DRAFT / UNLISTED || AEs Need Pipeline? 🌐 Here’s 4 Sources You Probably Haven’t Checked ✅

AEs, BDRs & everyone in between, you knew this day would come: you want some quick, easy, new conversations to create pipeline — but you’ve already successfully found…

every. (Your CFO intro’ed you to the Head of Marketing they worked with 10 years ago)

single. (Your Sr. PM intro’ed you to the Engineering Lead they went to college with)

connection. (New boss introd an HR Director from old employer, that they never met)

…in your network & at your company.

This was, of course, worthwhile endeavor (propsects are 5x more likely to engage outreach from a mutual connection vs. pure cold outreach) — but now, you’ve reached the bottom of the barrel.

…Or have you? Making personal connections with potential prospects doesn’t have to end after the last mutual introduction is made; you can use some basic information about your company’s customer, prospects of the past & LinkedIn Sales Navigator functionality to rustle up even more.

AEs: you’re probably being asked to source your own pipeline in addition to anything that the BDRs bring your way: these can help.

While not as direct as a mutual connection at your company making an introduction to a prospect, these tricks are a variation that cover “Why anything? Why you? Why now?”

So — here are -

4 Ways to Make a Personal Connection Target List — Without Any Introductions

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1. Former Employees of Current Customers:

• Find a list of all of your company’s current customers.
• Search for former employees of those customers, one by one.
• Save relevant contacts to a Lead list.
• Based on which company they previously worked for, reach out with a message related to how your company is helping their “alma mater”.
• Use their “alma mater” company name in the subject line of emails, LinkedIn messages & any other outreach.
• Link to a case study for their “alma mater” if one is available.

Basic Email Example:

2. Previous Opportunity, Main Point of Contact is Now at New Company:

• Create a list of previous opportunities in your CRM
• Go through each, starting with the oldest, and see if the main point (or points) of contact are still at the same company.
• For those at new companies, create a Lead list.
• Based on which company they previously worked for, reach out with a message related to your previous conversation.
• Use their old employer name in the subject line of emails, LinkedIn messages, & any other outreach.
• Give details on what was important to them at their original company & ask if those same priorities exist at their new company (depending on how much detail you have).

Basic Email Example:

3. Previous Opportunity with Specific Requirements Unavailable Last Year, But Available Now:

• Create a list of opportunities that did not move forward, stalled or were closed lost because of a specific functionality they required.
• Cross reference that list (starting with the oldest) with updates made to the product since the last conversation.
• Look for opportunities that your company now can meet all, or at least more of, the requirements previously outlined.
• Based on which company they work for & the product update they’d requested, reach out with a message related to your previous conversation and inform them of the good news.
• Use the specific request that originally couldn’t be met in the subject line, LinkedIn, & any other outreach.
• Give details on what was important to them, including both the new product feature/update, and everything else that your company COULD do at the time.
• Ask if those same priorities exist at their company now (depending on how much detail you have).

Basic Email Example:

4. Find Leads that Follow Your Company on LinkedIn

• In Sales Navigator, look for the filters under the category Spotlights
• Select the option “Following your company on LinkedIn”.
• Add the relevant contacts from that subsequent list to a Lead list.
• Use the fact that they follow your company on LinkedIn in the subject line of emails, LinkedIn messages, & any other outreach.

Where to Find the “Follows Your Company” Filter: