Lead Generation
Local Business Prospecting Checklist: From Google Maps Listing to First Sales Call
Prospecting a local business for website work is a chain of small steps, and most lost deals come from a skipped step, not a bad pitch. This checklist follows one business from a Google Maps listing all the way to a first sales call and the follow-up after it. Use it as a working document: tick things off, note the evidence, and move to the next stage only when a stage is done.
It is written for freelancers, small agencies and specialists who sell web design, local SEO or conversion work. Each stage has a checklist, a gate that tells you when to move on, and a note on what to record. The methods behind the stages are covered in more depth elsewhere on this blog, and we link to them where they help.
The ten stages at a glance
| Stage | What happens | Gate to pass |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Set up: niche, offer, tracking sheet, sending basics | You can describe who you help and what you offer |
| 1 | Build a list from listings | 20 to 40 active businesses with websites |
| 2 | Screen each listing | Active, reachable, worth helping |
| 3 | Check the website | One provable problem |
| 4 | Score and decide | Clear yes, maybe or no |
| 5 | Find the right contact | A public business contact |
| 6 | Send the first message | One specific, honest note |
| 7 | Follow up | Reply, no, or stop after your limit |
| 8 | Prepare for the first call | Evidence and questions ready |
| 9 | Run the call and follow up | A clear next step agreed and recorded |
Stage 0: set up before you start
Do this once, then keep it.
Setup
- I can say in one sentence who I help and what I offer, for example: I help dental practices in one city turn their website into a booking tool
- I have a tracking sheet with the columns shown below
- My sending email is set up on my own domain with a real signature, postal address and opt-out line
- I have a do-not-contact list, even if it is empty
- I have decided my limits: how many messages a week, and how many touches per business
- I have two or three relevant examples of my work, or a labelled concept project
Your tracking sheet is the backbone of everything below. One row per business.
| Column | What to record |
|---|---|
| Business, website, phone | The basics |
| Source and date | Where you found it, and when you checked |
| Rating and review count | From the listing |
| Finding | One plain sentence |
| Evidence | A link to the screenshot or test result |
| Service | The service the finding points to |
| Contact | A public business contact and route |
| Score | Your yes, maybe or no, with a number if you use one |
| Status | Not contacted, contacted, replied, call booked, won, lost, do not contact |
| Next action and date | What you will do, and when |
Stage 1: build the list
Choose one niche and one city. Then build a list of active businesses with websites.
List building
- Search the niche and city on Google Maps and scroll well past the first few results
- Cross-check with a second source, such as a local directory or chamber of commerce list
- Record name, website, phone, rating and review count for each business
- Note any businesses with no website on a separate list
- Stop at 20 to 40 businesses you will actually check
The reasoning behind this stage, and how to pick a niche that pays, is in how to find local businesses that need a new website. If you are considering a tool for this stage, the tools guide covers the options and the rules around automating.
Stage 2: screen the listing
Before you look at a website, look at the business behind it. A quick screen saves you from auditing something that is not worth it.
Listing screen
- The business looks active: recent reviews, current hours and recent photos
- It has a meaningful number of reviews and a healthy rating
- The phone number and hours look current, and match the website
- The listing has a website link, and it loads
- The category is one where a website drives customers
- The owner replies to reviews, which is a sign of an engaged business
Google's guidance for businesses says that complete and accurate information makes a business more likely to appear in local results, and that reviews and replies help a business stand out. An engaged, well-reviewed business may be more likely to care about how its website performs.
Gate: Skip listings that look closed, inactive or unreachable. Move on with the rest.
Stage 3: check the website
Now spend about ten minutes on the site, starting on a phone. The pre-pitch audit guide gives the time-boxed plan.
Website check
- Open the site on a phone. Can I see what the business does, and how to call or book, without zooming?
- Does the phone number tap to call?
- Is there a clear call to action on the first screen?
- Is there a padlock, and does http:// redirect to https://?
- Does the main content appear quickly in a PageSpeed Insights mobile test?
- Do the title and description look sensible in a Google search for the business?
- Are the reviews from the listing shown anywhere on the site?
- Is the footer year and content current?
If you want the longer version of these checks, use the website audit checklist, and for the common problems you are likely to find, see 15 website problems local businesses ignore.
Gate: Continue only if you found at least one problem you can prove with a screenshot or test result. If you cannot show it, do not lead with it.
Stage 4: score and decide
Decide quickly who deserves your time. A simple method: give 0, 1 or 2 points for each of reputation, provable problem, conversion gap, sellable service and reachable decision maker, and add them up.
| Total | Decision |
|---|---|
| 8 to 10 | Contact this week |
| 5 to 7 | Contact if you have capacity, or park for later |
| Below 5 | Skip |
These cut-offs are a starting point, so adjust them for your market. The reasoning behind them, and the more detailed automated version, are covered in what a website opportunity score is and how to use it.
Gate: Write the finding as one plain sentence, save the evidence and note the service. If you cannot, the prospect is not ready.
Stage 5: find the right contact
Contact
- I found an owner or manager name on the About or Contact page
- I have a public business email or contact form
- I am not using a private individual's personal details
- I have checked the do-not-contact list
- I have recorded where I found the contact
Gate: No public business contact means no outreach. Note it and move on.
Stage 6: send the first message
One finding, one reason it matters, one small offer, with your name, business, address and an opt-out. The cold email guide has the formula and five templates, and the guide to respectful outreach covers the limits.
Before you send
- It leads with one specific finding I can prove
- Nothing in it is invented, exaggerated or guaranteed
- It is short enough to read on a phone in half a minute
- It includes my real name, business, postal address and an opt-out line
- I have not contacted this person before, or I am within my touch limit
Update the sheet: status "contacted", the date, and the date of your planned follow-up.
Stage 7: follow up
Follow up once or twice, spaced a few days apart, and give each one something new, such as the screenshot you offered or a second observation. Stop after your limit. If someone says no or asks to be removed, record it and add them to the do-not-contact list immediately.
Gate: A reply, a no, or reaching your touch limit. Move the row to its next status either way.
Stage 8: prepare for the first call
When someone agrees to talk, prepare. Ten minutes of preparation makes a fifteen-minute call much better.
Call preparation
- I have re-opened the site on a phone and the finding still holds
- I have the screenshot ready to share
- I have looked at the listing again, including recent reviews
- I have my discovery questions written down
- I know the smallest fix I would suggest, and roughly what it involves
- I have decided what the next step will be if the call goes well
Here is a simple agenda for a fifteen-minute call.
| Minutes | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 | Introduce yourself, confirm how long they have, and say what you would like to cover |
| 2 to 7 | Ask about their business and how customers reach them |
| 7 to 11 | Show the one finding, with the screenshot, and ask if it matches what they see |
| 11 to 14 | Suggest the smallest fix and what it would change |
| 14 to 15 | Agree a next step and a date |
The order matters. Ask before you show, so that what you show connects to what you learned.
Discovery questions
Write your own, but these are a good start.
- How do most of your new customers find you today?
- About how many enquiries come from the website in a typical month?
- What is a typical job worth, and how many enquiries become work?
- Who looks after the website at the moment, and how often is it updated?
- Have you tried to improve it before? What happened?
- What would a good result from your website look like for you?
- Is there anything about it that frustrates you or your customers?
Question 3 is the one that lets you value the work with the owner's own numbers. The pitch guide shows how to do that honestly.
Stage 9: run the call and follow up
On the call, listen more than you talk. Show one finding, not five. Do not quote a price on the spot. Say you will send a short proposal by a specific date, and then do it.
After the call:
After the call
- Send a short summary the same day, with the screenshot and the next step
- Log the call in the sheet: what they said, their numbers and what was agreed
- Set a follow-up date and keep it
- If they are not interested, thank them and record it
- If they are interested, send a clear one-page proposal within the time you promised
If you are ready to price the work, how to price website redesign and SEO services walks through the floor, the packages and the proposal.
A weekly rhythm
Prospecting works best in regular, focused blocks, not occasional bursts. Here is an example week of about six hours, which you can scale up or down.
Example (illustrative). A suggested split of time, not survey data. Adjust it to your capacity.
Once a week, review the sheet. Count how many businesses are in each status, and ask what is stuck. If many are stuck at "contacted", improve the message. If few pass the website check, change your niche or your list. If calls do not become proposals, work on the call.
When it goes wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The list is full of closed or inactive businesses | Tighten the listing screen, and check hours and recent reviews before you go further |
| You cannot find anything provable on most sites | You may have chosen a niche whose sites are already good. Try a different niche or city |
| Plenty of messages, no replies | Improve the finding and the offer before you send more. Check your list and deliverability |
| Replies but no calls | Make the next step smaller, such as a screenshot rather than a meeting |
| Calls but no proposals | Ask better discovery questions, and use the owner's numbers |
| Proposals but no wins | Look at your scope and options. Offer a smaller starter package |
Where SiteOpportunity fits
Stages 1 to 4 are the most repetitive part of the chain. SiteOpportunity handles them for a whole market: it collects listings, inspects each website, and shows the evidence with an Opportunity score, a separate Confidence score and a recommended service, so that you can start at Stage 5 with a ranked list. You still choose who to contact, check the strongest findings yourself, and write and send every message. Nothing is sent automatically. The features page shows what a result looks like.
Want to see a ranked list for your niche and city before you start? Run a free search
Questions about the prospecting process
How many local businesses should I prospect in a week?
Enough that you can check each one properly and write a specific message. For many freelancers that is a handful of well-researched prospects a week, not hundreds. Increase only when quality holds.
What should I look for on a Google Maps listing?
Signs the business is active and worth helping: recent reviews, a healthy rating, current hours, a working phone number and a website link that loads. Check that the details match the website.
How long should a first sales call last?
About fifteen minutes is a good target for a first call. Spend most of it asking about their business, show one finding, and agree a next step before you finish.
Should I quote a price on the first call?
Usually not. Ask questions first, and send a short proposal by a date you agree. Quoting on the spot risks underpricing something you do not yet understand.
What do I do with businesses that say no?
Thank them, record it, and add them to your do-not-contact list so you never contact them again. Then move on to the next prospect.