A sales list is a comprehensive directory of target prospects and serves as a vital management tool for new business development. Often referred to as an attack list or target list, it typically contains information such as company names, contact names, addresses, contact details, and the names of key decision-makers. The purpose of creating a sales list is to streamline internal information sharing, accumulate customer data, and improve information management efficiency. By creating one, you not only conduct sales activities more efficiently but also facilitate the storage of corporate and customer data, which can help uncover new customer needs. Furthermore, by utilizing the sales list as a customer list after initial contact, you can ensure rapid follow-up after a contract is signed.
Practical and highly effective sales lists must be high-quality and comprehensive. Such lists are essential for consistently acquiring new customers. However, to create an effective sales list, you must master the necessary procedures and key points.
How to Create a Sales List
☆-☆-☆ Image Insertion Start ☆-☆-☆
☆-☆-☆ Image Insertion End ☆-☆-☆
Creating an effective list for sales activities begins with preliminary preparations, such as defining your sales strategy and gathering information, before moving on to the actual list creation.
Preliminary Preparation for Sales List Creation
Preliminary preparation is a critical step that determines the quality of your list. Please refer to the following guidelines.
Define Your Sales Strategy
To improve the accuracy of your list, define your sales strategy first. Key points include conducting market and competitor research, identifying your company's challenges, and clarifying your goals. By developing measures based on these clear goals, you can build a robust sales strategy. This strategy will significantly influence your targeting and sales approach. It is also important to share the defined strategy within your department or team. Establishing a shared understanding fosters a sense of unity and improves the effectiveness of your sales activities.
Confirm Your Target
Next, clearly define your target prospects. If you do not know which companies to target—such as those in specific industries, with certain revenue levels, capital amounts, or employee counts—you risk including irrelevant prospects or missing out on valuable ones. Conducting sales activities toward non-target prospects is unlikely to lead to conversions and may result in a waste of time. Furthermore, since information gathering methods vary by target, clarifying your target will also benefit the subsequent corporate information collection process.
Clarify the Number of Leads
It is also important to determine the number of entries for your sales list. Simply having a large volume is not necessarily better. If you cannot approach a large number of leads efficiently, the effort is meaningless and the time spent gathering information is wasted. Based on your company's past sales data, such as the number of sales representatives and the average time to close a deal, calculate a realistic number of leads that can be approached effectively and that will yield sufficient conversions.
Gathering Sales List Information
There are several ways to gather information on sales prospects.
Internet Research
Internet research is a primary method. By searching by area or industry, you can identify company websites that match your target criteria. While this requires time and effort to check each site individually, it is an effective way to find prospects without incurring costs. If you wish to find multiple companies that meet your objectives at once, you can also utilize industry associations or corporate registration databases.
Utilizing Business Card Information
Leveraging business card information held within the company, not just by individual sales representatives, is another effective approach. Business cards obtained at exhibitions or from past transactions may contain potential prospects. Collecting dormant business cards can be a valuable asset for your sales list. However, caution is required, as these cards may belong to companies that have ceased operations or are otherwise ineligible for business. When collecting business cards, it is necessary to verify the history with the original owner.
Analyzing Your Company Website
If you have a company website, you can analyze access logs to identify the source of traffic. Visiting your website indicates at least some level of interest in your services. By analyzing the source, you can determine which companies have visited your site. This is done by identifying the IP address, which is a unique identifier assigned to devices. While this method targets companies with fixed IP addresses, it allows you to identify which companies are visiting. As using the internet for information gathering has become mainstream, companies visiting your website are highly likely to be promising prospects.
Purchasing a List
Considering the effort required to gather information from scratch, purchasing a list from a professional provider is a viable option. Purchasing a list can significantly reduce the time and effort spent on creation. While there is a cost involved, it is often more cost-effective than creating a list in-house, especially if you lack the time or the necessary expertise. Furthermore, the items and content included in the list vary by provider. Some services allow you to filter corporate data held by the provider based on various criteria to extract a custom sales list. Clarify the information your company needs and utilize a service that can reliably provide it.
Creating the Target List
Once preparation and information gathering are complete, it is time to create the list. Methods include using Excel, utilizing management and creation tools, or outsourcing to an external provider. Here, we explain each method in detail.
Using Excel
Excel is used in many business operations and is an effective, low-cost tool if already installed. You can also download free templates from Microsoft. With knowledge of functions and features, you can create high-quality sales lists. However, note that it can be time-consuming, is not specialized for sales activities, and can be difficult to share. Therefore, this method is best suited for creating smaller-scale sales lists.
Utilizing Tools
Another method is to utilize sales list creation tools. These tools allow for more efficient creation of high-precision lists compared to Excel. Combining them with management tools like CRM or SFA is also effective. A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system can centrally manage not only customer information but also interaction history and website access logs, and can function as a sales list. An SFA (Sales Force Automation) tool is recommended for organizations, as it allows for the sharing of sales history and the progress of negotiations. Because they are specialized for sales, some tools include built-in list creation features to support a wide range of sales activities. Some services, like uSonar, offer features to automatically create sales lists and integrate with CRM and SFA systems. Consider these value-added features when selecting a tool that fits your company's needs.
Outsourcing to an External Provider
Outsourcing the entire process, from information gathering to list creation and management, to an external specialist is another option. This allows you to create a sales list even without internal expertise, while reducing time and effort. A major advantage is the ability to obtain a highly accurate list from a professional. However, you must be aware of the risks regarding information security and the costs involved. When selecting a provider, it is important to check their security measures and track record.
☆-☆-☆ Internal Link Button Start ☆-☆-☆
[Reference Article] How to Create a Sales List: Key Points for Building a High-Quality List
☆-☆-☆ Internal Link Button End ☆-☆-☆
