Episode 501: Step-by-Step Process for the “Prospect by Interview” Campaign

Bob Woods: Welcome to Making Sales Social Live, coming to you from the Social Sales Link virtual studios. I’m Bob Woods. Brynne Tillman is off today, but Stan Robinson Jr. is here. How are you doing today, Stan?

Stan Robinson Jr.: Fabulous, Bob. Good to be back after a short vacation.

Bob: Good for you! I’m excited about diving into today’s topic. It is much bigger than many people realize at first glance. Most salespeople know they need to start more conversations—we all do. What they don’t know is how to do that without immediately defaulting to a pitch. Today’s episode is about a different approach: instead of prospecting by selling, you prospect by interviewing your prospects. By inviting the right people into a meaningful conversation, you learn from them, create content around their insights, and use that process to deepen relationships, expand your network, and create natural follow-up opportunities. In short, this is a “trust-first” prospecting method that almost no one knows about—mainly because we created it and are just rolling it out now. Before we go any further, we have a free ebook detailing this entire process at socialsaleslink.com/in. Today’s show will focus on the 30,000-foot view. The ebook actually gives you the specific, step-by-step instructions to execute it. Stan, any preliminary thoughts before we get started?

Stan: Yes. This is a prime example of a concept we talk about all the time: slowing down your outreach to speed up your outcome. This is the exact opposite of cold calling; it is the other end of the spectrum. It is a long-term view of building relationships. You aren’t going to start this week and convert leads next week. This takes time, but it is highly worth it, especially with high-value contacts.

Bob: That is a fantastic way to put it. You are building genuine trust. If you do it the right way—which means absolutely no pitching during the interview—you build a relationship centered on value, listening, and mutual respect. Why the “Prospect by Interview” Method Works

Stan: Let’s talk about why this works. Essentially, you are reaching out to a potential prospect (or someone very close to one) and asking for their insights on a topic relevant to their industry.
* The Focus is Exclusively on Them: It has nothing to do with your product or service offerings.
* It’s Highly Complimentary: You are reaching out to them as an industry expert, not asking them for a sales meeting.
*It Builds Their Credibility: You can let them know upfront that you’ll be using their insights for an ebook, article, or social post. This benefits them by giving them a platform to showcase their expertise to the world.

Bob: When you ask for insight instead of attention, the conversation feels different immediately. You stand out positively. Even if they aren’t a direct buyer right now, they will feel much more comfortable recommending you to others because you’ve built a relationship on value. The 6-Step Interview Campaign

Bob: This is a structured campaign, not a random, willy-nilly effort. Here is the high-level process:
1. Choose the Right People: Be highly intentional. Look for ideal buyers, industry experts, or local leaders. Chase relevance, not volume. A list of 10 well-chosen people beats 100 random names every time.
2. Invite Them to a Conversation (Not a Sales Call): Your outreach should be short, the topic clear, the time commitment specific, and the value obvious. Let them know you are putting together something valuable and want their unique perspective in it.
3. Ask the Right Questions: The quality of the interview lies in the quality of the questions. Ask questions that uncover experiences, patterns, mistakes, and lessons. (If you get stuck, you can use AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude to help brainstorm industry-specific questions).
4. Run the Interview Like a Human: Have a genuine conversation. Don’t just read questions off a checklist. Set expectations, listen deeply, and pay attention to moments that reveal future business opportunities—but save those opportunities for later.
5. Turn the Conversation Into Content: Turn the transcript into a blog post, a LinkedIn article, or short video snippets. Highlight and tag your participants so they can easily share it with their networks too. 6. Expand the Relationship: Send the finished assets to the interviewee, tag them, and keep the conversation going. One interview easily leads to a second conversation, new introductions, and further internal opportunities.

Stan: The power of building relationships this way is that it leads to internal referrals, champions within the organization, and long-term industry advocates who will introduce you to other companies down the road. How and Why It Can Fail

Stan: There is a dark side to this if it isn’t executed correctly. Here is how this strategy can go off the rails:
* Treating the Interview Like a disguised Discovery Call: Do not slip into talking about your solutions. Even if the prospect asks about your business, politely defer it: “I’d love to talk about that on a separate call, but today I really want to focus entirely on your insights.”
* Asking Generic Questions: If you’re interviewing someone in the AI space, don’t ask them where they think AI will be in five years. Ask them something highly specific, like how open-source models are impacting their workflow.
* Failing to Follow Up: The value isn’t just in the interview; it’s in what you do with it. You must create the content, share it with the interviewee, and use it to maintain a warm connection.

Bob: Exactly. Remember: the purpose of the interview is trust, not immediate conversion. How This Fits Into Social Selling

Bob: This strategy fits perfectly because social selling is about permission, relevance, and value first.
* Permission-Based: You are inviting someone into a conversation, not forcing your way onto their calendar.
* Value-First: They gain visibility and credibility by being featured in your content.
* Earns the Next Conversation: The interview leads to content, the content leads to follow-up, and the follow-up leads to business opportunities.

Stan: We aren’t saying you will never sell to them. We are just saying you won’t sell to them during the interview. Afterward, the insights you gained give you the perfect opportunity to circle back later and say: “You mentioned XYZ during our interview. I’ve been thinking about that and have a few ideas. Are you open to a call to discuss them?”

Bob: That is so important. Instead of guessing at their pain points on a cold call, you are having a highly informed, tailored business conversation based on what they actually told you. That is what social selling is all about. Wrapping Up

Bob: We’re going to bring it in for a landing. Thank you for joining us on Making Sales Social Live. We are here live every week. If you’re listening to the podcast, hit that subscribe button! For more podcast episodes, visit socialsaleslink.com/podcast. To download the free ebook detailing this process step-by-step, go to socialsaleslink.com/in. Be sure to make your sales social. Have a great week, everyone!

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