Article
The Inbound vs. Outbound Process for Lead Response
insidesales.com
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Most sales professionals these days are in love with email, because it’s more convenient. But the truth is, while picking up the phone is awkward, it’s also more productive. “When we looked at most optimal cadences, for inbound the most successful cadence wasCall – Voicemail – Email repeated between 6-10 touches. Unfortunately this combination was only used 4.7% of the time.” Also, using multiple communication methods is always more effective than using just one.
And while research shows you need to make at least six attempts to make sure you get a chance to talk to a prospect, you can’t call them every single day. That’s a sure-fire way to get on somebody’s ignore list. “Reps should space their contact attempts up to two days, to make sure their prospects get to breathe in between conversations– but don’t forget who they are talking to.” Content – What Do I Say In My Sales Messages?
Should I Give Prospects a Breather Between Attempts? “And while research shows you need to make at least six attempts to make sure you get a chance to talk to a prospect, you can’t call them every single day. That’s a sure-fire way to get on somebody’s ignore list.” Reps should space their contact attempts up to two days, to make sure their prospects get to breathe in between conversations– but don’t forget who they are talking to.
The typical prospecting email is 362 words and nearly half of voicemails were over 30 seconds. “This is really interesting, because when analyzing best practices across both inbound and outbound, emails with less than 300 words did perform better than emails with over 300 words and voicemails under 30 seconds is more optimal than over 30 seconds.” If you’re looking for more tips on how to perfect your strategy on responding to inbound leads, we’ve got you covered. Watch the webinar “10 Secrets For Responding to Inbound Leads”– it’sfree and you can register online!
Inbound Selling “Inbound sellers is when a rep reaches out to someone who knows your company with a certain sequence of sales activities.” Outbound Selling
An outbound cadence, is when a rep reaches out to someone who doesn’t know your company via email, phone or other methods of communication. “Both inbound and outbound reps will have to follow a certain lead response process which is specific to their position and to the business model they are in.” When sales cadences are executed correctly, they can nearly double contact rates for sales professionals. But what is the correct sequence for inbound and outbound reps?
There’s been a lot of emphasis lately on the inbound vs outbound process lately, and it has to do with the staggering growth of inside sales in the last years. Data shows that time spent selling remotely by field sales reps increased 89% from 2014 to 2017. “Inbound leads are closer to a sale in the buyer’s journey, thus are very valuable to a company.” Inbound Selling
Inbound Selling “Inbound sellers is when a rep reaches out to someone who knows your company with a certain sequence of sales activities.” Outbound Selling
An outbound cadence, is when a rep reaches out to someone who doesn’t know your company via email, phone or other methods of communication. “We call this sequence of activities a ‘sales cadence.’” When sales cadences are executed correctly, they can nearly double contact rates for sales professionals. But what is the correct sequence for inbound and outbound reps?
An outbound cadence, is when a rep reaches out to someone who doesn’t know your company via email, phone or other methods of communication. “Both inbound and outbound reps will have to follow a certain lead response process which is specific to their position and to the business model they are in.” When sales cadences are executed correctly, they can nearly double contact rates for sales professionals. But what is the correct sequence for inbound and outbound reps?
And while there is no one-size fits all for every industry and product, research shows there is a certain number of attempts which is ideal to maximize chances of contacting a prospect– without annoying them to death. “For inbound leads, reps should have cadences that last up to ten days while outbound target accounts should last up to twelve days. Like attempts, it is not necessarily bad to go past these date ranges, it is just less effective.” Should I Give Prospects a Breather Between Attempts?
There’s something to be said about sales reps that know when to quit– and when to do so gracefully. This reminds me of a quip I heard about salespeople recently, where a young door-to-door salesman was selling, off all things– burial plots. Upon the prospect responding that he already has a plot in another cemetery, the salesman decides to cut his losses and responds: “I hope you’ll be very happy there…” “And while there is no one-size fits all for every industry and product, research shows there is a certain number of attempts which is ideal to maximize chances of contacting a prospect– without annoying them to death.” For inbound leads, reps should have cadences that last up to ten days while outbound target accounts should last up to twelve days. Like attempts, it is not necessarily bad to go past these date ranges, it is just less effective.
So, what is the optimal amount of touches? “Data shows that for inbound cadences you can do up to ten total attempts with the sweet spot at six attempts and for an outbound cadence you should do up to six total attempts with the sweet spot being at three attempts. Going past these numbers is not necessary bad, it’s is just less effective.” Sales Communication Media