5 Common Outbound Sales Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Are you not happy about how low your sales numbers are? You aren’t alone.
Reports show that 79% of marketing never leads to sales. The question is, is there any way that your team can beat that average?
If you want to make the most of your outbound sales strategy, eliminating mistakes is a significant first step. Below are five common outbound sales mistakes that are easy to avoid.
1. Talking to the Wrong People
Your products aren’t going to appeal to everyone. If you rely on outbound sales to generate leads, then the chances are that you’re targeting a particular market. The last thing you want to do is waste time talking to people who won’t benefit from your offer.
You need an outbound sales strategy that hones in on your target market. Start by creating a persona of your ideal customer. Figure out their demographics, company role, and interests.
The more specific you can be, the better.
You’ll use this information when setting up your marketing campaigns. It means you can create ads and initial messaging using language that applies to your target customer. Doing this will ensure that your incoming leads are of higher quality and more willing to pay for your products.
You can also improve your options for leads by making sure you’re sourcing them from the right location. You can use the information you learned about your audience to figure out where they hang out online. Head to these locations to scout for potential customers.
2. Not Tracking Lead Progress
The chances are that your sales team is managing multiple leads at once. The problem with this is that it can be tough to keep track of the status of every potential customer you’re working with.
You need a way to track where each lead is in the sales process. Without a system, your team is left to their own devices to keep track of things themselves. To solve this problem, invest in a CRM program.
A customer relationship management program is an outbound sales tool that provides a central place to store your customer information. You can add your lead names, contact information, and anything you believe is interesting about your prospects.
Most sales-focused CRM packages include lead nurturing features. This means your sales team will be able to move people through the sales process inside the program. This feature will help your sales team keep track of each potential customer, know who they need to reach out to, and collaborate with the other team members.
3. Never Investing in Your Team
Sure, any salesperson you hire should be able to get out there and sell your products. The problem with this kind of thinking is that there is a lot of sales knowledge out there. It’s hard for one person to know everything there is to know.
Investing in your sales team’s training can help you improve the sales process. There are always new methods out there for reaching potential customers. Your team can’t take advantage of new advancements if they don’t have the resources to learn about them.
Set aside a budget for sales training. The simplest way to do this is by investing in online courses. Ask your team what reputable courses have recently come out that have the potential to teach them something new.
Conferences are also a great way to invest in your team’s training. Not only will they get a chance to learn from experts, but they’ll also be able to network with other people to expand their reach.
4. Only Using Names in Marketing
There is a lot of data on the internet these days. People give it away on social media, shopping websites, and other websites they have accounts with on the internet. The question is, are you making the most of this data?
There is a lot of noise when people go online. Every website has something to sell and is trying to market to everyone. What will help you stand out from the crowd?
One of the best ways to do this is to get personal with your marketing. Your sales platform should be able to collect and store additional information about your sales prospects. You can use this data to create a more personalized sales process that connects more with your potential customers.
5. Not Using an Email List
Do you have a lot of information about your products that your sales team needs to send potential customers? If your team is doing this manually, they’re wasting a lot of time.
Using an email list provides you the ability to automate much of the customer onboarding process. Instead of manually sending emails to people interested in your products, you create predefined email templates that give people the information they’re looking for.
Of course, you can’t just set up one list and expect it to apply to everyone. One of the most prominent features of email is the ability to segment your customers.
Segmenting your list means that you create several different customer journeys in one list. Your entire list might not be interested in everything you have to offer. They may want to learn about one particular product you have.
When you segment your list, you apply tags to these customers that tell you their interests. Once you have a properly tagged list, you can create email automation that sends potential customers the exact information they need to decide whether your company is worth doing business with.
Once this is set up, your team can spend their time talking to customers about the questions and problems they have.
Keep Watch for Common Outbound Sales Mistakes
You can’t afford to have your sales and marketing team using inefficient methods for generating leads. Make sure to keep the outbound sales mistakes above in mind when creating a procedure for your team. A little planning beforehand will ensure you avoid mistakes with your process.
If you want to learn more about refining the sales process, head back to our blog. You’ll find our best tips for getting the most from your sales team.