18-24 months before traditional qualification methods. The organizations seeing breakthrough results aren't just gathering more data - they're gathering different data and analyzing it more intelligently. Which of these techniques have you tried? Let me know which one you'll implement next.

The prospecting system that books 20-30 meetings/month 👇 Most reps wake up hoping for meetings The best reps wake up knowing they’ll get meetings Why? Because they work a system If you want at least one meeting a day or even a hat trick with three in a day you need to consistently hit these four outbound levers • Cold calling the fastest way to get live conversations • Email outreach the most scalable channel • Social selling where your prospects are already engaging • Warm intros & referrals the easiest “yes”    How to execute this daily? 👉 Cold calling (50-100 dials/day) • 15 dials before 9am = low resistance. fresh minds • Block 1-2 power hours during peak times (8-10am & 3-5pm) • Skip permission based openers. Get straight to it • Start strong "the reason for my call is..." then bring immediate relevancy • Use open ended questions to drive the convo forward    👉  Email outreach (25-50 emails/day) • Forget personalization. Relevancy wins every time • No fluff, no pitch slaps. Just get to the damn point • Imagine every word costs $1. Keep it under 70 words • Soft CTAs drive replies and move the needle      "worth a quick chat next week?"   "think this is worth exploring?"    • Follow ups win the battle. No “just checking in” BS • Every touchpoint should add value. Not just remind them you exist 👉  Social selling (25-50 connection requests + 10-15 DMs/day) • No pitch slapping have a damn conversation • Blank connect requests win no need for a note • Open a two way convo, seek to understand • Play the long game. Comment, add insights, make intros • Use video/voice notes (30-60 sec) to stand out 👉  Warm intros & referrals (5+ asks per week) • Happy customers? Ask for intros. "Who else in your network would find this useful?" • LinkedIn groups? Start convos. "Anyone here using [solution] for [problem]?" • Past prospects? Re engage. Deals that didn’t close but had interest So why does this all work? When done daily each lever creates opportunities across channels • One day an email reply turns into a meeting • The next a cold call gets a “yeah lets chat” • A well placed DM leads to “let’s book time” When all levers run consistently this system books 20-30 meetings/month Most reps think outbound is a guessing game It’s not. It’s a system Work the system and the system will work for you 👉 Whats your biggest struggle with prospecting?

I've run 100s of different outbound plays. These are 5 winners I keep coming back to: 1/ Customer Alumni Almost nobody is running this one. → Pull closed-won accounts from your CRM → Use Clay to find people who used to work there → Track where they went & qualify based on your ICP → Find phone numbers with BetterContact and call with Nooks The warmest leads are people who already know your product works. 2/ LinkedIn Connections Most people don't know this is possible: - Download your entire LinkedIn connections list - Run them through Clay for qualification - Enrich company and contact with Findymail - Reach out with segmented campaigns using HeyReach You're probably sitting on hundreds of untapped leads right now. 3/ LinkedIn Content Engagement Your content is already doing the prospecting: • Track post engagement across your team with Jungler • Route data to Clay to qualify and score • Use AI to filter based on how many times they engaged • Reach out using HeyReach and Instantly.ai This one is also useful for awareness scoring. 4/ Keyword Monitoring Buyers are talking about your space every day on LinkedIn: → Monitor relevant keywords and brand mentions with Jungler → Get the engagement on those posts → Send to Clay for enrichment & qualification → Find decision makers and send automated multi-channel sequences These are people actively talking about problems you solve. 5/ Website Visitor De-anonymization RB2B has made this very easy: • Connect the pixel to your website • Get data on both company and contact level • Route to Clay for qualification with AI • Find more decision makers and multi-thread the account We see 3-5x higher reply rates with signal-based plays vs standard cold outbound. Any other plays you've found working?

I was an AE for 8 years, and in my time Clay, Instantly.ai and AI didn't exist. Knowing what I know now, here are some Clay plays and practices that would help me smash quota. 🔍 Smart Prospecting 1. Spot buying signals before competitors - Automatically capture job postings, funding rounds, and tech stack changes that indicate purchase readiness. - Trigify.io, Serper and some Apify scrapers can help you do this. 2. Instant lead enrichment - Turn basic contact lists into comprehensive prospect profiles with multi-source data (emails, mobile number, recent news). - LeadMagic and Findymail are goated for this. 3. Clone your best customers - Identify common patterns among your top accounts and automatically generate lookalike prospect lists. - Use PandaMatch 🐼 or Ocean.io to generate the list. 💬 Personalization at Scale 4. First messages that actually get responses - Generate relevant and segmented 1st and p.s lines. Just to name a few: number of department head count, job description posts, recently joined leader. 5. Perfect-timing outreach - Set up intelligent triggers for funding events, product launches, or hiring spikes. - Trigify.io again for this. ⚡ Outbound Efficiency 6. Quality and quantity prospecting - Use AI to create segmenting outreach per contact but use a scaleable email infra + sequencer like Instantly.ai to ensure you are doing the numbers. - If IT want you to have your own server, EmailBison is your best bet. 7. Pre-qualify every lead - use AI to check each contacts LinkedIn profile and company website to double check its within your ICP + use AI to see what are their top daily priorities. 🔄 Sustainable Growth 8. Always-fresh contact data - Keep your CRM perpetually updated so your team never wastes time on outdated information. 9. Lead Score whole TAM - prioritise your market, via scoring, all customized by your personal required traits. Just a few ideas, what other things would you guys add to help sales reps hit quota?

My entire 2026 prospecting strategy. In one post (use it): Channels I use: → LinkedIn - use this for prospecting info and to be a familiar face. comments, likes, messages. → Twitter - great for personalization golden nuggets. → Cold email - short, concise, illuminates cost of inaction. → Cold calls - I have a list of all valid numbers in my ICP. 1/4 people pickup. → Network - If I see someone connected to a key prospect, I ask for an intro and ghostwrite an intro for them. Then I send a gift card after the intro for being kind. → Current customers - I ask for referrals since people hop around to similar companies. (I use the same message each time) → In-Person Drop By's - cookies, handwritten notes, donuts, you name it. in 2026 THIS IS HUGE. Resources: → Claude - I use this religiously to feed me articles, podcasts, blogs, and anything else my prospects are featured in. I also use it for summaries, 10ks, etc.. → BirdDog - best tool for prospecting signals. How I stand out: → Research: Knowing their business automatically makes you stand out. Show that you understand their challenges, business, etc.. → Photobooth - I take selfies with a whiteboard and their logo drawn on it. → Cookie Drop Offs - I drop fresh cookies off at their office with a handwritten note. What I do daily: → LinkedIn - I post on LinkedIn every day and comment on every post made from my prospects. This is the first thing I do to start my work day. → Personalized/Well Researched Emails: 10 a day minimum. Doesn't sound like a ton but it's very tailored to their business. → Research - Every week I focus on a few accounts and every day I research to see if there's anything new that could be helpful. → Learning - learn about use cases your product solves for, why it's important, etc.. → Cold calling - nuff said Do you want me to do an in depth break down on any of these areas?

LinkedIn has over 65 million company profiles. Most reps find 20. The difference isn't effort. It's knowing where to look. Here's the complete search playbook: 1. Master The Three Search Levels LinkedIn offers three search depths. Basic Search for quick lookups Advanced Search for targeted filters Sales Navigator for deep prospecting Each level unlocks different data. Most reps never leave basic. 2. Start With Basic Search Simple but effective when done right: ● Type company or keyword in main bar - Apply "Companies" filter immediately - Use location, industry, size filters - Export results before they disappear Quick wins live in basic search. 3. Unlock Advanced Search Power All Filters changes everything. Combine multiple filters for laser targeting: • Industry AND company size • Location AND growth rate • Keywords AND employee count Boolean terms multiply your reach: AND narrows results OR expands options NOT excludes irrelevant Precision beats volume every time. 4. Graduate to Sales Navigator This is where pros find gold: ● Track hiring and growth signals - See tech stacks and tools used - Map decision-makers and org structure - Monitor account changes in real-time Navigator shows intent, not just information. 5. Leverage The LGM Database Go beyond LinkedIn's limitations. Filter by size, industry, and intent Simplify ABM targeting instantly Build ready-to-outreach company lists Skip the manual search altogether Your prospecting on autopilot. 6. Clone Your Best Clients Turn one ideal client into ten more: ● Enter company name for instant matches - Filter by size and location - Discover new accounts automatically - Export lookalikes in seconds Pattern recognition beats random hunting. 7. Time Your Outreach Perfectly Reach out when timing aligns: Leadership changes show new priorities Product launches signal growth mode Partnerships hint at expansion needs Funding rounds mean budget exists Right company + right time = easy yes. 8. The System That Scales Start broad, then narrow: • Industry first • Then size • Then location • Then signals Test different filter combinations. Save searches that deliver results. Cross-check findings for accuracy. Your competitors are fishing in the same pool. But they're using the wrong bait. Master these search techniques. Find companies others miss. Reach them before anyone else does. Save this for later. Repost ♻️ for others.

How I'd fill pipeline as an AE if I started fresh today. (Send this to your Slack group) Here is my plan: 1. Find Active Buyers The secret? Focus on prospects who posted in the last 30 days. Response rates are 2x higher from active profiles. Quick setup in Sales Nav: ↳ Create saved searches by seniority ↳  Build targeted prospect lists ↳ Update lists weekly for fresh leads Smart reps look for prospects who are active. 2. Strategic Outreach     Too many people say never do a cold dm, and tell you to sit back and wait. Please don't listen to this advice. Here's what I would do: ↳ Block 1 focused hour daily ↳ Send 20-30 targeted messages ↳ Be brief, brilliant, gone Example framework: "Reason I am reaching out [specific insight] → This matters to you because [direct benefit] → Imagine [concrete result/use ask] → CTA [simple, compelling next action]" The big fat pipeline is in the outreach. 3. Smart Engagement Don't just drop "Great post!" comments. Like real talk.. please don't do this. Start real conversations instead. The framework: ↳ Find a post ↳ Share specific insights from their content ↳ Ask one thought-provoking question Now if you did 20 messages a day check the math: 400 messages/month 10% conversion rate = 40 meetings/month There are no silver bullets. This is just an example, If you stay consistent what could happen. Stay prospecting my friends. ----- P.S. Mention someone who could benefit from this strategy. P.S.S. Which step are you going to use today?