So you're trying to build out an Inbound Sales process to really personalize your sell to the way humans buy, great! You came to the right place, but first of all, let me say that there are many different ways to approach an inbound sales process. This is one methodology put into a 4 step process, that will really help you turn your prospects into customers, the Inbound way. The first step is Inbound Prospecting !
Everyone who has ever worked in sales or been around a sales environment, might shudder at the sound of that word. Prospecting. Most of the outbound tactics we are used to are really the root cause of why we twitch when thinking about prospecting. We immediately think of pulling out the yellow pages, finding the nearest business who is a potential fit for our product/services, and calling them blind. But alas! Prospecting can be done in an "inbound" way. Here are some strategies around Inbound Prospecting :
- I know I can help you! Identyfing an industry, or segment, you know is a perfect fit for your product or services. Build out a list of these potential prospects, and begin to do some research. Location, company size, services they offer, who the decision makers are, etc.
- Why am I calling you? Well...uhh... Now you need to find a "trigger" event that allows you to reach out. Maybe they recently won an award, or you read a blog post on their website, or maybe its as simple as they are hiring. As long as you can say, " Hi Mr Prospect, I was calling because I read a blog post on your website about X, at ABC Inc, I actually work with companies like you to improve their strategies around X, is this something you may be interested in discussing?" Trigger events. Use them.
- Ask Permission So many outbound sales people will go to prospect and they will get someone on the phone and BAM, immediately start peppering the prospect with questions, and pitching, and asking to set up another call. The first thing you need to do is, hmm, maybe ask if its a good time to talk. "Hey Mr Prospect, My name is Shaun, I'm calling from HubSpot, but hey I am calling you out of the blue here, is now a good time to talk?" Ask for their permission, prior to belief they are not expecting your call!
- Qualify, don't pitch Save yourself and the prospect some time on this one. Let them know up front you want to ask them some questons about their business, to even determine if they are a fit for your product/service. This way, you can gain permission to ask them questions, and even find out if it is worth another conversation. Your prospect will appreciate it that you are curious about their business, and don't want to try and sell them anything yet, you just want to know if they are a fit!
Use these four tips to start prospecting the inbound sales way, and become an Inbound Prospecting master !
