Outbound sales are the most common growth tactic for any business. Outbound sales is the process of a sales rep reaching out to a potential customer who has not expressed interest in a product or service offered by the business. Unlike blogging, SEO, or inbound marketing, outbound sales is a predictable growth channel for business. Once you've developed a process and working model, your outbound prospecting engine that will produce new opportunities all year round. Here are some steps on how you can email prospects the right way.
Conducting research is the first component of your process. Before you attempt an email campaign, it's important to know the prospect you are contacting. These emails you will be sending are cold emails, so it's important to know information on your target audience. Here are some things you should consider when researching your prospects.
During the research phase of outbound sales, it is important to understand the prospect's position at a company because it can greatly impact the decision-making process. Knowing the prospects' role within the company will give you an idea of their level of influence, budget, and decision-making authority. For example, if the prospect is a team leader, they may have more budget and decision-making power than an individual contributor. Additionally, understanding the prospect's position within the company can also give insight into their specific pain points and challenges they might be facing, which can help tailor your sales pitch to address their specific needs. But we'll get more into that later.
Furthermore, it also helps identify potential stakeholders and decision-makers within the company, which can help build a relationship with the right people to influence the buying decision. In summary, understanding a prospect's position at a company is crucial during the research phase of outbound sales as it can greatly impact the decision-making process, assist in tailoring your sales pitch and help to identify key stakeholders.
Researching industries during the outbound sales process is crucial to effectively targeting and engaging with potential prospects. By deeply understanding the industry, you can better tailor your sales pitch to address your prospects' specific needs and pain points.
First and foremost, researching industries allows you to identify a company and understand its specific needs. For example, suppose you are selling a product or service that is geared toward a specific industry. In that case, you'll need to have a deep understanding of that industry to be able to target and engage with potential customers effectively. This understanding can help you create a message that will resonate with your prospects and make them more likely to engage with your sales pitch.
Researching industries also lets you identify industry trends and changes that may impact your sales efforts. For example, suppose you are selling a product or service that is impacted by new regulations. In that case, it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest changes to be able to address potential concerns or objections that your prospects may have. Additionally, industry research can help you identify potential growth opportunities, such as new markets or untapped industry segments that you could target.
Lastly, researching industries also helps you stay ahead of the competition. By staying informed about industry trends, you can identify potential threats and opportunities that could impact your sales efforts. Additionally, understanding your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses can help you create a sales pitch that differentiates you from your competitors.
When it comes to outbound sales, company size can have a significant impact on your sales process and, ultimately, your success. Understanding the size of a company can help you tailor your approach and message and ultimately increase your chances of closing a sale.
First and foremost, company size can directly impact the decision-making process. In larger companies, multiple decision-makers and influencers often need to be convinced before a sale can be made. On the other hand, in smaller companies, there may be fewer decision-makers, and the sales process may be more straightforward. Understanding the size of a company can help you identify the key decision-makers and influencers and target your sales efforts accordingly.
Company size can also impact the budget and resources available for potential purchase. Larger companies often have larger budgets and more resources to allocate toward a purchase, while smaller companies may have more limited resources. This information can help you tailor your sales pitch to address a company's specific budget and resource constraints and make a more compelling case for your product or service.
Additionally, company size can also impact a company's specific needs and pain points. Larger companies may have more complex needs and require more advanced solutions to address their pain points, while smaller companies may have more basic needs and be more interested in cost-effective solutions. Understanding the size of a company can help you create personalized content that will resonate with your prospects and make them more likely to engage with your sales pitch.
Company size can also impact the competitive landscape. Larger companies may have more established competitors and a more mature market, while smaller companies may have fewer competitors and a more untapped market. This information can help you identify potential growth opportunities and create a sales pitch that differentiates you from your competitors. For example, if you were reaching out to a small company, your sales pitch could be centered around helping them reach an untapped market.
Lastly, company size can also impact the sales process itself. Larger companies may have more formal processes and procedures in place for making a purchase, while smaller companies may be more open to informal or less structured sales processes. Understanding the size of a company can help you navigate the sales process and close a sale more efficiently.
Doing extensive research on your ideal prospects will go a long way. You want to have as much data as possible. With research, you'll be able to map out the best targets to focus your time on instead of wasting time with prospects who might not be a good fit for your business. Sending an email to a prospect without conducting research is the same as shooting in the dark. You don't know what you are going to hit. You want to demonstrate that you took the time to look into your prospect before reaching out.
If there's one thing you must remember when you are reaching out to prospects, it's that you are sending emails to a human, not a robot. If you want human interaction, you must make sure you speak like one. On the other end of that computer screen is someone there, just like you checking their emails. Adding a personal touch to your email campaigns can make all the difference. A personalized message can be the difference in how prospects respond to you. Here are the areas of your email campaigns you should run personalization strategies around:
Personalized subject lines are a great way to drive customer engagement. An email subject line is the single line of text people see when they receive your email. Subject lines can give potential customers an idea of why you're contacting them. With a personalized subject line, your email can stick out among the other emails they've received in their inbox. For example, let's say the objective of your email campaign is to take the recipient out to lunch; you could use the recipient's first name in the subject line with a catchy phrase. There are different ways to write a subject line, so make sure you write one that works for you.
Now that you've personalized your subject line, it's time to work on the opening line. The opening line of an email is the first piece of text you'll see. The opening line of an email is crucial in setting the conversational tone for the rest of the message and can greatly impact the recipient's likelihood of reading. Personalization is key in making the opening line stand out and capture the reader's attention. Addressing the recipient by name or mentioning something specific about them makes the email more genuine and relevant to the person reading it. This can lead to higher open and response rates, as the recipient is more likely to feel a connection with the sender and be invested in the content of the message. Personalization is a small touch, but it can greatly impact building a relationship with your recipient and getting your message across effectively.
The body paragraph is the meat of your outbound sales email, and it's where you can demonstrate your understanding of your prospect's pain points and offer a solution. This is the section where you can showcase your product or service's value and why they should choose your company over others.
Personalizing the body paragraph of your sales email is crucial in making a strong impression on your prospects. By tailoring your message to their specific needs and pain points, you show that you've researched and understand what they're going through. This level of personalization helps build rapport and trust, making your message much more relevant and compelling. There are several ways to personalize the body paragraph of your sales email.
Customer testimonials and case studies can be powerful tool for your body paragraph. By showcasing your product or service's success to others, you provide a compelling reason for your prospect to consider your solution. When you can demonstrate that others have had positive outcomes from using your product or service, it helps build trust and credibility and makes your message much more persuasive.
When selecting customer testimonials and case studies, choosing ones relevant to your prospect's industry is important. Since you've researched prospects, you'll understand their challenges and how to provide them with a solution. This helps demonstrate that your product or service is a good fit for their specific needs, making your message more compelling. For example, if your prospect is in the healthcare industry, you might use a case study from a hospital that has successfully implemented your product or service. Don't worry about attaching an entire case study to the email. Highlight the most compelling stat and write it in a short sentence. You want to engage them to learn more about your product.
Customer testimonials and case studies can be highly effective tactics for increasing the impact of your outbound sales message. By showcasing your product or service's success for others, you are building trust, credibility, and relevance, and you are making your message more persuasive.
One of the best ways to differentiate yourself is by personalizing your message to your prospect's specific needs and pain points. Understanding the challenges your prospect is facing, the stress points causing frustration, and their goals for the future can help you craft a message that speaks directly to their needs and provides a solution.
Using pain points in your message can help increase the perceived value of your solution. By showing how your product or service can alleviate their pain points, you are positioning yourself as a valuable partner who can help them achieve their goals. This can help to overcome objections and make your message more persuasive.
Gathering information about a prospect's pain points is crucial in personalizing your outbound sales message and making it effective. Understanding their challenges, stressors, and goals helps you craft a message that speaks directly to their needs and provides a solution. This information can be gathered through various sources, such as:
One of the best ways to gather information about a prospect's pain points is by using the experiences of your past clients. Referencing past clients with similar positions or industries can help you identify common pain points you can address in your sales message. This personalizes your message and demonstrates your understanding of the challenges your prospect may be facing.
When considering past client experiences, think about the positions you've successfully closed deals with and their pain points. This information can be valuable in tailoring your message to your current prospect and highlighting how your product or service has been successful for others in a similar position. By using past client experiences, you can provide relevant and impactful solutions to your prospect's pain points.
LinkedIn is a space where professionals can connect with each other. Use the opportunity to see what your prospect is talking about online, the information they are sharing, and the posts that they are commenting on. They could be highlighting their pain or asking for advice for a particular problem. LinkedIn also allows you to see what you have in common, a great personalization tactic for the body paragraph or your opening line.
Take a look at your prospect's company blog and announcements. If there is any new news that they've released, it could be a great talking point to include in your email. For example, let's say your prospect's company has just been acquired. At the start of your email, you can say something like “Congrats on the acquisition.” You can also look at the content on their blog and refer to the information you've learned or how much you enjoyed reading their content.
Once you have a solid understanding of your prospect's pain points, you can use this information to tailor your message. For example, in your body paragraph, you might use them to illustrate how your product or service can help solve their problems.
Let's look at two examples of possible pain points and how they can be used in an outbound sales message:
In the body paragraph, you can explain how your product or service can help alleviate their time management challenges. For example, you might explain how your software streamlines their workflow, saves them time, and helps them to be more productive. By showing how your solution can help to alleviate their pain points, you are making your message more relevant and compelling.
In the body paragraph, you can explain how your product or service can help alleviate their cost management issues. For example, you might explain how your product provides cost savings through automation, reduces waste, and streamlines processes. By showing how your solution can help to alleviate their pain points, you are making your message more relevant and compelling.
Do you want your prospects to buy your product or service? Provide them with social proof of your product or service's success so they know it works. Use your tangible results with other clients to show your value and give insight into your product or service's performance. It can also help to show that your product is solving issues within your industry as well. For example, suppose you're contacting a prospective customer from an influencer marketing agency. In that case, it can be helpful to talk about the success of influencer marketing as an industry and how its value shaped the idea around your solution. It's like the old mantra, “The proof is in the pudding.” Providing insights is valuable and can have a great impact on your prospects.
Finally, you can use behavior triggers in your body paragraph to nudge your prospect toward taking action. For example, you could mention that you'll only be offering a limited-time discount or that you have a limited number of spots available for an upcoming webinar. These types of behavior triggers create a sense of urgency and can help prompt your prospect to take action.
The body paragraph of your outbound sales email is a critical component of your message, and personalizing it can help to increase its impact. By understanding your prospect's pain points, using their name, referencing their company and industry, using customer testimonials and case studies, and incorporating behavior triggers, you can create a highly personalized message that resonates with your prospect and helps to drive conversions.
Personalizing the closing line of an outbound sales email is just as important as the rest of the message. The closing line is the last chance to make a strong impression on the recipient and leave them with a clear call to action. A call to action, or CTA, is a specific request that prompts the recipient to take a specific action, such as scheduling a call or visiting your website. By including a well-crafted and personalized call to action, you can increase the chances that the recipient will take the next step in the sales process.
Personalizing the call to action is important because it makes the request feel more personal and relevant to the recipient. When the call to action is tailored to their needs or interests, they are more likely to act. For example, suppose the recipient has expressed interest in a particular product or service. In that case, you can craft a personalized call to action that asks them to schedule a demo or request more information.
You can start by researching the recipient and their company to personalize the call to action. This information can be used to tailor the call to action to their specific needs and interests. Additionally, you can use the recipient's name in the call to action, making it feel like a personal request rather than a generic one.
There are many different ways to craft a personalized call to action, but some of the most effective include:
Here are a few example closing lines with personalized calls to action:
Personalizing the closing line of an outbound sales email with a clear and personalized call to action is crucial for increasing the chances that the recipient will take the next step in the sales process. By tailoring the call to action to the recipient's specific needs and interests, you can create a more personal and engaging experience, leading to better conversion rates and, ultimately, more sales.
A/B testing can be the difference-maker in how effective your prospect meetings are. What's great about email prospecting is that there is no method to the madness. The approach to prospecting is not set in stone. Take the time to A/B test your emails to see which ones perform best. It also provides opportunities to try new strategies to drive engagement and, ultimately, a meeting with your prospect. To A/B test properly:
A/B testing can take some time, so if you want to get ahead of the curve and use emails that have been proven to perform better, you should consider working with an outsourced SDR agency. SDR agencies specialize in email prospecting and have sales collateral that has been vetted and proven successful across multiple industries. While you might not be looking to work with an SDR agency, it always helps to know the right indicators to outsource your sales needs.
Outbound sales continue to be at the forefront of prospecting for salespeople today. If you want your company to grow efficiently, use the steps above when you are in your prospecting phase. You'll soon have a pipeline of opportunities to close. Still, more importantly, you'll have prospects that you can build a business relationship with that can lead to endless business opportunities down the line.
If you want to generate more business opportunities, learn more about our services and how Key Outreach can set up over 400 quality meetings for our clients monthly and guarantee you 1-3 extra monthly deals.
Key Outreach is an exceptional outsourced sales development company that empowers businesses to win 1-3 extra monthly deals. As a trusted partner to over 100 companies, they have proven their ability to deliver value and drive success. Their sales development representatives identify prospects, automate outbound efforts, and foster pipeline growth. By reaching decision-makers consistently, they set businesses up for the best possible chance to close a deal.
With Key Outreach, businesses can scale revenue predictably, enjoy a continuous lead flow, and save valuable time as a reliable, scalable team handles prospecting. Their dedication and commitment are evident in their work, as they constantly bring new ideas and insights to the table. Key Outreach's services have enhanced sales development efforts for numerous businesses. If you want to learn more about their B2B appointment-setting services and how they can elevate your business, visit their website here.
