Outbound Squad’s Post

"Our prospects get hammered with a qualification call from an SDR. Then they complain about getting asked the same questions again by the AE." ☝️ I'm still hearing this from sales leaders. In 2024! Here’s my issue with SDRs running a separate qualification call: It’s a TERRIBLE customer experience. Here’s what you’re doing to the buyer: 1) I take a cold call and agree to meet 2) I take a 15-20 min. call and get hammered with qualifying questions 3) I take a 30-45 min. call with an AE and don’t see the product 4) I take a second call where I actually get to see the product And you’re wondering why execs won’t take meetings with your reps? This nonsense has got to stop. There’s something fundamentally wrong in your outbound approach if the only meetings your AEs will take from SDRs are the ones that have been BANT-qualified first. 🚫 Budget Selling to prospects who already have a budget is table stakes. Any decent sales professional can land those deals. True sales professionals help prospects FIND budget, especially in today’s economy. You show them a perspective on their problem that is so big and impactful that they cannot ignore it. ✅ Authority This one I get. There should be some guidelines around sales conversations vs. research conversations. Talking to an end-user to gain insights is research. A great activity for an SDR/BDR to do. But that’s not a sales conversation. 🚫 Need Let me get this right… SDR cold calls the prospect. There’s interest. In a few minutes, or on a separate 15-minute qualification call, you’re supposed to figure out if there’s an urgent need. How can you possibly do enough discovery in that time to know this? You’re lucky if you find a prospect with an urgent need. Great sales professionals help prospects find/prioritize problems. And you need proper discovery to do that. 🚫 Timing Again, this assumes the prospect knows exactly what they need and has already thought about the timeline to implement. ~~~ So what am I suggesting? Unless your sales team is so busy that you're turning down business, your AEs should take calls with ANY prospect who meets your ICP requirements. It doesn’t matter if they’re ready to pull the trigger right now or not. Who knows, you may not even be talking to the right person. Start the relationship and SELL. Nurture if the timing isn't right. Agree or disagree? #sales

THIS IS SO SPOT ON!!! 👏 Jason Bay nailed this post! Sales Executives who want their SDRs to over qualify leads and serve them up on a silver platter are just plain lazy IMO. BANT qualification from an SDR is painful for your prospects AND leads to a potential hot lead vanishing into thin air. Personally, I'll take a discovery call with ANY prospect who meets my ICP. Who cares if they don't have Budget TODAY. Who cares if they don't have an immediate Need. I'll keep that relationship alive and nurture it for years until Budget and Need come around. That prospect may leave their company tomorrow and go somewhere where there IS Budget and immediate Need! Utilize Discovery calls to build relationships and you'll always have a full pipeline!!!

Sales Teams: Are You Going After the Wrong Leads at the Wrong Time? Let’s be real—if you’re only just reaching out to a prospect once they’re already in the evaluation process, you’re late to the game. Picture this: As an SDR, I used to celebrate when I got on a call with a prospect who’d say, “Good timing! We’re currently evaluating [product category].” I’d think I’d struck gold, that the stars had aligned in my favor. But here’s the truth: if that’s the first time you’re connecting with them, you’re behind. Why? Because by then…    •   They’ve already discussed their needs internally.    •   They’ve reached out to industry peers for insights and opinions.    •   They’ve done a first pass on research and likely zeroed in on a few solutions. And guess what? They’ve probably even started conversations with your competitors. So when you walk in, your pitch is getting stacked up against everyone else’s. No matter how good your solution is, it starts to blend into the noise, pushing the prospect to evaluate the only thing they feel they can compare… price. This is where the whole sales cycle starts to unravel. When the buyer can’t see a clear difference, they lean toward the familiar, the cheaper, or the path that seems easiest. And we all know how that story ends—pressure on margins, endless negotiations, and a deal that might slip away to a competitor who just happened to get there first. But let’s imagine something different. What if you got there before they entered the buying cycle? What if, instead of “right timing” during evaluation, you were the one who started the conversation weeks or even months before they looked at a single competitor? Here’s what would change:    •   You’d build trust before the prospect even considered their options.    •   You’d become their go-to resource, guiding them before they got distracted by a sea of pitches and features.    •   You’d shape the problem and the solution, influencing their criteria in a way that plays to your strengths. Think about it: what if you could shift the whole game? Instead of chasing down prospects in a crowded race, you’re nurturing relationships early on, positioning yourself as the partner they want to work with when the time comes. Your competitors aren’t even in the picture. So ask yourself…    •   What would it take to identify prospects who are about to start their buying journey?    •   How would you change your approach if you were engaging prospects 4-6 weeks before they started looking?    •   What if your team focused on future buyers instead of scrambling to engage with those already in evaluation mode? Yes, this is a tough shift to make. Sales is rewarded for deals they can close now, and executives are under constant pressure to deliver immediate results. But for those willing to shift their focus from the instant payoff to the long game? The rewards are real. Playing the long game isn’t easy, but it’s the only game that wins. It’s time for a rethink!

There are many reasons why salespeople should take control of lead generation. 💪 When you start generating your own leads, you are likely to: ❇️ Exceed quota and have more control over your sales pipeline ❇️ Diversify your lead sources and avoid relying on one channel ❇️ Build better relationships with prospects To help you get started 💡 we’ve outlined all the key perks you get from 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬, and gave you 4 ways of how to do it – in our new article. 🏋️ Ready to take control? Then click this link to find out more! 👇 #sales #leadgeneration #relationshipbuilding #B2Bsales #salespeople #salespipeline #SuperOffice https://lnkd.in/dB9u2vC6

Starting a new sales job? Hit your stride fast: 1. Start prospecting even before you feel "ready" If there was ever a time to work OT in sales, it's your first quarter on the job. You need to start building pipeline early, since it's going to become the deals that get you to quota when you're off ramp! Even if you're not ready to close, at least start opening pipeline. Bonus: Finding a ton of deals in your early days earns you extra SME support since you're new. You'll actually learn faster hearing the experts at your company explain things to your real deals VS. just watching call recordings of deals you're less invested in. ___ 2. Tier your territory before you start prospecting Should not take more than a few hours. This exercise ensures you have a plan of attack for your territory VS. just random acts of selling. I like to split my territory into 3 "tiers". Tier 1 = These are my dream accounts that I know will make great customers. These ones will receive really custom outreach. Tier 2 = This is the bulk of my territory. These are not dream accounts but they are pretty good fits for what I sell. Receives some custom outreach followed by more automated stuff. Tier 3 = Everything else that is technically sellable but not worth taking attention away from the Tier 1 accounts. Gets put in automated sequences. What makes a great account is company/product dependent, but in general you want to try to find "lookalikes" to your current customers. Look for attributes like company size, industry, tech stack, etc. ___ 3. Don't waste time building your own sequence: It's a waste of time in the early days to reinvent new prospecting messaging. Just go copy the top-performing sequence that your team has. Eventually iterate on it and come up with your own messaging, but unless it's really bad, you're better off applying your limited effort toward prospecting vs. coming up with new messaging. ___ 4. Find quick prospecting wins: 🟢 Run a closed-lost report of your territory and reach out to all the people who were involved in that deal. 🟢 Find former customers who have changed jobs and might want to buy at their new company (Sales Nav, UserGems, Champify) 🟢 Exec connections: Mine your Exec's networks for high-level prospects they personally know. Draft messages for them to send to their connections. ^^Do these BEFORE you start cold calling. It's better to start with the easy pipeline before you start going cold.

The simple 5 step process to easily generate more sales - following on from my earlier post… Step 1️⃣ List all of the problems your dream clients would love to solve. Alongside that list, write down the solution you have to each one of them. (Also include problems you can’t solve YET. The bigger the list, the better) Step 2️⃣ Choose the solution that would be the most appealing for your dream client to solve, or the one solution that solves multiple problems. Step 3️⃣ Build that solution into a compelling lead magnet. ‘What is a lead magnet’ Don’t worry, I got you… I’ll share more detail on this further down. Step 4️⃣ Engineer your sales process so that EVERY prospect consumes your lead magnet before you do anything else with them. (And I do mean EVERY prospect) Step 5️⃣ Build the lead magnet into each sales channel you want to use, and make sure you are capturing data of those that consume it. You could have built the most amazing product/solution in the world, but if nobody knows about it, you might as well not have bothered. Remember the more ideal prospects you engage with, the more business you will do! I would score more penalties than Ronaldo and Messi combined if they had 1 turn each, and I had 100! FURTHER EDUCATION What is a lead magnet…? 🧲 It’s a complete solution to a narrow problem, that once solved, identifies the need for your primary offering. Most of the business leaders I impact feel like it’s difficult to find leads, but don’t feel like they could work less and earn more if they built their value proposition. Only one of these is true…👀 In the example in my earlier post the 20 Free Leads offer solves the narrow problem that it’s difficult or expensive to generate leads, and it’s appealing enough that people want it. Once I’ve dismissed the false belief in a brief 15 minute call (the leads are in their inbox within 60 seconds), it identifies the next problem which is often that they don’t actually know how best to close those leads… They actually want to learn more about what I can do for them because I lead with VALUE, without even trying to sell anything. In the morning I’ll share an email I received today, following a meeting, to show how your prospects will feel about this process. If you’ve no idea what I’m on about I’ve added a link to the earlier post in the comments, along with a link for you to gain 20 free leads of your dream prospects. Until tomorrow, Remember It’s not what you sell, It’s how you sell it! 🎯 #leadgeneration #salestraining #apparentlyitsgoodtohavethreehashtags

The simple 5 step process to easily generate more sales - following on from my earlier post… Step 1️⃣ List all of the problems your dream clients would love to solve. Alongside that list, write down the solution you have to each one of them. (Also include problems you can’t solve YET. The bigger the list, the better) Step 2️⃣ Choose the solution that would be the most appealing for your dream client to solve, or the one solution that solves multiple problems. Step 3️⃣ Build that solution into a compelling lead magnet. ‘What is a lead magnet’ Don’t worry, I got you… I’ll share more detail on this further down. Step 4️⃣ Engineer your sales process so that EVERY prospect consumes your lead magnet before you do anything else with them. (And I do mean EVERY prospect) Step 5️⃣ Build the lead magnet into each sales channel you want to use, and make sure you are capturing data of those that consume it. You could have built the most amazing product/solution in the world, but if nobody knows about it, you might as well not have bothered. Remember the more ideal prospects you engage with, the more business you will do! I would score more penalties than Ronaldo and Messi combined if they had 1 turn each, and I had 100! FURTHER EDUCATION What is a lead magnet…? 🧲 It’s a complete solution to a narrow problem, that once solved, identifies the need for your primary offering. Most of the business leaders I impact feel like it’s difficult to find leads, but don’t feel like they could work less and earn more if they built their value proposition. Only one of these is true…👀 In the example in my earlier post the 20 Free Leads offer solves the narrow problem that it’s difficult or expensive to generate leads, and it’s appealing enough that people want it. Once I’ve dismissed the false belief in a brief 15 minute call (the leads are in their inbox within 60 seconds), it identifies the next problem which is often that they don’t actually know how best to close those leads… They actually want to learn more about what I can do for them because I lead with VALUE, without even trying to sell anything. In the morning I’ll share an email I received today, following a meeting, to show how your prospects will feel about this process. If you’ve no idea what I’m on about I’ve added a link to the earlier post in the comments, along with a link for you to gain 20 free leads of your dream prospects. Until tomorrow, Remember It’s not what you sell, It’s how you sell it! 🎯 #leadgeneration #salestraining #apparentlyitsgoodtohavethreehashtags

Another guy gets his breakthrough and exits the ‘Nice Guy Zone’ in sales. He’s no longer hesitating, no longer stuck—he’s leading sales conversations with confidence and authority. If you’re wondering what framework he’s referring to that’s allowing him to “operate on a different level”… It’s not the prospecting framework. It’s not the discovery framework. It’s the framework for: ↳ How you think. ↳ How your prospects think. ↳ How to influence their thinking to lead them to a place of change. Out of this framework flows every other framework you’ll EVER need. But here’s the problem most Nice Guys (and honestly, most salespeople) face: They get scripts and techniques but don’t actually know: ↳ Why they’re using them. ↳ Which part of the prospect’s psyche they’re trying to influence. ↳ How to execute them properly with confidence. So when the pressure’s on: ↳ The scripts fall apart. ↳ The objections derail them. ↳ They drop what they know they should do and fall into Nice Guy behavior. But imagine having a framework that makes every sales conversation flow naturally. Where you don’t just “wing it” with techniques—you KNOW how to influence your prospect’s thinking at every stage. You’re the guy who sets the tone, controls the conversation, and leads prospects to decisions that feel good for them—and get YOU the result you want. Everything I taught my client in order to do this is set out in my guide: 👉 No More Mr. Nice Sales Guy — “How to Kick Nice Guy Syndrome to the Curb and Create Sales Success on Your Own Terms.” This isn’t another collection of scripts or recycled techniques. This is about changing the way you think, the way you show up, and the way you influence your prospects—so success becomes something you CREATE, not something you chase. It’s NOT on sale for Black Friday, but the price is going up soon. So if you’re ready to: ✅ Leave hesitation and doubt behind. ✅ Finally understand how to influence your prospects with confidence. ✅ And create sales success on YOUR terms… Then now’s the time to grab your copy. It’s not just a guide. It’s the framework that makes every other framework work. Click here to grab it now: https://lnkd.in/eDQbiciz

Your pipeline needs to be so much larger now - with more stalled deals, delays and discounting. 💸 So what are you doing to up your prospecting game ⚽ - for you and your SDR, BDR and sales rep teams? Here's our guidance on how to elevate using Value Prospecting - https://lnkd.in/eZwVR_W9 #b2b #sales #prospecting

Key facts every sales person should know: A lead is any potential customer who shows interest in your product but hasn’t been qualified yet, while a prospect is a qualified lead who fits your ideal customer profile and is more likely to make a purchase. Understanding this distinction helps you tailor your approach, ensuring more effective communication and higher conversions. #leadgeneration # prospecting #dealcodeAI Learn more in our latest blog! Read the full article here: