Now that you know the types of customers you’re after and how you’re going to sell them, it’s time to build out a list of people at these companies to begin sales prospecting. A prospect list is where we take all the theory and research of the last few sections of our sales plan template and put them into action.

At its core, a prospect list is a directory of real people you can contact who would benefit from your product or service. This can be a time-consuming task, but it’s essential for driving your sales plan and company growth.

First, use your ideal customer profile to start finding target companies:

• Search LinkedIn
• Check out relevant local business networks
• Attend networking events and meetups
• Do simple Google searches
• Check out the member list of relevant online groups

Target up to 5 people at each organization (you can always move laterally towards the proper buyer no matter who in the organization actually responds to you). Targeting more than one individual will give you better odds for connecting on a cold outreach as well as a better chance that someone in your network can connect you personally.

Remember, this isn’t just a massive list of people you could sell to.

This is a targeted list based off of the research you’ve done previously in your sales plan. In a sense, a solid sales plan template qualifies your prospects before you even spend a minute talking to them.