Adjusting your prospecting to a new department

I started a new role a in May and am selling to a new department.


At my previous company, I'd say that cold prospecting via targeted emails was a huge strength of mine (my cold call skills are about even). I assumed the cold emailing would carry over as well. The targeted emails I'm sending that would usually result in meetings aren't getting any responses.


I'm trying to isolate whether it's my messaging, targeting, or if email is just not effective for this role.


How has the rest of the WR adjusted their prospecting methods when selling to new departments/personas?

🔎 Prospecting
💌 Cold Emailing
5
InQ5WeTrust
Arsonist
4
No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL
Really work on understanding your ICP and refining your messaging. 

Try LinkedIn as well, be willing to nurture relationships on there before you reap them. 
RedLightning
Politicker
0
Mid-Market AE
Yeah, I can absolutely do a better job of understanding who my ICP and what their day to day looks like. 

Personally, I've felt that director and above see the big picture and if I can swoop in with a good assessment of what they're trying to accomplish and how we can help i've got a good shot at getting a meeting. 

I'll glean that info from press releases, hiring trends, job descriptions, their past focuses, and as well as calling into orgs. It's not landing at all in this role and that's what's giving me concern. 
barney2021
Tycoon
1
Account Executive
Deep research into new personas. I would get that information from clients that you have a good relationship or from your internal staff. E.g. When I sold to legal, the first thing I did was speak to my in house legal team about their pain and what would make them respond to an email.
mitts2
Politicker
0
Account Executive
What is the old department? and what is the new department?

Initial thoughts are your targeting and email are not the issue. I assume you were trained on how to identify the correct buying persona. If that is the case, I don't think targeting is your issue. If you think email is the problem, move to heavy LI and cold calls, see if that has an effect. 

My assumption is your messaging needs work, which is totally normal as you ramp on a new job. Ask other reps what messaging is working. Sounds like you are pretty good at writing personalized emails, you just need a kick in the right direction
RedLightning
Politicker
0
Mid-Market AE
Marketing, specifically performance type marketing - so demand gen usually directors or above.

I sell into communications and PR now. I'd expect at the very least some no's. But nothing seems to click, which makes me think it's targeting. 
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Ah performance marketing is my industry, bummer. 

what do you mean by targeting? Are you going after the same titles your coworkers are going after?
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
At the end of the day it should boil down to the same strategy:
- Why am I reaching out to you?
- Why should you care?

Try and hit those points in every email and you are bound to get some responses. 

Also worth noting, we are in one of the worst seasons for responses (late summer). Lots of people are OOO and on vacation. 
RedLightning
Politicker
1
Mid-Market AE
My normal approach is 

Subject line tied to relevancy

- relevancy/why/my outreach trigger

- When that happens orgs/teams tend to do X, then I tie my pitch into that

- Then I got with a CTA. Usually interest based rather than time.
mitts2
Politicker
1
Account Executive
Got it, strucutre makes sense. Lean on some senior teammates to see what they have been doing that has been successful. Switch up your mediums if possible.
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