What if I told you that you could find every possible prospect you wanted to pursue without ever leaving your office? What if I said that you didn’t need to network, attend social events, or drive around in order to identify the commercial cleaning accounts you wanted to market to? I know this may sound pie in the sky, but trust me, this is the new method of prospecting. In the cleaning world, gone are the days of driving for dollars. With the mountains of information at our fingertips, a few simple online research tools can help you build a robust prospect list for less than $200. Let me give you the 4 main tools I use – and don’t forget to watch the free janitorial prospecting course linked below.
Resource #1 – List Building Websites
List building websites are the first place to go when building your prospect list. Sites like Hoovers and InfoUSA are storehouses of B2B information. You can define your ideal client profile, enter your search criteria, and BAM! For less than $1.00/lead, you can purchase an entire excel spreadsheet of your ideal clients along with addresses, phone numbers, and names of key employees. If you don’t have a robust prospect list, start here.
FREE JANITORIAL PROSPECTING COURSE
Resource #2 – Google Maps
I know it sounds crazy, but Google Maps is an amazing resource for finding new prospects. Go to the area you want to prospect in, switch to aerial view, and start looking for large buildings and parking lots. When you click on a specific building, Google will often give you information such as the company name, address, and phone number. Additionally, you can switch to Street View and “drive around” from your computer, looking at the view from the road.
Resource #3 – Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development Websites
Most cities, counties, states, or metropolitan areas have chamber of commerce or economic development websites. These sites often contain information about employers in the area. At the very least, you can often find lists of the largest employers in the area along with news about new employers who have recently moved into the market.
Resource #4 – Niche Websites & Directories
Finally, when you are searching for schools, medical facilities, or other such facilities, you can often find free lists on niche websites. For instance, there are many websites on the state level that contain lists of privates schools along with contact information. Likewise, many groups are dedicated to surgery centers, nursing homes, or other niche medical facilities. These website are home to much free information to help you finalize your prospect list.
If you want to learn more about how to use each of these tools along with specific examples of how they can be mined for data, check out this this free janitorial sales prospecting course.
