What's an outbound sales strategy?
An outbound sales strategy is when you actively seek potential buyers by contacting them through cold phone calls, emails, and other methods. You want to persuade them to purchase from you.
You might be thinking…
That sounds gruesome, and I resent anyone who cold calls me.
However, it works if you learn how to do it correctly and grasp the different strategies. You have a higher chance of persuading prospects to buy from you if you're less aggressive. Instead, you make the interaction relationship-focused and authentic.
82% of buyers accept meetings with sellers who reach out to them in a genuine way. A high-converting booking page sets you up for success as it represents your professionalism, should a prospect want to book you for a meeting or a consult.
Outbound sales strategies connect you to high-quality leads and increase your communication with your audience. You discover more about them and what they need from you to make your offers the perfect solution to their problems.
Outbound sales strategies vs. inbound sales strategies
Suppose outbound sales strategies focus on actively initiating sales conversions through cold calling and emailing.
In that case, inbound sales strategies are when prospects are interested in your offer because they acquired information about your business through your:
- Website
- Booking pages
- Social media
- Blogs
- Adverts
- News
They initiate contact with you.
Both strategies are fundamental to converting prospects into customers. They work hand-in-hand to make more money in your business.
With outbound sales strategies, you make the first move; however, with inbound sales, the prospect takes action first. They've come across your offers because it's underneath their nose in the digital space.
The essentials of outbound sales
An outbound sales strategy is like asking someone on a date- your game and your one-liners determine the outcome. Therefore you must grasp the essentials of outbound sales to have a satisfactory result.
What you need to do:
1. Carry out substantial customer research
You'll succeed over and over again if you can walk in the shoes of your dream customer. You need to understand what they need from you entirely.
Get a grip on the following:
- Their demographics- age, gender, education level, ethnicity.
- Their psychology- how they think and what drives them.
- Their use of language- how do they use it to express themselves?
Suppose you can intimately understand these traits, you will be able to talk to your dream customer in a manner that resonates with them more profoundly.
You'll convince them that your products and services are the solutions to the problem that they’re facing.
Talk their language back to them and face them at eye level to connect with them on a deeper level.
Hang out on the same digital platforms that your dream customers are on. Follow the same accounts as them, so you can note their behavior and language.
For example:
- Read blogs they’re reading.
- Listen to podcasts they’re listening to.
- Join Facebook groups they’re in.
- Read their comments on YouTube or Instagram.
- Follow people that your prospects follow.
Through outbound sales strategies like cold calling and emails, you'll also have the opportunity to learn so much about your ideal customer by chatting with them.
2. Create a personalized sales script
Spend more time customizing a sales script that feels personal to your potential customer. You'll be more successful in converting them. Only 5% of sellers express that sending bulk emails with little personalization is effective.
Receiving a call or email with little personalized detail makes the prospect feel unheard and disregarded, thus less likely for them to stick around.
Customizing and personalizing your sales script can be more time-consuming. Still, you'll have better results, and in the long run, you'll be more successful in converting prospects into loyal customers.
Create a template that’s easy to customize. Save this template and continue to update it the more you understand your ideal customer.
3. Find the best way to contact potential leads
Outbound sales strategies are all about cold outreach.
What does this mean?
You pitch your products and services to potential customers with whom you have no prior relationship.
How do you do this?
- Cold calling
- Cold emailing
- Cold social media messages
It's essential to consider the following:
- What's the best channel to contact the prospect?
Remember, your prospects are busy. Set yourself up for success by strategically placing your cold outreach message in the correct place. Where do they hang out most- email or Instagram?
- What's more appropriate?
Maybe a call or message on LinkedIn is more professional than a DM slide on Instagram (depending on your prospect's personality and business niche).
- What are you better at?
Emails may not be your thing, but talking on the phone is your jam. Or maybe you're introverted, and social media messages and emails suit you better.
4. The importance of following up
Did you know that 80% of prospects say no before saying yes?
That's a scary stat!
Bringing us to the vital point that following up with prospects you've contacted via cold outreach is an essential part of the outbound sales strategy.
Your prospects are busy people. Remind them who you are. That follow-up email or phone call brings you back to the forefront of their daily thought.
The pretty thing about using booking pages is that you can send a follow-up email and direct them to book you via a simple link that is easy to use.
You won't risk missing the meeting because when the prospect secures you, it's integrated into your calendars with set reminders on both ends.
Different outbound sales strategies to increase your bookings
Let's squiz at the different outbound sales strategies to reach out to prospects, so that they become aware of your products and services.
Remember, an outbound sales strategy is when you actively seek a potential buyer to move them towards a purchase decision.
We've already spoken about a few outbound sales strategies, but let's look at them in detail.
# 1: Cold email marketing
If done correctly, cold email marketing is a budget-friendly and effective outbound sales strategy. Its purpose is to initiate a conversation with a prospect, create a relationship with them, and lead them down the road to buy your products and services.
It's the most straightforward of all the outbound sales strategies.
a. Identify your customer
There's no use cold emailing someone in the accounts department when your products and services are aimed at the social media marketing department.
Ensure you're pitching to the person who has the authority to move forward with the sale. In a small company, it may be the founder. Still, in a more prominent company, it may be the marketing manager. Find the right person struggling with a problem to which you're the solution.
b. Search for their email addresses
Your cyber snooping skills come in handy here.
If you’re lucky, the right person's email address is listed on the company website or social media platforms. However, if you're finding it impossible to locate your prospect's email address, use this handy tool called Hunter.io- a nifty search engine for email addresses.
c. Craft compelling copy
There are plenty of cold email templates you can find online, but the most crucial notion of a cold email is to eventually persuade a prospect to move towards a sale.
How do you do this?
By writing compelling copy that:
- Has a powerful and intriguing subject line.
- Identifies the benefits.
- A solid call to action.
There’s a great example of a cold email template by Justin McGill, who uses the QVC formula to craft a cold email to persuade potential buyers to book you for a meeting in which you…
Q= Ask a question
V= State your value proposition
C= Place a solid call to action
It's imperative to differentiate yourself from spammers and your competition.
Differentiate yourself and be better than anyone else.
d. Follow up
Remember, your prospects are busy and likely receiving numerous emails every hour. This is why you want to ensure you follow up if you don't get a response from them immediately. Give it three days, and then send a follow-up email.
Do this until you get a response; whether good or bad, you’ll get your answer to tick that prospect off the list.
# 2: Cold social media messages
Unlike cold emails, however, cold social media messages need to be more concise and to the point.
It’s also an excellent way to send out your booking page link as part of your pitch, if you want prospects to schedule a meeting with you.
Use the same template as the cold email to deliver value and introduce your products and services- but keep it short and sweet :
- Ask a question
- Have a clear value proposition
- A solid call to action
Make sure you continue to follow up if you don't get a response within a few days.
# 3: Cold calling
Probably the most challenging of all the outbound sales strategies. If you're an introvert- this won't be your favorite strategy.
However, it's a great way to make a personal connection with someone to showcase your personality. You’ll receive immediate feedback instead of waiting for an email to come back to you.
Make sure your calls target business numbers, not personal ones. It keeps the cold calling professional, and the prospect won't feel their personal space and information have been violated.
If you're totally into the cold calling outbound sales strategy, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
a. Have a script
Just like you have an email template, you should be ready and prepared with a script when cold calling. Know your prospect well before you pick up the phone, and the script should be personalized according to the needs of the person on the other end.
It doesn't need to be word for word, as you may sound too robotic, but ensure you have a good pitch, call to action, and answers to some common questions.
b. Roleplay
If cold calling feels intimidating - try practicing with friends and family first, as this will ease you up. You’ll get better at it if you practice. Do this via phone instead of face-to-face, so you can get used to the feeling of cold calling.
c. Do it often
Practice cold calling as often as possible to dim the feeling of being entirely out of your comfort zone. Make it a comfortable practice and a habit.
Ensure you're doing it daily so that it becomes second nature. If you do it often, you also become better at it and learn from your mistakes.
You'll start sounding confident, making the prospect feel at ease as you come across as a professional and authoritative in the subject matter.
Want an easy way for prospects to book a meeting with you?
Outbound sales strategies are necessary to scale your business and convert leads into customers. Sometimes it may feel uncomfortable and challenging.
However, you'll never look back when you hook a prospect using outbound sales strategies.
Make it easy for a potential buyer to take action and book you for a meeting after you've sent a cold email or picked up the phone and cold-called them.
Start a free trial with Book Like a Boss so your dream customers can schedule a meeting with you and become loyal customers.
