Prospecting with AI visibility: method and B2B rules in France and Belgium
Turn a GEO audit into a useful first contact, without spam: targeting, the message, and the rules for B2B email prospecting in France and Belgium.
By Sébastien Monnier · · 7 min read · Lire en français
“Your business does not appear in any of ChatGPT’s answers about your trade in Liège.” For the owner of a small business, that sentence has more impact than any SEO pitch. It is concrete, verifiable, and touches a real concern.
It still has to be used properly. Here is a prospecting method based on AI visibility, and the rules to follow in France and Belgium.
1. Target by sector and by city
AI visibility is highly local: people do not ask for “a plumber”, they ask for “a plumber in Tourcoing”. So work by sector × city pair, ideally where your agency already has references.
The best prospects are often businesses that are:
- well rated (many positive reviews) but absent from AI answers: the contrast is striking and easy to explain;
- facing a direct competitor that does get recommended: what is at stake is immediately clear.
2. Bring proof, not a promise
Your first message should contain useful information, even if the prospect does not follow up:
- what the AI answers today to a key question in their trade;
- who is recommended instead of them;
- one or two likely causes, put simply.
Avoid promises such as “we will get you cited by ChatGPT”: nobody can guarantee that, and the prospect knows it.
3. A short, personal message
Three paragraphs are enough: the finding, the proof (a short report attached or a link), a simple offer (“shall I send you the analysis?”). Reread every message: an automatically generated draft must remain a draft.
4. The legal framework for B2B email prospecting
The points below are a general reminder, not legal advice. If in doubt, consult a professional.
In France
According to the CNIL (the French data protection authority), email prospecting aimed at professionals is allowed without prior consent, provided that:
- the message relates to the recipient’s profession;
- the person is informed that their address is being used and can object simply and free of charge with every message.
In Belgium
The principle is stricter: sending advertising by email generally requires prior consent. An accepted exception covers the impersonal email addresses of legal entities (such as info@ or contact@). With a named person’s address, be careful. Here too, every message must make it easy to object.
In all cases (GDPR)
- Use public, professional data: for example the generic contact address shown on the business’s website. Avoid collecting named personal addresses.
- Identify yourself clearly (agency name, contact details).
- Include an opt-out notice (“reply STOP to stop receiving messages”) and honour it immediately.
- Keep a suppression list and check it before every campaign.
5. Measure what works
Track your prospects in a simple pipeline: to contact → contacted → meeting → signed. After a few dozen messages, you will know which sectors and which findings get the most replies.
How Recoia helps
Recoia prepares the audit, the report with your logo and an email draft — but sends nothing on your behalf and does not collect named personal addresses. Every template includes an opt-out notice. Discover the prospect machine.