The question almost always arrives in the same form: where do we find customers? Network, search, email, marketplaces, advertising. Everyone knows the list, it is public, and it has never been the problem.
Knowing who you are looking for
Before any channel: what needs, what constraints, at what moment. A business that cannot describe its typical customer in a few sentences cannot write a message that speaks to them. It produces generic messaging, and generic catches nobody — it is simply cheaper to ignore.
What each channel does, and does not do
- An online presence makes you findable, provided people know what to look for
- Email sustains a relationship already begun; it rarely creates one
- Publishing your expertise attracts those looking for precisely that
- Marketplaces put you in competition on price
That last point deserves weighing. A channel that compares offers on a single criterion imposes that criterion. Signing up to those platforms is not neutral: it is accepting to be judged on price.
A channel does not bring customers. It makes a proposition visible. If the proposition is vague, it makes the vagueness visible.
The existing network, consistently underrated
Prospecting without having decided is only the most visible of a family of mistakes. The costliest commit the company for two or three years without it noticing.
The channel changes nothing: email no more rescues an offer you cannot describe.
Former colleagues, past clients, partners: this network already knows the quality of the work, which removes the most expensive step in any prospecting. It still has to be able to explain to someone else what you do — which brings us back, once again, to the clarity of the offer.
Common questions
How do you make business prospecting work?
By knowing precisely whom you are looking for before choosing a channel: what needs, what constraints, at what moment. A channel does not create customers; it makes a proposition visible — if the proposition is vague, it makes the vagueness visible, and billable.
Which prospecting channels suit a small business?
Online presence, email, publishing expertise, lead-matching platforms and your existing network. Each has a role: email maintains a relationship more than it creates one, and platforms put you in competition on price. The network remains the most underestimated.
Why is your network the best prospecting channel?
Because credibility is already established there: former colleagues, past clients and partners know the quality of the work. They still need to be able to explain to a third party what you do — which comes back to how clear the offer is.