Outbound prospecting is the hardest job in sales. First you have to get the prospects attention. Then convince them that their current way of doing things isn’t good enough.
Many sales and marketing leaders abandoned this outdated strategy because it was hard to scale. Also, people provide clues they are not satisfied with how they do things now. This can increase the likelihood of engagement.
This has led to a 10 year long re-engineering of sales and marketing processes. You should first get leads. Then you can find qualified prospects. You can then close the sale with these people to make money. It is like Aaron Ross’ Predictable Revenue Model..
One of the vital things to keep in mind when creating marketing content is engagement. Marketing qualified leads, or MQLs, are one way we measure this metric.
Engagement is a keystone that fuels your campaigns’ success and development for years to come. Whether you’re doing it with ads on social media platforms or with banners on websites. Marketers must always make sure that their message can reach a lot of people. But they also need to make sure that the people connect with it!
A sales development rep (SDR) is the first step in closing a sale. They are responsible for finding, generating and capturing potential leads. These leads can then be closed by closers within your process.
Closing reps stay on top of the latest trends to refine their prospecting strategy. This way they have an edge when it comes to competing for more business with clients who don’t know they need you yet!
To be a successful SDR, you need to show people that you understand them. This is because this job requires building relationships with other people. This is more than making deals happen quickly without any feeling behind them.
Sales Development Reps should also avoid becoming too comfortable waiting around. If anyone wants something done right, they deserve someone looking out for their interests.
Account executives are responsible for running their sales process and closing.
This was working very well. This method is not as effective as it used to be. Decision makers get a lot of emails, cold calls, and marketing messages. They are often ignored or deleted and many will unsubscribe.
People are getting smarter. They know what is going on and to avoid it.
One of the things that has changed in recent years is customer behaviour. We have failed to keep up with this change. As a result we are seeing declining sales rates.
It’s time to get on board so that customers can enjoy our products throughout their experience with us. From initial contact through sale into long-term service after they become loyal clients.
We need to lead at every level. We need to understand what needs fixing and make required changes. Nothing more than a total rethink will do if we want sustainable growth in sales and income.
The Predictable Revenue Model is an Artifact of Silo-based Thinking
The Predictable Revenue model was designed to replace the Growth Pyramid. In many instances it has replaced it in popularity due to data-driven results. Now we can see how this still uses siloes or groups focused on individual tasks with no thought for synergy across them.
Sales and marketing alignment has been a problem for more than 10 years. This is because B2B organizations have salespeople who must contact prospects before sealing the deal.
Problem is, the departments of Sales and Marketing don’t communicate that much! This is said to be due to their different goals in vertical areas (areas with only one department). It’s time to change projects and tactics so these two can work together better.
The internet has a significant impact on how companies allocate their marketing budget. Before this, branding and awareness were mission-critical in driving sales opportunities.
Companies would spend money creating ads, building trade show booths or developing collateral. But now they can also use that same funding for digital advertising.
There are different ways to advertise. One way is with Google Adwords. If you use these, people are more likely to take action quickly. If they see an advertisement on TV they need to be convinced by that ad.
Today, buyers are empowered to do most of the necessary research for new products and services on their own. Sales representatives exist only when a buyer is ready.
Years ago, before online buying became the norm, salespeople were all that potential consumers had access to. This may have left them feeling powerless over what they should or should not buy.
Sometimes they could be persuaded into spending more than needed. This tended to happen more if there was no one around who knew about different offers on the market.
This information overload made life difficult for the consumer. So many things changed when people started using the internet and doing their own research.
In the past, we needed salespeople, even if we didn’t want to talk to them. In today’s world everything is available at our fingertips. With online shopping or convenient stores nearby we don’t need to speak with a person face-to-face. You need to overcome someone’s initial feelings of annoyance when reaching out cold. You have to approach things differently.
How Does This Outbound Prospecting Process Fit With Home Business?
Many in home business are in network marketing. This means your marketing focuses on product sales and recruitment. The old “friends and family” routine is not effective and never has been in my experience.
Your outbound prospecting revolves around everything talked about above. You need to connect with people regularly. You need to be speaking to them without being pushy. Building relationships is key.
People these days will see any outbound prospecting tactic trying to get them to do something they may not want. If you build the relationship and build trust, people will be a lot more open to this softer approach.
You, as the home business owner, need to combine the processes discussed. You are the first and last point of contact to get the deal done. This is why new business owners need the help of their sponsor. Until you learn how to do your own outbound prospecting well, you can fail.
You need to feel confident getting sales and sign ups.
Outbound Prospecting And Content
Content generation is always the key. When you create regular content you give yourself the chance of attracting people in. Your content needs to be helpful and shareable. The more value you give, the more people you will attract.
Social media is very important these days, but you need lasting content. Many people will post in groups, but the content is rarely seen. This is because they are one of many doing exactly the same thing.
So, what is the best option?
A blog is one of the best ways to create great, long lasting content that prospects can see for a long time. Yes, you will need to learn a little SEO, but you can do a lot by sharing content on social media whenever you can. The more people that see it, the more chance you have of getting leads.
How many influencers do you know who DON’T have a blog?
I would suggest there are very few. Even those who are very active on social media will have a website too.
When it comes to outbound prospecting you can benefit a lot from your content. Social Media is a good source if you can keep creating that content on demand. If you can write great content, then a blog could be one of the best ways to improve your outbound prospecting.
We have a solution if you are stuck knowing how to blog. Our step by step training will help you understand how to blog. Contact us to find out how.
