Commercial Prospecting Alex Hormozi: TPE/PME Method
Alex Hormozi transformed $150,000 of debt into $100 million net. Not through luck, but through a precise, reproducible, and adaptable commercial prospecting method for any business size. Here’s how to apply this method to find local clients — with Google Maps as your hunting ground.
Why the Hormozi Method Works for TPE/PME
In France, TPE/PME represent 99.9% of businesses and employ 75% of private sector employees. Yet, most apply prospecting techniques designed for large corporations. The result: generic campaigns, catastrophic response rates, and a lot of wasted time.
Alex Hormozi understood one simple thing: small size is an advantage, not a handicap. A TPE can personalize every message and create real human connections. Large companies cannot do that on an individual scale.
His phrase sums it all up: "Use your size as an advantage, not an excuse."
The 4 Types of Commercial Prospecting According to Alex Hormozi
Hormozi calls it the "core four" — the four engines of any customer acquisition strategy:
- Warm prospecting 1v1 — contacting people who already know you
- Cold prospecting 1v1 — contacting targeted strangers
- Free content — attracting prospects through useful content
- Paid advertising — amplifying what already works
For local businesses and TPE/PME, we mainly focus on the first two. And to keep these engines running, you need fuel: leads.
What Exactly is a Lead?
Simple definition: a lead is a person you can contact. That’s it.
The goal of a commercial prospecting campaign is to turn that lead into an active lead — someone who has shown concrete interest in what you offer.
Hormozi emphasizes this: before thinking about selling, you must first have someone to talk to. And have many people to talk to. He recommends contacting 100 people per day to maintain a healthy pipeline.
How to Build a List of Local Prospects
The first classic mistake: believing you don’t have a list. Your contacts, your subscribers, your former clients — they are already leads. But for local businesses, this list can run out quickly.
The solution? Google Maps.
All local businesses are listed there. Each listing contains usable data: name, address, phone, website, Google rating, number of reviews, category. It’s a goldmine for local commercial prospecting.
The problem: manually extracting this data takes hours. That’s where a tool like IBLead comes into play.
IBLead is a pre-indexed database of 50M+ Google Maps establishments in 37 countries. Everything is already extracted and indexed — you search, filter, and export to CSV in minutes. No waiting, no real-time scraping.
You can filter by city, postal code, category, Google rating, number of reviews, or even by technology used on the website. 160+ technologies detected per listing — CMS, analytics tools, advertising pixels. A level of targeting that few tools offer.
For €44, you get 10,000 qualified leads. That’s €0.004 per contact.
The Mistake That Kills Your Campaigns
Sending the same copied-and-pasted message to 200 prospects is commercial suicide. Hormozi is categorical about this: "Better 10 personalized messages than 100 generic ones."
Personalization is not an option. It’s the heart of the method.
Two minutes of research on the prospect — their website, their Google reviews, their industry — transform a generic message into one that resonates. And on Google Maps, you have access to data that facilitates this personalization: business characteristics, categories, customer reviews, technologies used.
IBLead goes further: it extracts up to 500 Google reviews per listing, with full text, rating, date, and author. You know exactly what customers are saying about your prospect. This is golden information for personalizing your approach.
The AK-ACC Method for Responding to Prospects
You’ve sent your message. The prospect responds. And now?
Hormozi has formalized a precise technique for managing these exchanges: AK-ACC.
- A — Acknowledge: acknowledge a fact about the lead. "Cool, my aunt is also an accountant."
- C — Compliment: a sincere compliment related to that fact. "You are very meticulous in your work."
- A — Ask: a transition question to your offer. "Does sitting all day prevent you from exercising?" (if you are in fitness)
The compliment must be sincere and understated. No excessive flattery. The goal is to create an authentic connection before talking business.
Hormozi's Indirect Sales Approach
This is where the method becomes truly original. Instead of saying "buy my product," Hormozi suggests selling indirectly:
"Do you know someone who is facing X problem and looking to achieve Y results in Z time?"
Two possible scenarios:
- The prospect is interested themselves — they will say so.
- They know someone — you get free social proof and a warm introduction.
This approach reduces buying resistance. It transforms a commercial conversation into a human exchange.
Concrete Examples of Prospecting Messages
Voicemail Message
For local businesses, the phone is often the first point of contact. Hormozi recommends a short message with a strong element of curiosity:
"Hello [first name], this is [your name], I’m calling about [your prospect's competitor]. Please call me back at [number]."
Concrete example: if you are contacting a bakery, mention another well-known bakery in the area. Curiosity does the rest.
Prospecting Email
Subject: I see you
"Hello [first name],
I was looking at your website and spotted an interesting opportunity. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with a long email, so I prepared a short video to show you exactly what I found.
Do you have 15 minutes in the next few days to discuss?"
We see the AK-ACC here. And the final question is also the call to action — we’re not selling directly, we’re proposing an exchange.
DM (the most effective)
Simple, direct, and incredibly effective:
"Are you still looking to [prospect's goal]?"
Examples:
- "Are you still looking to get more regular jobs?"
- "Are you still looking to increase foot traffic in your store?"
- "Are you still looking to retain your professional clients?"
The word "still" is optional if the lead is cold. This message works because it prompts the prospect to engage in conversation without feeling commercially pressured.
Multi-Channel Prospecting: Multiplying Contact Points
One platform is not enough. What works is multi-channel: combining email, phone, and social media to increase response chances.
Google Maps is an ideal source for this. Each listing contains the phone number, website, and often links to social media. From the website, you can retrieve the contact email and Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn profiles.
IBLead extracts all this into a single CSV export. Phone, email enriched from the website, social media, GPS coordinates. You import this file into your emailing tool (Lemlist, Instantly, etc.) or your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) and launch your campaign.
The database is updated weekly across 37 countries. You always work with fresh data.
Adapting the Method According to Your Structure Size
Solo Entrepreneur or Freelancer
Focus on 20 to 30 prospects per week maximum. Your advantage: total personalization. You know your craft inside out. Leverage your existing clients with Hormozi's indirect sales technique.
TPE (2 to 9 employees)
You can start delegating prospecting. Goal: 50 to 100 prospects per week, with the AK-ACC method applied by the whole team. A simple CRM (HubSpot's free version is enough to start) allows you to track exchanges.
PME (10 to 249 employees)
Now is the time to systematize. Sales team with clear quotas, refined multi-channel prospecting, goal of 200 to 500 prospects per week. But keep the Hormozi spirit: quality over quantity. 200 well-targeted prospects are better than 1,000 spammed.
The Metrics to Monitor
Hormozi is obsessed with measurement. Here are the indicators to watch:
- Email open rate: goal > 25%
- Response rate: goal > 15% with the AK-ACC method (vs 3-5% in classic prospecting)
- Conversion rate to meetings: goal > 8%
- Average sales cycle: to be gradually reduced
Test one element at a time. Two different email subjects, two sending times, two message lengths. If you change everything at once, you won’t know what works.
Checklist to Launch Your First Campaign
Day 1 — Preparation:
- Define your target sector and geographical area
- Create your IBLead account and start a trial (200 credits included)
- Extract an initial list of up to 50 prospects
- Identify 3 customizable pieces of information per prospect
Days 2-3 — Launch:
- Write 3 templates (phone, email, DM) according to the AK-ACC method
- Test on 10 prospects — no more
- Adjust based on initial feedback
Week 1 — Optimization:
- Analyze response rates (note everything)
- Refine the most effective messages
- Plan the multi-channel approach
Hormozi's advice: "Perfect first, then scale." Master the process on 10 prospects before moving to 100.
FAQ: Commercial Prospecting Alex Hormozi
What is Alex Hormozi's AK-ACC method?
AK-ACC stands for Acknowledge (acknowledge a fact about the prospect), Compliment (give a sincere compliment related to that fact), Ask (ask a transition question to your offer). This technique creates an authentic connection before any sales presentation. It generates response rates of 15 to 25% compared to 3 to 5% in classic prospecting.
Why use Google Maps for local prospecting?
Google Maps lists all local businesses with usable data: phone, website, rating, reviews, category. This information allows for personalizing each prospecting message. Tools like IBLead enable mass extraction of this data and filtering by rating, number of reviews, or technologies used on the website.
How many prospects to contact per day according to Hormozi?
Alex Hormozi recommends contacting 100 people per day to maintain a healthy sales pipeline. For a freelancer or a TPE starting out, begin with 20 to 30 prospects per week with maximum personalization. Scale gradually once the process is mastered.
What is indirect selling according to Alex Hormozi?
Rather than directly offering his product, Hormozi recommends asking: "Do you know someone who is facing X problem and looking for Y results in Z time?" If the prospect is interested, they will say so. Otherwise, they may refer someone to you — giving you a warm introduction and free social proof.
What tool to use for extracting Google Maps leads?
IBLead is a pre-indexed database of 50M+ establishments in 37 countries. You filter by city, category, Google rating, number of reviews, or web technologies, then export to CSV instantly. At €44 for 10,000 leads, that’s €0.004 per contact. 200 free credits are available to test the method.
Commercial prospecting according to Alex Hormozi is not about volume. It’s about method. Google Maps gives you the terrain. The AK-ACC method gives you the approach. All that’s left is to start.
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