In life, sometimes you've got to go straight for what you want. Whether it's asking someone out, seeking a promotion, or convincing a potential client to choose your product or service. 

This go-getter approach in business is called outbound selling, and when done right, it closes more deals than most traditional strategies.

Outbound sales used to be simple - find people with problems and solve them with your product. Yet, it got a bad rep due to misuse. In the U.S, robocalls became a menace, leading to a nationwide task force and making people choose inbound sales instead.

So, does that mean outbound consulting has gone extinct? Far from it. Surprisingly, 82% of buyers welcome meetings with sellers who reach out to them. That means people still crave solutions to their problems, and outbound can deliver when you tailor it to their business challenges.

This is where HubSpot comes in. A solution that brings the best of both worlds: inbound and outbound. 

In this blog, we’ll break down the basics of outbound prospecting and even outline the steps for the ideal strategy with the help of HubSpot. From features that make HubSpot a leader in sales strategies to metrics that’ll keep your strategy in check, we have it all covered. 

Ready? Let’s dive in.

What is Outbound Sales?

In simple terms, outbound sales means making the first move to connect with strangers to turn them into potential customers. 

The main goal of outbound sales is to convince such customers to be interested in what you're offering. Instead of waiting for people to come to you, you actively reach out to them through methods like cold calling or cold emailing. Meaning, you either call them unexpectedly or send personalized messages to grab their attention.

Now, outbound sales are commonly used in business-to-business (B2B) scenarios, but it can also work for business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, especially those with high-value products or services. 

While it may cost more than some other sales strategies, businesses choose outbound sales because it can lead to higher-value sales and better customer relationships. Each company, however, might have its own way of doing outbound sales, tailoring it to fit their unique needs and products.

Inbound vs. Outbound Sales: What’s the difference?

The biggest difference between outbound and inbound sales is who makes the first move. 

While outbound sales focuses on reaching out to potential customers, inbound sales is about drawing such customers towards you. 

Instead of sellers reaching out first, interested buyers make the initial contact with a business. This happens when people are curious about a product or service after seeing information on websites, news, or ads.

To make this work, businesses use digital methods like SEO, content marketing, and social media. These methods bring potential customers to the business's website, where they can learn more about the brand and what it offers.

However, each strategy has its own set of benefits and challenges.

Outbound sales actively sell a product or service, while inbound sales educates interested buyers. Inbound salespeople can connect with potential customers, learn about their needs, and build trust. On the other hand, outbound sales aim to generate interest and make people want to know more.

Outbound sales can be resource-intensive and time-consuming because sellers guide customers through the buying journey. Inbound sales demand a strong web and social media presence, and it might take a bit longer to see results.

How to build an Outbound Sales Strategy with HubSpot

Creating a successful outbound sales plan means having a step-by-step and organized way of doing things – from figuring out who you want to sell to, all the way to having a backup. 

To make things simpler for you, we've put together a 6-step process to build a good outbound sales strategy using HubSpot.

1. Identify your target accounts

The first, most crucial step in outbound sales strategy is figuring out what kind of companies might be interested in buying your product. It also establishes the basic groundwork for account-based marketing.

To do this, you need two important things: your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) and the buyer's persona. Once they’re set, your or your team’s next task is to find target accounts. Use tools like ZoomInfo or Apollo to find the companies that fit your ICP.

The next step would be to bring these companies inside HubSpot so you can keep track of all the engagements and activities happening for these companies.  Use HubSpot’s Prospects tool, the Company view, integration with your data, or simply import the lists. Once you've identified these accounts, HubSpot makes it easy to keep track of important information such as:

• The total number of target accounts

• Which accounts have deals that are currently open

• The total value of those open deals

• The roles identified for contacts within each target account, such as buying roles or decision-makers

  
  

Use these features to efficiently manage and monitor your target accounts so that you can stay on track with your strategy.

2. Set your goals and find leads

After figuring out who you want to reach, the next step in outbound sales strategy is to set clear goals and find leads.

You should decide what you want to achieve with your outreach efforts. It could be getting potential customers to fill out a form, schedule a demo, or take another action. After making sure your goals are clear, measurable, and achievable, turn to HubSpot.

Navigate to the Reports section, where you’ll find various options to set goals, including sales goals.  Next, choose the key metrics for your outbound efforts, such as the number of calls, emails, meetings. 

Once you've selected your metrics, set specific targets for each one. For instance, you might aim for 50 calls per day or 10 meetings per week. If you're working with a team, assign individual targets to each team member based on their roles. 

Now that your goals are set, it’s time to find leads. 

A lead is someone who could be interested in your product. You already have your list of target accounts, now gather their details and contact information to create your list of potential leads. 

You can do this by manually looking for information on platforms like LinkedIn or using tools like ZoomInfo to automate the process. The best part is Hubspot can integrate with these tools, making sure everything stays organized throughout the process.

3. Choose your channels 

Next, you need to choose the right channels to connect with potential customers. This means thinking about which platforms or ways of reaching out will work best to talk to the people you want to reach. 

To do this, you need to understand your target audience, know what they like, and consider your goals. Different channels, like email or social media, have their own features and costs, so you should think about what suits your needs and resources.

It’s best to use a mix of different channels instead of relying on just one to boost your outbound sales. This includes sending emails, using social media platforms like LinkedIn to create organic content and connect with desired customers, following up with phone calls, and sending text messages. 

4. Reach out using a messaging strategy

Now that you know where you'll talk to potential customers, it's time to plan how you'll communicate with them. This means developing a messaging strategy. 

This involves defining your value proposition and why your product or service is valuable. You'll also need to identify key messages and figure out the best way to share them. Use HubSpot’s templates to create personalized messages for potential customers.

Personalized messages make more people respond. By looking into prospects before reaching out, understanding what problems they have, and showing how your product can help, you can get more interest in your outreach. Making messages that speak to each person's needs and problems can make a stronger connection and make it more likely they'll respond well, leading to better sales results.

To get these messages across, you’ll need outreach campaigns, which you can create using HubSpot. To start your outreach campaign, you’ll have to craft your messages and set up sequences or workflows in HubSpot. 

There are other tools in the market that you can use for better automation. Tools like Salesloft, Outreach, and Apollo are specifically designed to help ease the outbound process. And the best part is, most of these tools can integrate with Hubspot, making sure all your data stays in a single place.

5. Qualify your leads

Now, it’s time to qualify your leads. This means gathering more information to understand if a potential lead is a good fit for your product or service. 

Your sales team will assess the needs of the prospect, look at information about their company, and check for additional signals that show interest, like engaging with sales emails or downloading resources from your website. They may also schedule meetings with the prospects to predict how likely it is that a potential lead will become a customer.

To schedule meetings in HubSpot, you can use the Meetings link tool. This tool lets sales reps pick when they're available and add questions for prospects to answer when booking meetings. 

They can then add this link to their email signature, LinkedIn profile, or community forum posts to generate qualification meetings. When a meeting is booked, an activity is created in HubSpot, allowing reps to report on their booked meetings and activities. 

This streamlines the booking process and helps reps qualify prospects before the call.

6. Have a follow-up plan

Not everyone will respond right away, so it's important to assess your entire strategy and have backup plans. 

Using HubSpot’s analytics tool, you can track metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and response rates to assess the effectiveness of your outreach efforts. 

HubSpot even lets you track calls. You can record calls, keep track of call numbers, and make or receive calls right from HubSpot, keeping all your data organized within a single workspace. 

Often, you don't get a response the first time you reach out. Your prospects might be busy or might have missed your message. That's why it's important to have follow-up plans in place.

There are two ways you can do so effectively.

One, it's essential to develop a cadence for your outreach, but make sure not to send too many messages and risk spamming. Keep your follow-up emails to around 4-6, spaced out over a few days. 

Second, implementing a multi-channel strategy can be effective. By using different channels like LinkedIn, email, and phone calls together, you can increase familiarity with your prospects and improve your chances of getting a response.

Track your outbound sales with these KPIs

Keeping track of your outbound sales metrics goes a long way. It lets you assess how well your outreach efforts are performing and enables you to make necessary improvements. 

By monitoring specific KPIs (key performance indicators), you gain insights into the effectiveness of your strategy. But which KPIs should you track? Let us list down the 4 most important KPIs for you to track using Hubspot to understand the success (or failure) of your prospecting strategy.

1. Response rate

Your response rate is the percentage of people who reply when you reach out to them. If lots of people respond, it means your messages are good and connect with your audience.

2. Conversion rate

The percentage of people who do something you want after you reach out, like signing up for a demo or setting up a call. A high conversion rate means your outreach is doing well in getting leads.    

3. Calls to close ratio

This ratio reveals how many leads you need to contact, on average, to get one successful call or closed deal. It helps you see how efficient and effective your outbound sales techniques are.

4. Customer lifetime value

This shows the total value a customer brings to your business over time. A high customer lifetime value means your outreach is reaching valuable prospects who are likely to stay loyal customers.

Conclusion

If you want to achieve sales success in today's digital world, you’ll have to mix things up by incorporating both inbound and outbound strategies. 

While inbound methods help build trust and familiarity without being pushy, outbound efforts actively reach out to potential customers. Having a strong online presence is key for boosting your outbound game and seeing better results. 

Sure, CRMs like HubSpot are great for managing sales, marketing, and customer success. But let's be real, sometimes they drown you in data. 

That's where tools like Sidekick step in, giving you practical insights and timely signals to up your sales game. So, with the right tools and strategies in hand, you can connect and engage with your target audience like a pro, ultimately driving success in sales.