Prospecting doesn’t always go as planned. In fact, 42% of salespeople say it’s the hardest part of their job, harder than qualifying leads or closing deals. Yet, prospecting is an essential part of any sales strategy because it moves you closer to closing deals.
Strong sales prospecting can boost conversion rates by up to 40%. Even better, companies with solid prospecting strategies are twice as likely to hit their revenue targets.
Recognizing and addressing common roadblocks makes it easier to identify and attract the right prospects. This guide breaks down the five most common obstacles sellers face when prospecting and how to tackle them head-on.
Creating Email Copy That Resonates with Your Audience
According to Sopro's state of prospecting report, 73% of prospects today prefer email communication, and 78% of sales reps prioritize it too.
The biggest challenge with email engagement? Consistently writing email copy that truly resonates. Often, success here comes from truly understanding your target audience and delivering messages that hit home on their pain points.
Solution: Hyper-Personalize Your Cold Outreach
When competitors offer similar products, you can stand out by skipping the generic pitches and focusing on hyper-personalized outreach. Take time to research your ideal customer profile (ICP) and buyer personas to understand their pain points and how you can help.
Effective outreach shows you have done your homework on both your prospect and their industry, making your message relevant and impactful.
This tactic delivers two major wins: it makes your outreach memorable and sets you apart. It also boosts your chances of getting a reply. Teams using this approach see 23% higher email open rates and 4X more click-throughs.
Here are a few ways you can personalize email effectively:
- Tailor your email subject lines
- Use individual-level icebreakers
- Address the prospect’s pain points
- Reference the technologies they use
- Comment on their relevant social media activity
Creating hyper-personalized emails takes time, and scaling cold outreach campaigns with targeted messages can feel impossible.
The solution? Use AI tools to personalize and send emails in bulk. Instantly’s advanced features analyze your leads, uncover insights, and help you write messaging that truly connects.
Bonus tip: Keep Things Simple
Keep your outreach simple, especially when contacting a prospect for the first time. Clearly explain the benefits of your solution in terms they can relate to. Avoid overloading your message with jargon or technical terms for clarity and simplicity.
Instead, ask questions. Show genuine interest in understanding the recipient’s needs so you can offer the right solution, build trust, and keep them engaged.
Finding Your Way in an Oversaturated Market
With so many businesses fighting for attention, standing out can feel almost impossible. Sopro’s 2025 state of prospecting report tells us buyers now consider 62% more brands before purchasing than they did in 2021.
Prospects are overwhelmed with information, making it hard to grab their attention. They see sales messages everywhere, so they’ve learned to tune them out. As a result, sellers struggle to even start a conversation.
Solutions
- Highlight unique value points: Listing your product’s features and pricing models isn’t enough to set it apart. Focusing on solving specific customer problems that your competitors are overlooking, like better customer service management, can be a great way to connect with prospects overwhelmed by too many options.
- Demonstrate your experience and expertise: Don’t hold back! Showcasing your experience with clients in a specific industry shows prospects that your solution fits their needs perfectly. It builds trust and positions you as the expert they’re looking for. The more aligned your experience is with their needs, the higher the chance they’ll pick you over others.
- Use multiple channels to reach your audience: Why put all your eggs in one basket? One proven way to stand out is by being visible across multiple channels. Reaching your audience where they’re most comfortable—whether it’s through email outreach, cold calling, or social media—gives you more exposure and boosts your chances of getting a reply.
Lack of Trust and Credibility
Trust in businesses is dropping. The Edelman Trust Barometer shows trust in companies has declined across most countries in the past year. So it’s no surprise sellers are finding it harder to build trust with prospects.
It's especially difficult for prospects to trust sales reps. Why? Many believe salespeople care more about their own goals than the prospect’s needs. Others feel pressured by pushy, sales-heavy offers that come across as insincere. Trust also breaks down when reps skip research and rapport-building before reaching out.
Solution
The answer is consultative selling. With 79% of prospects expecting sales reps to act as trusted advisors, sales teams need to focus on building strong relationships. It’s about more than closing the deal—it’s about listening, not just talking. Nearly 90% of sales professionals agree that listening to customers is more important than ever.
Find out what’s causing friction in your prospect’s workflow and how your solution can help. When you understand their needs and concerns, you can frame your solution in a way that resonates with them. Do this right, and you’ll come across as authentic and build trust.
Resistance to Change
Many prospects are hesitant to leave their current supplier. People trust what they know, and established relationships, contracts, and satisfaction make change unappealing.
Add in the cost and effort of switching, and many prospects decide it’s not worth the hassle. To break through, you’ll need a stronger selling proposition and strategies that set you apart.
Solution
Address their fears about switching early on. This helps you avoid polite rejections with excuses like “we already have a solution.” Identify prospects who face issues with their current setup. Then, highlight the specific pain points they’re dealing with and show how your solution solves them.
Make it clear why switching to your offering is worth it. Can you save them money, improve quality, or help them innovate faster than competitors? Use demos, testimonials, and case studies to support your claims and show them how you can help keep their business ahead.
Keep in mind: Hearing back from prospects, even if they’re not interested, is still valuable. Most salespeople quit after one or two “no's,” but 80% of prospects need to say “no” four times before they finally say “yes.”
When someone replies to your email, it shows they’ve read it and are interested enough to engage. It’s a chance to keep the conversation going. Respond quickly to show you’re attentive and use the opportunity to further explain your product's value and build a relationship.
Spending Too Much Time Researching Prospects and Perfecting Your Outreach
Sales reps spend 9.3% of their time finding, researching, and validating prospects. It’s the third most time-consuming task after prioritizing leads and meeting with customers.
After wrapping up their research, they spend extra time refining their outreach strategy. They try to craft the perfect icebreaker, write subject lines that boost email opens, choose CTAs that drive responses, keep conversations engaging, and personalize emails.
On top of that, they spend 8.8% of their time manually entering sales and customer information.
In the end, salespeople end up spending only 28% of their time actually selling.
Solution
The answer is simple: AI sales prospecting tools. Instead of spending hours on research, tools like Instantly B2B Lead Finder do the work in minutes. Advanced filters help you find leads that match your ideal customer profile in just a few clicks.
The lookalike feature finds similar prospects, and news filters keep your lead lists fresh with up-to-date information. Instantly.ai not only simplifies your marketing with pre-verified leads and email validation but also allows for quick personalization with “merge tags.”
Our A/B testing also shows you what works, while real-time tracking helps you make smarter decisions. Automating your tasks this way can help you save up to 2 hours a day, so you can focus on what matters most: closing deals.
Key Takeaways
Sales prospecting comes with its fair share of challenges, but the right strategies can make a big difference. Here’s a recap of how to overcome common obstacles and improve your prospecting success:
- Creating email copy that resonates: Personalize your cold emails with relevant insights and clear messaging. Use AI tools to boost open rates and engagement.
- Navigating an oversaturated market: Stand out by using multiple channels, highlighting your unique value, and showing your industry expertise.
- Building trust: Sell consultatively, listen to prospects’ needs, and position yourself as a trusted advisor.
- Overcoming resistance to change: Tackle concerns early, show clear benefits, and use testimonials or case studies to prove your value.
- Spending too much time on research and outreach: Use AI prospecting tools to automate lead research, email personalization, and follow-ups, saving time and increasing efficiency.
Tired of wasting time on sales prospecting? Instantly’s AI tools simplify the process, helping you get back hours of your day, so you and your team can focus on actually selling. Try it free today!
