How to Find B2B Prospects When Your Territory Feels Too Small

“There aren’t enough customers in my area.”

I hear this from salespeople, and sometimes it’s true. Geography, delivery costs, and company restrictions can all shrink a territory. Often the territory is fine and the list is the problem, or the companies are there and the conversations aren’t happening. Each of those needs a different answer.

A rep who wanted to expand past Columbus after three weeks

At my last company, I hired a young rep with a little experience, and we worked together to develop him into a professional salesperson. We sold print: marketing materials, direct mail, and the like. I gave him a structure and told him, “If you do this, you will open your first account by week 8.”

The structure was our 5x8 program: five outreach methods, eight touches of each per day, for 200 touches a week. Our five were phone calls, personal email, marketing email, notecards, and marketing mail. Yours might be different.

After week 3, he came to me and said he wasn’t having any luck in Columbus. He wanted to start looking at Cleveland and Cincinnati. I told him to focus only on Columbus for the full 8 weeks. If he hadn’t opened anything by then, we’d talk about Cleveland and Cincinnati.

He changed nothing. He kept working the process day after day. In week 7, he opened his first account, a small company in downtown Columbus. It wasn’t our biggest account, but he was rolling, and he hasn’t stopped since.

That doesn’t prove every territory is big enough. It does show how often a slow start gets blamed on the territory when the timeline is the real issue. Three weeks of prospecting rarely tells you enough about a market.

Define who you can serve

Write down what makes a company a good fit for what you sell. What problem can you solve? What does that company buy repeatedly? Can your team serve them well and profitably? Be specific enough that you can explain why each company belongs on your prospect list.

Where to find B2B prospects in your own backyard

Most of my best leads came from publications and lists other salespeople could see too.

• Local business awards. In Columbus, Columbus CEO ran local awards, and they were a key prospecting tool for me. When a company from my Dream 50 - the 50 accounts that best fit my target - appeared, I screenshotted the page and sent it to them. For the ones I wanted most, I cut out the page, framed it, and brought it to their office. I knew what it feels like to be recognized, because I’d chased those awards for mid-market printing companies myself. I wasn’t the only one who saw the magazine. I was the one who did something with it.
• Annual lists. The Book of Lists from Columbus Business First was the best publication I used as a printer looking for companies that fit what we provided. Your market likely has an equivalent.
• Niche segments. I loved working with small colleges and universities. I used to scour Google for them. Now I can speed up much of that research with tools like ChatGPT or Claude, which are good for a first-pass list of a niche. Verify every company yourself before it goes on your list.
• Directories and referrals. Industry association directories, local business directories, company websites, and people who understand your market all turn up names you wouldn’t think of.

The award pages helped with existing customers too. I once framed a page for a customer, and they told me, “Thank you SO much for this. For some reason, our issue got lost in the mail, and our CEO has been on me for the past week to find a copy to frame.”

Build a 50-company research list

Choose 50 companies in the territory you’re allowed and equipped to serve. If 50 seems like a lot, do 20, or 10. Just do something to keep the ball moving forward. For each one, record:

• What makes it a fit.
• What evidence suggests it needs your product or service.
• Who is involved in buying.
• What you still need to learn.
• Your next step.

Keep assumptions separate from facts. A company that looks promising still has to be qualified.

Is it a small market or a hard conversation?

Look at the companies you’ve already contacted. Did you reach someone involved in the decision? Did you learn whether they have the problem you solve? Did they tell you why they weren’t interested?

An unanswered email means you don’t have an answer yet. It doesn’t tell you whether the company could be a customer. If good prospects exist but conversations aren’t happening, work on your approach: research the account, ask for an introduction, and give them a specific reason for reaching out. Use an observation that’s true and relevant to what you sell.

When the territory really is limited

Some territories do run out of suitable buyers. If your research shows that, take the evidence to your manager. Discuss adjacent customer types, additional needs within existing accounts, or territory changes the company can support. Bring specifics: the accounts that fit, the restrictions, and the opportunity you think is worth investigating.

Pick five and start

Choose five companies from your research. For each one, write down why it fits and one question you still need answered. Then work toward those conversations.

If you need help defining which companies belong on your list, download my free Ideal Customer Profile booklet. You’ll also receive my weekly newsletter with one practical sales tip every Friday. For practice and feedback on your prospecting conversations, explore coaching with Lean Sales Group.

Roy Waterhouse is the founder of Lean Sales Group, where he coaches salespeople on building trust and growing accounts.