Three Unconventional Prospecting Methods That Are Making A Come Back | Donald Kelly - 1931

September 8, 2025

13 min episode · 2 min read

Episode

13 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Dec 24, 2025

Key Takeaways

✓Industry Events Strategy: Attend trade shows and association events where ideal customers gather, then use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify attendees beforehand and schedule 10 pre-event appointments with prospects.
✓Referral Conversion Gap: Nine out of 10 prospects willingly provide referrals, yet only 11 percent of sellers actually ask. Review customer LinkedIn connections to identify five to seven specific people for warm introductions.
✓Channel Partner Incentives: Offer 30 percent commission instead of standard 10 to 20 percent rates to channel partners. Higher payouts eliminate marketing costs while motivating partners to generate more qualified referrals consistently.

What It Covers

Donald Kelly explains three prospecting methods gaining effectiveness as AI automation creates noise: industry events, referral requests, and strategic channel partnerships with higher commission structures.

Key Questions Answered

•Industry Events Strategy: Attend trade shows and association events where ideal customers gather, then use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify attendees beforehand and schedule 10 pre-event appointments with prospects.
•Referral Conversion Gap: Nine out of 10 prospects willingly provide referrals, yet only 11 percent of sellers actually ask. Review customer LinkedIn connections to identify five to seven specific people for warm introductions.
•Channel Partner Incentives: Offer 30 percent commission instead of standard 10 to 20 percent rates to channel partners. Higher payouts eliminate marketing costs while motivating partners to generate more qualified referrals consistently.

Notable Moment

Kelly reveals he deletes more emails than he reads, highlighting how prospects experience the same overwhelming inbox fatigue that makes traditional outreach methods increasingly ineffective for sellers.

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