Looking for a really simple outbound sales meaning? We’ve got it. Inbound sales occur when a prospective client contacts you and you sell your product or service. Outbound sales occur when your representatives contact prospective clients and tell them about your offers, concluding with that all-important sale that clinches the deal.
Outbound selling occurs through social media, email, and over the phone. No matter what routes you choose, outbound selling is either conducted using in-house marketers and sales representatives, or more frequently, with the help of outside agencies. So, now that you have an outbound sales definition at your fingertips, you might think that you’re up to speed. You know what outbound sales are. But that doesn’t mean that you’re ready to dive in at the deep end. Your success will depend on strategy. Let’s take a closer look at that.
Outbound Sales Strategies
Just picking up the phone and calling random people to tell them about your offers isn’t going to result in a good success-rate. Before you even begin, you need to consider the buyer persona to whom you are pitching. Demographics are just the start. Get under your ideal customer’s skin and think about who this person would be and what he or she wants in life. How does your company help this person to get what they want?
Identifying the customer persona not only informs you as to who you should contact, but also indicates the approach you should use in doing so.
Now, you need to generate a list of leads. You may already have done so. For example, you may have offered a freebie in exchange for contact details, and now you want to follow up with people who took advantage of the offer. You know they’re already interested in what you do, and the next step is to convert that interest into a sale.
You might also look at past clients to gain repeat purchases or to upsell. Mr Jones liked offer one. Will offer two help him to get even more satisfaction? If it will, you have a hot lead for outbound selling right there!
At the very least, you’ve paid for a list of leads that fits your demographic, thereby narrowing down cold contacts to those who are most likely to respond to your offer.
At this point, you can get started with selling, or you may decide on a less aggressive outreach strategy in which initial contact is made to determine who is a hot prospect and who is not.
Once you start to sell, you can either go for a hard nosed “take it or leave it,” or you can sweeten the prospect up with a free trial, a discount, or some other benefit offered to people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. In most instances, it’s best not to push too hard to conclude a sale – particularly when you’re in a B2B environment with multiple stakeholders involved in the buying decision. Follow-up calls are often a requirement for a successful sale.
Of course, the final step is closing the deal, and there are many tips and tricks for increasing your chances. For example, a series of “Yes, Yes” questions leading up to an agreement to buy could be just the thing. Needless to say, scripting all this to ensure that your in-house or external representatives say what you want them to can help.
But beware of being too rigid. Conversations may easily depart from your script, and your reps need to know how to ad-lib appropriately. Every customer is different, and it takes a smart call agent to know when it’s time to throw away the script and tailor what’s being said to the client he or she is talking to.
What are Outbound Sales Activities?
Anything that turns a possible inbound client into an outbound sale can be considered an outbound sales activity. Calls and emails top the list, but social media also offers ways to get in touch.
In-site live chat outreaches, getting referrals from existing clients in exchange for an incentive, webinars, newsletter subscriptions, social media posts and more can be designated as outbound sales activities. In short, any activity that generates leads or involves direct contact with leads could be seen as an outbound sales activity.
What are the Most Important Outbound Sales Metrics?
No matter what our selling approach is, we need to know whether it’s worth pursuing, and metrics tell us whether we’re hitting the sweet spot. Did your leads turn into sales opportunities? How many emails were sent and how many calls were made? Were your calls answered and your emails read? Did that result in responses and conversations? Taking it to the next level, did that result in an appointment for further discussion? And, of course, how many of these contacts lead to an eventual sale?
What is Outbound Sales Software?
Although many businesses may believe that outbound sales consist of a single call or email and a yes or no response, few interactions are as simple as that.
For example, your representative calls Mrs Jones. She is interested, but wants to research alternatives and think it over. If you’re in a B2B environment, she may want to tell her colleagues and get their opinions too. If she contacts you again, she doesn’t want to start at square one. She will have a poor opinion of your service if all previous contacts aren’t recognized, allowing the conversation to progress beyond what’s already been covered.
Outbound sales software tracks her journey, allowing a new representative to continue the sales process where it left off. Jill may have initiated the conversation, but James knows where Mrs Jones is in the sales funnel and can pick up the process seamlessly. Your customer feels recognised, and you save a whole bunch of time.
What Does Outbound Sales Mean? You’ve Got it! Who Makes it Work?
Knowing what outbound sales means is one thing. Leveraging it to your best advantage is another. Your inbound sales team may be A-plus in performance and quality, but outbound sales are quite another matter.
It takes a great deal of experience and intuition to sell to someone who didn’t approach you. Generating quality leads helps, but ultimately, it’s down to the representative who delivers the pitch. Good scripts can help, but a script only goes so far, after that it’s up to people skills, empathy, and flexibility plus some really awesome CRM software to back this all up.
RSVP has what it takes. Our UK-based Outbound Sales and Retention services deliver better results than in-house teams because talking to people is our business and we do it well! So, if you’re considering an outbound sales drive, get us in your corner. We have the people, the tools and the strategies to give you the best possible chance of success. Join the big-name businesses that rely on RSVP’s outbound sales services today and watch leads turn into conversions. Contact us to find out more.