The Salesperson's Prospecting Guide: Answers to the 15 Questions Reps Ask Most
Short answer
To fill your pipeline: define your ideal customer, pull a targeted list (Google Maps and company websites work for most B2B niches), find the decision-maker's direct email, then send short personalized cold emails with 3–5 follow-ups over 2–3 weeks. Track opens and replies, keep the segments that work, and repeat every week. ReachScraper handles the list building, email finding, personalization, and sending in one place.
These are the real questions salespeople type into Google and ChatGPT when the pipeline runs dry. Each one gets a direct answer you can use today, plus the numbers and steps behind it.
1. How do I find new leads fast?
Start with a niche and a location you can serve, such as dentists in Austin or logistics companies in Ohio. Search Google Maps and industry directories, then collect the company name, website, phone, and email. One focused niche with 200 good leads beats 5,000 random contacts. In ReachScraper, type the niche and location and you get a verified lead list in minutes.
2. Where can I find leads for free?
Google Maps
The best free source for local and SMB businesses. Every listing has a website, phone number, and reviews.
Company websites
Contact, team, and about pages often list owners and managers by name.
LinkedIn search
Use it to find people by title and confirm who the decision-maker is.
Industry directories and associations
Member lists group businesses that share a specific need.
Job postings
A company hiring for a role often has the problem you solve.
3. How do I find a decision-maker's email address?
Identify the right person
Small companies: the owner or founder. Mid-size companies: the head of the department your product helps.
Check the website
Look at team pages, the privacy policy, and blog author bios.
Use the company's email pattern
Most companies use first@domain or first.last@domain.
Verify before sending
Unverified emails bounce and damage your sender reputation. ReachScraper's decision-maker search finds and checks these for you.
4. What is a good cold email open and reply rate?
In 2026, a healthy B2B cold email open rate is roughly 40–60%, and the reply rate is 3–10%. If your open rate is under 30%, the problem is usually deliverability or the subject line. If people open but don't reply, the problem is the message or the targeting. Track every send so you know which one it is.
5. How do I write a cold email that gets replies?
Keep it short
Under 120 words, readable on a phone in 20 seconds.
Open with them, not you
Mention something specific about their business, such as their reviews, location, or a recent hire.
One clear problem and one result
For example: "We help clinics fill empty appointment slots, usually 15–20 more a month."
Easy call to action
Ask "Worth a quick chat?" instead of "Book a 45-minute demo."
Personalize at scale
AI can write a unique first line for every lead from their website. ReachScraper does this automatically.
6. How many follow-ups should I send?
Send 3–5 follow-ups spaced 2–4 days apart. Many replies come after the second or third email, and most reps stop after one. Each follow-up should add something new, such as a short case study, a question, or a different angle. Don't just send "bumping this up." A drip sequence sends these on schedule for you.
7. What's the best time to send cold emails?
Tuesday through Thursday, between 8–10am or 1–3pm in the recipient's time zone. Timing matters less than targeting and the message, but sending in their morning puts you near the top of their inbox.
8. How many emails can I send per day without being marked as spam?
Keep a new inbox under 30–50 emails a day, and an established, warmed inbox under 100–150. Spread sends across the day and keep your bounce rate under 3%. For more volume, add more inboxes rather than pushing one inbox harder. ReachScraper's auto-batching and hourly limits enforce this for you.
9. How do I build a prospecting routine that hits quota?
Work backwards from quota
Deals needed ÷ close rate = meetings needed ÷ meeting rate = conversations ÷ reply rate = emails to send.
Block daily prospecting time
60–90 minutes every morning, before meetings take over your day.
Add new leads weekly
Refill your list every Monday so you never run dry mid-month.
Review the numbers on Friday
Keep the niches and messages that worked and drop the rest.
10. Should I use ChatGPT for sales prospecting?
ChatGPT is great for brainstorming niches, drafting emails, and practicing objection handling. But it can't search live business data, verify emails, or send and track campaigns. That's why salespeople pair it with a prospecting tool. ReachScraper's AI agent, Willy, takes on a goal like "find 300 roofing companies in Texas and draft outreach" and actually carries it out.
11. How do I handle the most common objections?
"We already have a vendor"
"Makes sense. Most of our clients did too. Would a quick comparison be useful before your next renewal?"
"Not interested"
"Fair enough. Is that because of timing, or because it's not a priority right now?"
"Send me info"
Send one short page, then book a specific follow-up time.
"Too expensive"
Bring the conversation back to the return. What is the problem costing them each month?
12. How do I qualify a lead quickly?
Use BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) or simply ask: Do they have the problem? Can this person decide? Is there a reason to act this quarter? If any answer is no, move the lead to a nurture sequence instead of chasing it.
13. Cold calling or cold email: which works better?
Use both. Cold email scales and lets you test messages cheaply. Calls convert warm, engaged leads faster. A proven combination: email first, then call the leads who opened two or more times. Open tracking shows you exactly who to call.
14. How do I find leads in a specific city or country?
Search by city instead of the whole country. City-by-city searches return far more businesses than one broad search. Check the local language and business customs before writing your email. ReachScraper's continuous missions move through cities and towns automatically until you reach your target number of leads.
15. What tools does a salesperson actually need?
A lead source
Search by niche and location for contacts you can use right away.
An email finder and verifier
This keeps your bounce rate low.
A cold email sender with tracking
Track opens, use follow-ups, and stay within safe sending limits.
A simple CRM or pipeline
Track who replied, who's warm, and when to follow up.
Or one platform
ReachScraper combines all four, plus an AI agent that runs it for you.
Fill your pipeline this week
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Related: How to find decision-makers for cold email · How to find local business leads · Cold email templates · ReachScraper for sales teams