Customer outreach is a key element in ensuring that the sales process runs effectively.
However, as the market environment continues to evolve and customer needs become increasingly diverse, traditional sales methods may no longer be sufficient.
In order to better adapt to market changes and meet customer needs, we need to understand potential customers from a deeper perspective, from pinpointing target customers to continuously following up on sales opportunities, and making good use of various communication channels.
So, in this article, we'll share 8 practical tips that you can get guidance from whether you're just starting out in the workforce or a seasoned sales professional.
Customer outreach is the process of starting and growing a new business by finding prospects, existing customers, or buyers, and enabling those leads to convert into revenue-generating customers.
Sales outreach is essential because it helps businesses connect and collaborate with potential customers who have a need and are interested in the solutions they offer. This process allows businesses to understand potential customers' pain points and ensure that they can get in touch with contacts who are interested in their value proposition.
According to recent research, more than 70% of buyers want to hear professional advice from a salesperson early in the buying process, while 82% accept an invitation to meet at the first contact.In addition, salespeople who perform well in sales outreach have nearly three times more sales meetings than salespeople who don't.
After successful customer acquisition, salespeople can arrange to communicate with more suitable prospects, i.e., those who really need or are interested in the company's products or services.
1. Check the official website of the potential customer
As the digital transformation of businesses accelerates, the way to understand prospects becomes smarter and more targeted.
You may want to know the current investment direction or development trend of a business, and internet search is a key way to get this information. But where should you start to get this information easily?
A company's job page is a great place to start.
For example, let's say you sell a marketing solution that includes a content management system. If you find a company posting multiple job postings for content marketing-related positions, you can adjust your sales content to highlight the benefits of your CMS.
In addition, if your prospect is a publicly traded company, you can also consult its annual financial report (Form 10-K). This report includes a section called "Risk Factors" that can be used to compare the company's statements with the products you are selling.
2. Use the GPCTBA C&i Sales Qualification Framework
The GPCTBA C&i Sales Qualification Framework is a qualification framework designed for the commercial and industrial sales sector to help sales professionals improve their sales skills and knowledge to better serve customers and achieve sales goals.
The framework includes the following components:
Goal
Plan
Challenges
Timeline
Budget and authority
Negative consequences and positive implications
With this comprehensive framework, you can focus on creating a series of highly targeted, relevant checklists that help ensure that your communications with each prospect meet the criteria for your carefully crafted customer persona.
3. Categorize potential customers
Another effective strategy is to qualitatively categorize potential customers based on their suitability, which can be divided into three levels: high, medium, and low:
High
Meets all the criteria of customer profiling.
Have a clear business challenge that aligns with the product offering.
High level of interaction with businesses or socials.
Ability to reach out to decision-makers.
Have a common contact or common interest (e.g., mutual friends on WeChat, or graduated from the same school).
Recommended workload: Five contacts every two business days.
Medium
Certain elements that match the customer profile.
Have a clear business challenge that aligns with the product offering.
There is some level of interaction with the business ** or social **.
Ability to reach out to an influential person within the organization.
Recommended workload: Four contacts every two business days.
Low
Does not match the customer profile.
Business challenges are unclear.
Limited or no interaction with businesses or socials.
Inability to reach out to influencers or decision-makers.
Recommended workload: Three contacts every two business days.
4. Keep track of potential customers on social**
In today's era, companies have set up their own accounts on social platforms, including but not limited to WeChat*** and Douyin and other short** platforms.
This trend has made it closer and easier for businesses to interact with potential customers. By following the company's social accounts, potential customers can easily get the latest news and information of the company, so as to have a more comprehensive understanding of the company's business and products.
At the same time, enterprises can also accurately track the behavior and interests of potential customers through the data analysis function of the social platform, and provide more targeted strategies and solutions for subsequent marketing and customer service.
5. Fully understand the vertical field
The focus of sales extension is on identification and consultation.
In other words, successful prospecting requires the ability to identify prospects that respond positively to sales activities and establish themselves as trusted professional advisors to build trust at the first contact.
The key to success in making progress on both fronts is a deep understanding of the field in which it operates.
To fully understand the verticals involved, it's important to understand the nature of the industry you're serving, your typical operating model, the technical terms and concepts involved, and the main issues your potential customers are facing.
Once you start serving a particular industry or a certain type of business of a certain size, you need to have an in-depth understanding of the technical aspects of the field. Do your best to understand how the products or services of the connected businesses work.
Learn industry-specific terminology and use it wisely in your communications with potential customers. This helps you establish yourself as an authority in the prospecting space, rather than just a regular salesperson.
It's also important to stay up-to-date on the current state and future direction of the industry by researching the history of the industry, understanding trends in verticals, and subscribing to company blogs, industry-specific publications, or other resources.
6. Request a recommendation
According to a recent Hubspot survey of more than 1,000 sales professionals, 66% of salespeople believe that referrals from existing customers lead to high-quality leads. These high-quality leads tend to convert into productive leads.By requesting referrals from existing customers, you can build a broader, more converting network of contacts, giving you a key advantage in your customer outreach journey.
When an existing customer recommends you to their friends or colleagues, you're essentially sending a message to them, "I recognize the product or service they provide." "This word-of-mouth communication is essential for building trust and attracting new customers.
In return, customers can be given special and exclusive benefits, such as early trial of new products, exclusive events, or personalized service. Not only does this increase customer loyalty to your brand, but it also motivates them to be more likely to recommend you.
7. Handle partnerships flexibly
Partnerships often play a key role in the process of sales and are seen as the secret of sales**.
Joint extension is a marketing strategy that can provide you with more leads and more opportunities.
Look for businesses that complement your business as partners. Such a partnership can expand the sales pipeline by jointly delivering solutions that provide more value to existing and new customers.
Establish links with industry associations. Actively participating in associations and organizations in your industry provides opportunities to build relationships with peers and potential clients, helping to expand your professional network.
Collaborate with quality content creators. Building relationships with experts, bloggers, and content creators in the industry can get the message across to a wider audience through their platforms.
At the same time, reciprocal cooperation is very important in the relationship with partners. Make sure you're able to offer your partners a return that is comparable to the value they provide to you to build a long-term, solid partnership.
8. Keep a follow-up after a closed transaction
Rejection is never pleasant, but there are two sides to everything. Rejection is an inevitable part, but it is not the end, but most likely a new beginning.
Bryan Kreuzberger, founder of lead generation company Breakthrough Email, sends follow-up emails when a prospect declines to respond. The purpose of this email is simple: to learn.A simple greeting in an email not only helps sales teams identify possible flaws in their processes, but also maintains a positive relationship with prospects. In this way, even in the face of rejection, they can lay the foundation for future cooperation and improve their sales skills.
Selling leads doesn't have to be a difficult or tedious process. In fact, it can be a positive experience for sales reps and prospects.
With careful planning and execution of your customer acquisition strategy, you can get more leads and convert more prospects into satisfied customers. But keep in mind that customer extension isn't just about selling products or services, it's also about building lasting relationships with potential customers and providing them with value.
Hopefully, these sales tips will help you and help you be more successful in growing your customer base!