[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":112},["ShallowReactive",2],{"lesson-/academy/sdr/what-is-prospecting-in-sales":3},{"path":4,"data":5,"html":45,"toc":46,"prev":59,"next":66,"track":71},"/academy/sdr/what-is-prospecting-in-sales",{"title":6,"description":7,"primaryQuery":8,"secondaryQueries":9,"module":13,"order":14,"tier":15,"intent":16,"asset":17,"publishedAt":20,"author":21,"reviewedAt":22,"relatedTool":23,"challenge":24,"exercise":42},"What Is Prospecting in Sales? Definition + the Process","Prospecting is the work of finding and reaching out to potential buyers before they find you — research, list building, and first contact that fills the top of the pipeline. This page defines prospecting and walks the exact five-step process from market to booked meeting.","what is prospecting in sales",[10,11,12],"sales prospecting definition","prospecting meaning in sales","why is prospecting important in sales",3,1,"B","informational",{"type":18,"title":19},"roadmap","The prospecting process: from market to booked meeting","2026-09-10","closers","2026-09-24",null,{"type":25,"id":26,"brief":27,"items":28},"rank","m3-l1-prospecting-process","To run a clean prospecting process instead of spray-and-pray, rank these steps from the one you do first to the one you do last.",[29,32,34,37,39],{"key":30,"text":31},0,"Follow up on a cadence, then book the qualified meeting",{"key":14,"text":33},"Make first contact with a clear, single ask",{"key":35,"text":36},2,"Define the ICP — the type of company where you win, so you know who to look for",{"key":13,"text":38},"Research each contact so your first message is relevant, not generic",{"key":40,"text":41},4,"Build a list of accounts and named contacts that fit the ICP",{"prompt":43,"successCriteria":44},"Rank the five prospecting steps above from first to last, then write one sentence naming the step that matters most before you touch a phone or a keyboard.","You can name the step without hedging: define the ICP first — prospecting into the right accounts is what makes every later step work.","\u003Cp>Prospecting is the work of finding and reaching out to people who could buy from you but haven't yet — research, list building, and first contact that fills the top of the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/pipeline/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pipeline\u003C/a>. While the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/bdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">BDR\u003C/a> is the role built around cold-opening net-new accounts, the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/sdr/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SDR\u003C/a> prospects within the demand the company already has, re-engaging existing accounts and working inbound. Both run the same five-step process, and this page walks it end to end.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"prospecting-vs-waiting\">Prospecting vs waiting\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>The distinction that matters is that prospecting is going to find buyers, not waiting for them. If inbound demand is fish already swimming toward you, prospecting is casting into new water. A rep who only works handed-out \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/lead/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">leads\u003C/a> has a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/pipeline/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pipeline\u003C/a> that depends on someone else; a rep who prospects controls their own. That is why it is the first skill interviewers test and the daily work of the role.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"the-five-step-process\">The five-step process\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Here is the asset — the prospecting process from market to booked meeting:\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 1 — Define the ICP.\u003C/strong> The \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/icp/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ideal customer profile\u003C/a> is the type of company that buys fastest and stays longest. Before any outreach, know your industry, size, and the problem you solve. Prospecting into the right accounts is the whole game.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 2 — Build a list.\u003C/strong> Turn the ICP into a working list of accounts and named contacts. This is a spreadsheet you'll actually use, not a download. (The \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-to-build-a-prospect-list/\">prospect list build\u003C/a> walks it next.)\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 3 — Research.\u003C/strong> Five minutes per contact: what the company does, what changed recently, what problem they likely have. Relevance beats volume. (The \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-to-research-a-prospect-before-a-call/\">5-minute research checklist\u003C/a> runs it in order.)\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 4 — First contact.\u003C/strong> One clear, single ask — a 15-minute call or a quick reply. If your message is one paragraph of feature talk, it's dead on arrival.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Step 5 — Follow up and book.\u003C/strong> Most replies come after the first touch. Run a \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/cadence/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">cadence\u003C/a> and push to the \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/qualified-meeting/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">qualified meeting\u003C/a> — the actual output of all of it.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"why-the-process-is-the-point\">Why the process is the point\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>Prospecting looks like raw effort; the process is what makes it a skill. Define the ICP first, and the same message books meetings. Skip the ICP and call the whole market, and nothing works. That is why Step 1 is the step that matters most: every later step inherits the quality of the list you prospect. Own the process and you own your \u003Ca href=\"/glossary/territory/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">territory\u003C/a> — the reps who always have a full pipeline are the ones who prospected before they needed to.\u003C/p>\n\u003Ch2 id=\"start-here\">Start here\u003C/h2>\n\u003Cp>You now know what prospecting is and the process that runs it. The first step is the list — next, \u003Ca href=\"/academy/sdr/how-to-build-a-prospect-list/\">how to build a prospect list from scratch\u003C/a>.\u003C/p>\n",[47,50,53,56],{"id":48,"text":49},"prospecting-vs-waiting","Prospecting vs waiting",{"id":51,"text":52},"the-five-step-process","The five-step process",{"id":54,"text":55},"why-the-process-is-the-point","Why the process is the point",{"id":57,"text":58},"start-here","Start here",{"path":60,"title":61,"description":62,"module":35,"order":63,"kind":64,"practiceCall":23,"core":65},"/academy/sdr/entry-level-sales-job-titles","Entry-Level Sales Job Titles: The 23 You're Searching For (Decoded to 5 Real Roles)","There are dozens of entry-level sales job titles, but they decode to five actual roles: SDR, BDR, inside sales rep, account development rep, and junior account executive. Knowing the real role behind the title lets you search the right words, avoid 'sales' titles that aren't sales at all, and recognize the commission-only traps.",6,"order",false,{"path":67,"title":68,"description":69,"module":13,"order":35,"kind":64,"practiceCall":23,"core":70},"/academy/sdr/how-to-build-a-prospect-list","How to Build a Prospect List From Scratch (Template + Columns)","A prospect list is your working set of accounts and named contacts that fit your ICP, with columns for research and outreach status. This page gives you the exact spreadsheet template — columns pre-built, a priority formula, and the filter that separates a list worth calling from a list that wastes your day.",true,{"slug":72,"title":73,"shortTitle":74,"crumb":75,"path":76,"positioning":77,"totalLessons":78,"modules":79},"sdr","Certified Sales Development Representative (CSDR)","SDR/BDR Certification","SDR Certification","/academy/sdr","The free certification for getting your first sales job — no degree, no experience, no upsell.",58,[80,83,86,90,94,98,101,105,108],{"id":14,"name":81,"lessonCount":63,"description":82},"The Role","What an SDR actually does, whether it’s for you, and the sales career path it opens — 6 core lessons.",{"id":35,"name":84,"lessonCount":13,"description":85},"Getting In With No Experience","Land your first sales job with no experience or degree — a 30-day plan — 3 core lessons.",{"id":13,"name":87,"lessonCount":88,"description":89},"Prospecting and Research",8,"Find the right accounts and contacts to reach — 8 lessons.",{"id":40,"name":91,"lessonCount":92,"description":93},"Cold Calling",11,"Make cold calls without freezing up — 11 core lessons.",{"id":95,"name":96,"lessonCount":88,"description":97},5,"Cold Email and LinkedIn","Write cold emails and LinkedIn messages that get replies — 8 core lessons.",{"id":63,"name":99,"lessonCount":95,"description":100},"Conversations: Discovery and Qualification","Run discovery calls and qualify real buyers — 5 core lessons.",{"id":102,"name":103,"lessonCount":13,"description":104},7,"The Tool Stack","The tools that run an SDR’s daily workflow — 3 core lessons.",{"id":88,"name":106,"lessonCount":63,"description":107},"Money: Comp, Commission and Quota","SDR salary, OTE, commission and quotas — 6 lessons.",{"id":109,"name":110,"lessonCount":88,"description":111},9,"Getting Hired","Resume, interview answers, offer negotiation, and the certification assessment — 8 lessons.",1792888520745]