The Prospecting Playbook: 12 Methods for Agency Client Acquisition

Did you know that, on average, companies lose 10-30% of their customers every year? Given this mind-boggling number, it shouldn’t be surprising that digital marketing agencies that are just starting out should double down on prospecting. 

In this article, we will take a closer look at sales prospecting and explore the 12 most effective prospecting methods.

What Is Sales Prospecting?

Sales prospecting is the process of searching for potential customers—prospects—who are likely to need your digital agency’s products or services. 

Sales prospecting is the first step in the sales cycle. A successful prospecting strategy ensures that your agency can consistently generate high-quality leads.

So, let’s take a look at the top prospecting methods to add to your strategy.

1. Define Your Target Market

Before diving into prospecting, it's essential to define your target market. Knowing who your ideal customers are helps your sales team focus their efforts on those who are most likely to benefit from your services. 

2. Create an Ideal Customer Profile

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a detailed description of the type of company or organization that would benefit the most from your agency’s services. An ICP includes characteristics such as industry, company size, location, and pain points that the product or service can effectively address. 

Creating an ICP helps your agency focus its marketing and sales efforts on prospects that are most likely to become successful and long-term customers.

Did you decide to tap into one of the best niches for marketing agencies? Let’s take a look at an example of creating an ICP for a marketing agency specializing in healthcare. An ICP might be a mid-sized healthcare facility, such as a regional hospital with 100-200 beds located in a suburban area. 

This hospital may be looking to increase patient engagement and attract more patients through digital marketing strategies, such as SEO, social media marketing, and patient-centric content. The hospital might be struggling with outdated marketing tactics and needs a digital transformation to remain competitive in the healthcare industry.

Create a Buyer Persona

The next step after coming up with an ICP is creating an ideal buyer persona. 

A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of a typical decision-maker who will have the final say in whether or not to purchase your agency’s marketing services. A buyer persona includes demographic details, behavior patterns, motivations, pain points, and goals. 

For sales reps working at a digital marketing agency that targets hospitals, a buyer persona might be a typical Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of a mid-sized hospital.

This CMO might be in their 40s, with over 15 years of experience in healthcare marketing, responsible for overseeing the hospital's marketing strategies, increasing patient engagement, and improving the hospital's online presence. The CMO might be driven by the need to demonstrate ROI on marketing campaigns, keep up with digital trends, and manage a limited marketing budget.

With this buyer persona in mind, sales reps can customize their prospecting script to address the CMO's specific pain points and goals.

For instance, they could highlight how the agency's services have helped similar hospitals increase patient engagement through targeted social media campaigns and SEO strategies. By aligning the pitch with the CMO's objectives and challenges, sales reps can increase their chances of engaging the prospect effectively.

Tip: These 10 steps of a digital marketing strategy can guide you in creating a plan that drives results for your clients.

3. Use a Sales Prospecting Tool

Here’s how sales reps at digital marketing agencies can use various sales prospecting tools to streamline their workflow and improve their results.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

CRM software is the backbone of any sales prospecting strategy. It helps organize and track all interactions with prospects, from the initial outreach to the final sale.

For example, a digital marketing agency might use Vendasta’s white-label CRM to manage their contacts by creating profiles with NAP data, decision-makers' biographical information, and links to social pages.

CRM empowers sales reps to rank prospects based on their level of engagement with sales outreach, such as email opens and clickthroughs. 

CRMs often integrate with email marketing platforms to create automated workflows. These workflows are triggered by customizable actions or customer behaviors, such as signing up for a newsletter, abandoning a cart, or making a purchase. The CRM tracks these actions and sends relevant, timely emails automatically, without the need for manual intervention. 

Below is an overview of 10 steps for effective CRM lead generation:

Lead Generation Tools

Lead generation tools help identify and qualify potential customers. LinkedIn Sales Navigator, for instance, allows sales reps to filter through LinkedIn’s vast network to find decision-makers in target industries.

Vendasta’s Snapshot Report is an unparalleled lead-generation tool tailored to marketing agencies. This white-labeled report lists weaknesses in a potential client’s online presence and serves as a great engagement point in a sales outreach campaign.

A client intake form is another excellent tool for prospecting. By crafting a well-structured form with targeted questions, sales teams can quickly gather information about a prospect’s needs, budget, and goals. This helps in determining whether the prospect is a good fit for your agency.

Here are some example questions to include:

• What are your primary marketing goals?
• What is your current monthly marketing budget?
• What digital marketing services are you interested in?

Tip: Learning how to find clients in digital marketing is essential for scaling your agency, and it starts with effective client communication strategies that build trust and understanding.

4. Host a Webinar

Hosting webinars is one of the most effective prospecting methods that not only attracts potential customers but also positions your marketing agency as an industry expert while offering a unique opportunity to engage with prospects. 

For instance, a digital marketing agency can host a webinar on “Optimizing Social Media Campaigns for Maximum ROI.” This topic will appeal to businesses looking to improve their social media marketing efforts and position the agency as an expert player in the marketing industry.

Webinars are not just about delivering content. Webinars allow sales teams to engage in client communication through questions and polls in order to build stronger client relationships with prospects.

5. Attend Networking Events

Attending networking events is a highly effective strategy to grow your agency through referrals and recommendations. 

Networking events are brimming with professionals from various industries, including those who might not directly need your agency’s services but could recommend your agency to their contacts. 

By expanding your network, you increase the likelihood of receiving referrals from people who have interacted with you, even if they don’t become clients themselves.

6. Write a Sales Script

A well-crafted sales script should highlight your marketing agency’s unique value proposition (UVP). It has to clearly articulate what makes your services unique and how they can help your prospects address their pain points. Whether it’s your innovative use of AI tools, exceptional client support, or proven track record, make sure your UVP is front and center in the script.

Case studies or statistics that demonstrate how your agency’s services have helped similar clients achieve their marketing goals are another invaluable component of an effective sales script. This information not only adds credibility but also provides the prospect with a tangible sense of the results they can expect.

A successful sales script also anticipates and addresses common objections. For example, if cost is a concern, a script can explain how your marketing services offer a strong return on investment (ROI) or walk prospects through flexible pricing options.

7. Conduct a Discovery Call

Discovery calls are the first real-time interaction between your sales team and a potential client. The primary goal of these calls is to gather information, understand the prospect's needs, and assess whether your services align with their goals. 

How to Conduct a Successful Discovery Call

Before the call, it is important to thoroughly research the prospect to understand their industry, competitors, and pain points. 

The call should start with a clear agenda. It is important to give the prospect a brief overview of what they can expect from the conversation. 

Open-ended questions encourage the prospect to share more about their business challenges and goals. For example, asking questions, such as, "Can you tell me about the biggest marketing challenges you're currently facing?" uncovers pain points where your agency can add value.

The discovery call should conclude with a summary of the key points and an overview of the next steps, which could be scheduling a follow-up meeting, sending a proposal, or any other action that keeps the momentum going.

8. Follow Up Consistently

Did you know that, according to research, even though 80% of sales activities require five follow-up calls after the meeting for a successful deal, 44% of sales reps give up after one follow-up?

Consistent follow-up is key to building relationships with prospects and moving them through the sales funnel. 

Whether through phone calls, emails, or social media, consistent follow-up helps keep your agency top-of-mind and increases the chances of converting prospects into customers.

9. Make Warm Calls

Warm calls are one of the prospecting methods where sales reps connect with prospects who have previously interacted with your marketing agency in some way. This interaction could be anything from downloading a white paper, attending a webinar, or subscribing to your newsletter. 

The key advantage of warm calls is that the prospect has already demonstrated interest, making them more receptive.

Here are some strategies to squeeze the most value out of warm calls:

1. Research and Personalize

Before making the call, sales reps should take time to research the prospect’s previous interactions with your agency by looking into their interests or actions, such as the content they engaged with or the services they inquired about. 

2. Craft a Relevant Opening

The warm call should start with a reference to the prospect’s previous engagement. For example, a sales rep might say, “I saw that you attended our recent webinar on SEO strategies. I’d love to discuss how we can help you implement some of the tactics we covered.”

Here are a couple of more ideas for effective opening lines: “Thank you for downloading our eBook on digital marketing trends. What did you find most interesting?” “I noticed you signed up for our newsletter a few weeks ago. How are you finding the content?”

3. Focus on the Prospect’s Needs

During the call, it’s important to shift the focus to understanding the prospect’s needs and challenges. Open-ended questions are highly effective at prompting prospects to elaborate on their pain points.

Here are some examples of effective questions: “What are the biggest challenges you’re currently facing with your digital marketing efforts?” “What goals are you hoping to achieve with your marketing strategy this year?”

4. Provide Value

The warm call must offer something valuable, such as a free consultation or marketing audit, to the prospect. Whether it’s sharing insights, providing recommendations, or offering a complimentary audit, sales reps should don experts’ hats.

10. Become a Thought-Leader

One effective way for sales reps at your digital marketing agency to enhance their prospecting efforts is by establishing themselves as thought leaders in the industry.

Creating valuable content is a powerful way to demonstrate expertise and provide value to the target audience. 

Types of content to consider include:

• Blog Posts
• White Papers
• eBooks
• Infographics

Contributing articles or insights to industry publications also helps reach a wider audience.

Types of contributions:

• Guest Articles
• Case Studies
• Interviews

Tip: Effective client collaboration leads to better client retention and growth. 

11. Be a Trusted Resource

Building trust with prospects is essential for successful sales prospecting. Sales reps should aim to provide valuable information, insights, and solutions to prospects’ challenges. This approach helps establish credibility and makes prospects more likely to consider your agency when they're ready to make the decision.

12. Send Engaging, Personalized Emails

Email outreach is a powerful prospecting method, but to be effective, it needs to be engaging and personalized. Subject lines need to sound compelling, and the content should be tailored to the prospect's needs. 

Sales reps can save huge chunks of time by leveraging automation tools to manage follow-ups. 

Here’s an overview of some of the other effective channels for prospecting besides email outreach, as well as some handy stats to help you choose the right channels for your agency:

Prospecting methods are an essential component of a client acquisition strategy for any successful marketing agency. By implementing the aforementioned 12 prospecting methods, your agency can effectively identify, engage, and convert prospects into loyal customers.

With the right approach, tools, and techniques, you can build a robust sales pipeline and drive long-term growth for your agency.