One of the biggest challenges for salespeople is to reach out to prospects at the right time and with the right message. Irrelevant or untimely outreach can damage your reputation, waste resources, and annoy potential customers. In this blog post, we will share some tips on how to overcome this challenge and improve your outreach effectiveness.
Do your research
Before you contact a prospect, make sure you have done some homework on their company, industry, pain points, goals, and interests. Use tools like LinkedIn, Google Alerts, or social media to find out what they are talking about, what they care about, and what they need. It will help you tailor your message to their specific situation and show that you are not just spamming them with generic pitches.
Segment your audience
Not all prospects are the same, and neither should your outreach be. Depending on factors like their role, industry, location, stage in the buyer’s journey, or level of engagement, you should segment your audience into different groups and craft messages for each group. For example, you might use a different tone, language, or call to action for a C-level executive than for a manager or an end-user.
Time your outreach
Timing is everything when it comes to outreach. You want to catch your prospects when they are most likely to be interested in your offer and most receptive to your message. To do this, you need to track and analyse their behaviour and signals, such as website visits, email opens, clicks, downloads, social media interactions, etc. You can also use tools like Calendly or HubSpot Meetings to let them choose the best time for a conversation.
Follow up
One of the most common mistakes salespeople make is giving up too soon after sending an initial email or making a first call. Research shows that it takes an average of 18 attempts to connect with a buyer and that 80% of sales require at least five follow-ups. However, you don’t want to be too pushy or annoying either. The key is to follow up with value and relevance, not just with reminders or requests. For example, you can share useful content, offer insights, ask questions, or provide social proof.
Test and optimise
The only way to know what works and what doesn’t in your outreach is to test different variables and measure the results. You can test things like subject lines, opening lines, value propositions, calls to action, images, videos, etc. You can also test different channels, such as email, phone, social media, etc. The goal is to find out what resonates best with your audience and optimise your outreach accordingly.
By following these tips, you can overcome irrelevant or untimely outreach and increase your chances of getting a positive response from your prospects. Remember that outreach is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires research, segmentation, timing, follow-up, and testing to be effective.
