I've tried everything myself, first off I'd need to ascertain whether this is a small sale or a large sales. I'm guessing by the nature of Clarity this is a large sale, so I've outlined a few things I do as part of a plan of action rather than a strategy which isn't possible without more detail.
Sales is the marathon rather than a sprint so plan accordingly what your schedule is each day or you'll be less motivated to get up each morning. When starting to sell from scratch from with no pipeline I find a certain satisfaction (not inefficiency) from sourcing my own data, as it brings a certain sense of ownership to the table. That being said if you're going to buy in a database probably due to your product catering for a larger audience, lower price point then having a larger customer purchased database could save a lot of time.
Focus on a sector rather than spray and pray. If you've got no client references i.e you're starting from scratch then use previous clients you've worked with in past jobs. Social proof of mentioning who you've worked with always comes up trumps when speaking with clients.
Write a script, as some people will disagree with this thinking "he's going to sound like he's reading from a script". The purpose of the script is simply to give you a structure of what you're going to say and also let the initial prospective client explain why you're calling. After introducing why you're calling, start to ask questions.
Research, research, research! Don't pick up the phone or blast off an email without thoroughly researching who it is you're calling. With this in mind set up alerts for the companies you want to work with to find out changes in their industry.
I don't always start with the decision maker, I make a few fact finding calls to different departments and try to get the different stakeholders talking internally if possible. This makes any sales call more informed and wastes the decision makers time less. On that topic a lot of B2B sales people waste customers time and see it as the buyers duty to listen to them. They don't need to return your email or call so make the first call count.
Qualify early whats in it for you as well as the client, a lot of sales literature talks about customer centric selling, however the buyer will want to know if what they have other than budget to buy your product or service whether they're a "good fit" for your company as well as them.
