How the Best Sales teams use Data to Find the Right Prospects

The best sales teams leverage data to cut through the noise and connect with the right prospects. I use data in three key ways: to identify companies that are the best fit for our solution, to ensure I’m engaging with the right decision-makers, and to craft messages that are relevant and impactful. In a crowded market, data-driven research not only sets you apart from your competitors but also gives you the confidence that your outreach is meaningful and that your solution can truly make a difference.

Nowadays, we rely on data to ensure we’re reaching the right prospects at the right time. At Nexway, we use lead scoring to prioritize the most promising leads based on their fit to the ICP. We try to focus our efforts where they’re most likely to pay off.

We segment our prospects into categories, based on industry and company size, then create personalized messaging that speaks directly to their needs. We track prospect behavior on our website — which pages they visit or what content they download — this helps us understand their interests and tailor our outreach accordingly.

On top of that, social media data gives us another layer of insight into their interests and current activities, so we can reach out with relevant, timely solutions. In the end, data helps us connect with the right people, at the right time, giving us the tools we need to provide prospects with a relevant solution.

As a Business Development Representative, I’ve seen how data-driven approaches are transforming prospect identification and engagement. At UiPath, we’re leveraging our own automation and AI technologies to enhance lead generation.

We combine the following: Firmographic data (company size, industry or sector), Technographic information (current technology stack or cloud adoption status), Behavioral signals (social media interactions or participation in events, including online). Our use of intent data analysis allows us to identify companies actively researching automation solutions, enabling timely and relevant outreach.

This data-driven approach has helped us a lot with our prospecting work as BDRs. We now have more meaningful conversations with prospects and come in equipped with insights about their needs and challenges before the first contact. Looking ahead, I am confident that the BDR function has a tremendous potential to evolve alongside AI. As AI starts handling more and more data analysis and initial prospect identification, we get time back to focus on strategy, creativity, and—most importantly—relationship building.

This makes our approach a powerful combination of human touch and AI-driven insights. In today’s fast-evolving B2B sales landscape, intelligent use of data isn’t just a competitive advantage anymore—it’s an essential ingredient of success. At UiPath, we’re not just selling automation and AI; we’re actually using it to fuel our success, continually refining our sales processes with the help of our technology. That’s why I am confident that the future of sales is data-driven, AI-powered, and human-centric.

In my opinion sales and outreach are getting wild right now. AI is blasting out more cold messages than ever and most of them suck.(Yes also the ones I’m sending sometimes). Buyers are drowning in generic, low-effort outreach, and it’s getting harder to break through the noise. But personal stuff still works. People want to buy from people, not faceless companies.

That’s why founder-led content and founder-led sales are crushing it and it’s something I’m betting. When buyers see a real person sharing their insights, building in public, and actually engaging, trust is there before the sales convo even starts. On top of that, B2B buying is changing fast. Digital commerce is creeping into even the most complex sales processes. If you’re still relying only on long sales cycles and endless calls, you’re gonna get left behind.

The best GTM plays today? A mix of community, personal brand, and making it dead simple for buyers to buy. The future isn’t more outreach—it’s better outreach.

It all starts with clearly defining your ICP criteria using measurable metrics that are either public or reasonably easy to find out. For example, we know our product helps SaaS companies scale their sales internationally.

Therefore, one important metric we use in qualifying prospects is the geographic split of their website visitors – which we are able to source in a programmatic way. The second most important thing is to address the relevant role, on the relevant channel for that person.

The first part may sound easy, but what we found out is that depending on company size and industry vertical, the decision maker may sit in a totally different department. So you need to factor in these parameters, and then decide your approach strategy.

Again, having pertinent data at hand makes it so much easier – you may instantly disregard Linkedin as a channel for someone with just a few connections. Of course, being an experienced sales or having a witty personality always helps. But if you’re not able to process all the data insights you collected, and unless you demonstrate with facts how you solve the prospects’ problems – there’s no sale!

The immense amount of information floating around us is a double-edged sword for sales: it’s infinitely harder to cut through the noise and convey your expertise, but at the same time you can learn to leverage it, establish trust faster and articulate your value proposition in a decisive manner.

Data is changing the SDR role by helping with personalized outreach, better lead qualification, prospect predictions, task automation, and real-time insights. This allows SDRs to connect with the right prospects and work more efficiently. At Aligned, we use data to make our outreach more relevant to our prospects.

Understanding data and adopting a data-driven approach is essential for any SDR team. Signal-based prospecting is gaining traction as it helps both SDRs and prospects engage meaningfully with each other.

SDRs should be obsessed with data, as it helps them: Identify which channels work best, Understand what kind of messaging resonates with their prospects, Determine the number of emails, calls, and LinkedIn outreach required to hit their targets.

“Well, I might sound a bit boring, but here’s the truth, data-driven prospecting isn’t just about finding leads; it’s about finding the right leads, at the right time, with the right message. To make this work, we need to blend traditional prospecting principles with modern data-driven strategies to extract the best insights.

Here’s how: Intent & Engagement Signals – Prioritise accounts showing real buying intent or engaging with relevant content. But here’s the key, don’t try to use everything at once! First, invest your energy (and budget) in cleaning and refining your internal data, this is what truly moves the needle. Pro tip: CommonRoom shared a great list of high-converting signals: identify your top signals and start tracking their impact now.

Multi-Source Enrichment – Combine CRM insights with third-party data (company growth, hiring trends, funding rounds) to sharpen targeting and outreach. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is evolving fast in this space—use it wisely. AI & Automation – AI-driven scoring models help rank leads, automate research, and personalize messaging at scale. But let’s be honest—it’s not as simple as it sounds. First, map out your current process: Where do you spend most of your time? Where are the bottlenecks? When is response time (SLA) absolutely critical?

Continuous Optimization – The best sales teams track conversion data, A/B test messaging, and refine outreach strategies to focus on high-impact accounts—because data without iteration is just noise. Use data intentionally. The best insights come when you combine strategy, tools, and process discipline—but there’s one more thing that makes all the difference… Take care of your people. Now that I’m at PROS, a company with 40+ years of history and fantastic customers, partners, and colleagues, I see firsthand the power of experience-driven strategy. Spend time strategizing with those who’ve been there—they can give you insights that no tool or report ever will. Combine all of the above, and that’s a winning plan.

In today’s world, data isn’t the limiting factor—our ability to extract insights from it is. Top sales teams know that more information doesn’t always mean better decisions. Instead, they focus on identifying the right signals, leveraging key insights to target the right prospects efficiently.

Maybe this is website traffic data, or an industry report download. Both are great data points, but which one will move the needle? It’s not about having all the data; it’s about knowing which data matters.

Lately there is an abundance of data available to people in sales, but most of the data for prospecting is not available within the classic CRM system, therefore the B2B sales teams have to use specialized tools to research and target ideal customers using firmographics. However, such data is not enough, and companies end up sending millions of semi-personalized messages that nobody answers.

The best sales people extend their research to people to personalize and differentiate their approach by looking at the context of their prospects, identify publicly available business interests, scan social media for events, panels or webinars attended, understand professional career moments, and turn ambitious prospects into project sponsors, developing solid relationships with them.

Because of research automation, data enrichment, and AI integrations great people in sales use SalesOMMO and set new standards in B2B. They can act as top consultants to ask great questions, reveal hidden business implications, and correlate with data from research. Because SalesOMMO has extremely fast data processing, people have more time to use analytical skills, identify compelling reasons to act, further calculate the business impact if no actions are taken, and add value at every step in the sales process.

Many earn trusted advisor status for future projects, and get the referrals others can only dream about. Smart technology allows them to get an edge in their research, allowing them to personalize and focus more effectively in customer approach, and finally sell more.

Sales today isn’t about blasting cold emails—it’s about using data strategically to reach the right people at the right time. At Cello, we’ve built a fully functional sales playbook with just 1 FTE, split between a founder (0.5) and a RevOps manager (0.5), scaling founder-led sales without a full SDR team.

Our approach? Semi-automated outbound, intent-driven outreach, and deep personalization. High-touch, personalized outreach is reserved for top ICPs, making engagement more relevant and efficient. HubSpot ties everything together, ensuring no lead slips through.

We balance automation with real conversations, driving higher conversions and stronger relationships. This data-driven, founder-led approach works up to 150 customers, beyond that, we scaled by hiring two full-cycle sales reps.

Sales outreach used to be all about gut feeling and trial-and-error. We would try out different openers, tweak your messaging on the fly, and hope something clicked. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t—but you were often left guessing. A/B testing was the go-to, but it meant spending a lot of time figuring out what should’ve been obvious from the start. Now? We don’t have to guess anymore. Sales analytics and AI-backed insights have changed the game. Instead of testing one opener at a time, we can pull data from thousands of real interactions and see what actually works.

Take research from “The Jolt Effect” or tools like Gong—they’ve shown that openers focused on direct problem-framing (“A lot of companies in your space struggle with X—how are you handling it?”) perform way better than the classic small-talk approach. “Cold Calling Sucks” also highlights how structuring cold calls around insights rather than pitches makes a massive difference. Instead of jumping straight into why your product is great, framing the conversation around something the prospect already cares about creates way more engagement—and the numbers back it up. And it’s not just openers.

Ever had a deal stall out with a vague “Call me in 6 months” response? AI-powered insights break that down—maybe “No Acquisition” cases keep popping up because of concerns about implementation. If you know that before the final pitch, you can address it early and keep the deal moving. Follow-ups have changed too. Instead of sending a “Just checking in” email, data shows that personalized follow-ups—referencing an exact pain point from the first call—lead to way higher engagement rates. AI tools can now summarize the conversation, highlight what resonated most, and help you craft an email that actually gets a response.

The reality is, buyers today are more informed than ever. They’re overloaded with options, short on time, and quick to move on. That’s where AI comes in—not as a replacement for sales, but as a co-pilot, making sure every touchpoint is backed by insights, not guesswork. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we can take what top performers are already doing and apply it instantly. The bottom line? Less wasted effort, more targeted conversations, and a way higher chance of winning deals.”

I’ve more or less grown up in SaaS, spending the last 16 years as a true hunter at heart. It makes me blush a little to say it, but it’s true. I learned early on about ABC – Always Be Closing. But, luckily, I was also taught that the only real way to succeed in sales is to be genuinely curious, to help customers “do whatever they do, better” (Stephen Covey), and to always be data-driven. Know your numbers.

This might sound obvious, but to me, it’s just as relevant today as it was 10+ years ago. Finding the right prospects starts with knowing your company’s key metrics: Highest win rate, NRR, Average deal size, NPS, Lowest churn rate, CAC, Implementation time, And that’s just to name a few. The easiest way to do this? High CRM adoption and a deep dive into your existing customer base.

Identify the highest-potential prospects and combine that with a clear understanding of your positioning against competitors. Of course, this is easier said than done. AI will (hopefully) help with this number-crunching challenge. We recently tested Vendi AI, and to me, the results were mind-blowing. It can accurately suggest spot-on prospects that perfectly match our ICP.

Pair that with insights on deal sources and personas, and you suddenly know which channels to use for the most successful and efficient outreach. True personalization is key—and sometimes, doing the opposite of what’s trendy is what makes you stand out. For example, sending a handwritten postcard when everything else is digital. Daring to do things differently, combined with data and AI, is what I believe will be the secret to finding your best-fit prospects.

Sales has evolved. It’s no longer just about high-volume outreach—it’s about precision, timing, and providing real value to the right prospects. The best sales teams leverage data, insights, and strategic engagement to build trust, educate prospects, and guide them toward the right decision.

At Flippa—the #1 platform to buy, sell, raise, and invest—our approach to sales isn’t purely transactional. We’re not just selling a product; we’re an investment bank for the 99%, helping business owners understand the value of their businesses, navigate complex exit strategies, and ultimately achieve life-changing sales. That means sales at Flippa is different. It’s nuanced, consultative, and deeply relationship-driven—and data helps us do it better.

The best sales teams don’t just find prospects—they guide, educate, and build trust over time. At Flippa, our data-driven, relationship-first approach ensures that business owners don’t just list with us—they choose us as their long-term exit partner.

By using strategic data insights, personalized engagement, and a consultative sales process, we help business owners maximize their value and make successful, life-changing exits. Sales isn’t about pressure—it’s about timing, trust, and delivering real value. The best sales teams understand that, and at Flippa, we’ve built a model that reflects it.”

The idea that AI won’t completely replace Sales teams is laughable. There’ll still be a captain steering it in the right direction, but just think about what it can already do: AI detects breast cancer with 99% accuracy. DeepMind’s AlphaFold predicted 200 million protein structures for drug development. Tesla’s AI processes 40 terabytes of data daily to improve Full Self-Driving capabilities.

IBM’s Green Horizon predicts air pollution 72 hours in advance with 90% accuracy. OpenAI’s DALL·E generates realistic images from text prompts, used by over a million creators. Google Translate handles 100 billion words daily across 133 languages with neural machine translation. Mastercard’s AI monitors 75 billion transactions annually, reducing fraud rates by 50%. John Deere’s AI-driven tractors increase crop yields by 20% through precision farming. AI-powered hearing aids like Oticon’s detect speech in noise with 30% better clarity.

So don’t tell me it can’t write an email better than your BDRs. It can. So how do we use it in the sales world? Well, getting to know your ICP better and making you smarter. That way, you can actually differentiate yourself from other humans that speak in buzzwords. Use AI to understand the problems your ICP faces, the current process they’re going through, the pains that annoy them every day, the root cause of those problems, and importantly, what you can do to solve that problem for them.

AI is a brainstorming tool to ‘outstanding’ quicker than your competitors. The good thing is Ai gives no one an excuse to not create content on LinkedIn. Ai will write your posts, and even edit your videos. Good news: all you need to do is talk into your phone with your great ideas. Bad news: you need to have great ideas.