Sales are the lifeblood of business — without a steady stream of money coming in, most organizations can kiss profitability (and their kiesters) goodbye.

Now, while a fair number of businesses rely heavily on innovative inbound sales techniques to keep the customers coming down the sales pipeline, the fact remains that simply waiting for customers to come a-knocking isn’t going to be an ideal strategy for every business. Enter outbound sales: the go-getter’s approach to bringing home the bacon.

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Outbound Sales: Defined

Think of outbound sales as a sedulous approach to obtaining customers. Unlike inbound sales, which emphasize methods of bringing customers to you, outbound sales focuses on tracking down potential clients — who might not know about your product or service — and bringing it to them. Simply put, outbound sales is the “push” to inbound sales’ “pull.”

Cold calling is a central component to the outbound sales game, but it’s not the only mode of contact your outbound sales team might use. Specifically, you can employ a combination of cold calling, emailing, social media messaging, gifting, and even direct mail — anything that lets you reach out and engage with those prospects in a direct manner.

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Why Outbound Hustling Still Matters

In a world where technology has enabled companies to kick back and bring hordes of customers to their proverbial gates, why is the hustle-focused approach of outbound sales still relevant, and who is it for? The answer to the former is simple — because building steady inbound sales takes time (months to years). Tracking down sales on your own, conversely, is a faster process with a shorter turnaround time.

This, in turn, answers our latter question. The inbound/outbound sales question isn’t a matter of which method is more effective overall, it’s all about which method will best meet the challenges of your specific situation. Outbound sales are particularly useful for companies that require quick results. Any organization or startup that needs to achieve sales velocity in a hurry, will find outbound sales to be a valuable part of their income-generation arsenal.

Even in cases where your company already has steady inbound, integrating outbound sales and adopting a hybrid strategy can help you scale up in a big way. If you ever find yourself thirsty for enough leads to take you to that next level or you’re trying to plan some strategic growth, outbound sales might be the strategy to get you over that hurdle.

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Satisfying the Need for Leads

When it comes to B2B outbound sales, your team can’t perform any outreach if they don’t have any potential contacts. That’s why lead generation is part and parcel of every sound sales pipeline. In many cases, it helps to have an in-house lead generation team. They can perform the necessary research to compile your lead lists, based on the factors you deem pertinent in sculpting your customer profiles.

In-house lead generation isn’t the only method available to you, however. You might also decide to pay for a lead database compiled by a third-party, but should be forewarned that their quality and accuracy tends to vary. Lead generation companies are another external source you might turn to for help on leads, as they can provide valuable insights on your target market segments.

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Tools of the Outbound Sales Trade

Success in the outbound sales world requires numbers, so the tools your team needs are geared toward casting a wide net around potential leads who are likely to want your products/services. At minimum, you’ll want software solutions to address four major areas:

• Lead Generation/Sales Intel — To gather contact info on prospects you’d like to contact and gather enough information to determine whether or not they’re worth pursuing.
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• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) — These databases track your relationships with clients, the engagements you’ve had with them, etc. This way, you can get an overview of your progress and organize your outbound sales approaches.
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• Sales Engagement — You’ll need a sales engagement platform to maximize your outreach efforts and increase the likelihood of getting those sales meetings with key players.
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• Communications — A dedicated communications program allows you to step beyond the confines of mere email, with additional features like automation that can make the difference in your sales success.