Whether your business is about to launch an inbound sales call center or build an outbound sales team, you must decide which sales strategy dovetails with your company’s ethos. Inbound sales aficionados extol its virtues of magnetizing customers, cost-efficiency, and scaling effortlessly. On the other hand, outbound sales offer directness and measurability and a means of strategically addressing target audience pain points.
Social Media Marketing
A sales team can be a valuable asset to any business if given the proper training and methodology like the Challenger sales methodology. The most successful companies combine inbound and outbound sales methods to optimize their growth strategies and find the best way to scale their business model. Inbound sales techniques focus on building connections with prospective customers and nurturing long-term relationships. They avoid the need to cast a wide net by reaching out to potential prospects until they’ve demonstrated interest in your product by opting into an email list or engaging with your social media channels. This method can be more expensive than outbound selling but provides greater control over the sales pipeline.
Outbound sales involve interrupting your target market with advertisements, email marketing, and phone calls. It is an effective strategy for quickly generating quick wins and growing your customer base. Your sales team can utilize lead lists generated through target market research or third-party data providers to identify and segment leads. Unlike inbound marketing, outbound sales strategies require high professionalism and expertise. Your sales team must understand that adults are finely tuned to tune out a sales pitch, so they need to be highly knowledgeable about your products and services and be able to deliver a value proposition that addresses the prospect’s pain points.
Inbound Marketing
Content that speaks to prospects’ needs at every stage of the sales cycle is produced by inbound marketing, which draws (pulls) them to your brand. It involves writing Search Engine Optimized (SEO) content, pillar pages, blogs, and more to drive traffic and leads organically. It also means supporting and assisting customers to make the most of their purchases, leading to brand momentum and referrals. This methodology is especially effective when your target market is already aware of their problem and is searching for a solution online. However, it can be challenging to track and measure the success of your campaigns as it relies on online data. It’s essential to have robust CRM and web analytics to ensure you can see how your efforts are paying off.
While inbound marketing is great for B2C and B2B businesses, it’s best suited for companies that can handle long sales cycles with multiple stakeholders. Outbound might be a better option if your product is expensive and requires a lengthy demo or trial. Alternatively, it’s possible to implement inbound and outbound methods together and use them as a complementary strategy. Inbound marketing is like the foundation of a sales flywheel, while outbound marketing is more of a topspin, and both can be highly effective when used correctly.
Content Marketing
Inbound sales require customers to find your business and approach it rather than vice versa. This strategy involves creating and distributing informational or promotional content to attract prospective leads. It is often called the ‘Pull’ tactic and can effectively draw in qualified prospects already familiar with your products or services. Inbound marketing must be relevant and personalized. It means identifying and understanding your audience personas to understand their needs, problems, interests, etc. You must map your customer journeys to develop an inbound marketing strategy to help your business meet its goals and KPIs.
As a result, inbound marketing strategies can be time-consuming and take months to deliver results. However, they offer several advantages over outbound sales tactics, including being cost-effective and scaleable. Additionally, inbound sales can provide a better ROI than outbound marketing because they allow you to target only qualified leads. You can measure the results of your inbound marketing campaigns using metrics such as the number of new subscribers on a newsletter, website traffic, conversion rates, and more.
Email Marketing
When businesses talk about outbound sales, it gets a bad rap: The stereotype is of a telemarketer calling during dinner with eye rolls and sighs. However, the reality is that outbound methods can be highly targeted and effective for businesses of all sizes and industries. Email marketing is a popular way outbound sales teams reach prospects and qualify leads. Using a lead scoring model and email automation, companies can keep track of prospective customers’ needs and wants and send personalized messages to fit their needs. This method also allows sales reps to ask follow-up questions and gather additional information without interrupting potential buyers.
Another advantage of outbound sales is that it can accelerate the sales cycle. When a business can’t wait for leads to come to them, outbound tactics like cold calling and social selling can be a quick and effective solution. Choosing between inbound and outbound sales depends on the goals of the company and the type of products or services offered. A mix of both strategies can be beneficial for any business. For example, Verizon Wireless disseminates content and advertisements online, but it also employs field sales reps to call on companies and government agencies for higher-volume accounts. Similarly, food manufacturers may market ads and content to consumers, but they have brand ambassadors and affiliates who visit retail stores and speak with key account managers to drive growth.
