Suspect: Definition, issues, and explanations

A suspect refers to a person or company that may be interested in a product or service, but whose actual interest and needs have not yet been confirmed.

This is an initial stage in the sales prospecting process, where contacts are identified broadly, often based on general criteria without in-depth qualification.

The term is commonly used in sales and marketing teams to differentiate this broad target from a prospect, who is a validated potential customer.

Identifying suspects allows sales teams to structure their approach and prioritize their efforts.

The suspect represents an initial outline of potential market, helping to build a pool of contacts to be qualified later.

This step is essential to avoid targeting too quickly and indiscriminately, which can lead to a waste of time and resources.

In practical terms, suspects are identified through research, databases, trade shows, social media, or recommendations, based on general criteria such as industry, company size, or location.

They enter the sales team's CRM system, who then qualify these prospects through contact, surveys, or appointments.

As the process progresses, some suspects turn into qualified prospects when their interest and needs are confirmed.

The advantages for the suspect include the ability to build a large pool of contacts, providing a basis for identifying new business opportunities.

They also enable better segmentation at the beginning of the sales cycle, while limiting wasted time by initially targeting broadly.

However, the drawbacks lie in the fact that many prospects will never become customers, which can represent a waste of resources if the qualification process is not rigorous.

There is also a risk of dispersion, because without a good methodology, prospecting can become ineffective and costly.

A software company participating in a trade show can collect a list of prospects based on visitors interested in its booth, without yet knowing their budget or timing for purchase.

A sales representative using LinkedIn can identify prospects by filtering profiles according to industry and geographic criteria, before initiating a discussion to gauge interest.

In the real estate sector, a suspect may be someone who has shown a vague interest in a property, requiring a qualification process to understand their exact needs.

• Wikipedia page on commercial prospecting
• Understanding CRM with Salesforce
• HubSpot Sales Prospecting Guide
• LinkedIn Sales Solutions prospecting tools
• Glossary Sales and Business EasyWeb Agency