The Keys to Success in Outreach

Customer outreach requires a plan. Winging it is never a successful option. Being good at outreach requires strategy, preparation, and consistency. Its more than picking up the phone or sending an email. Successful outreach is about building connections. It requires you to understand your audience. You need to know what you do well and areas where you struggle. Using this and your measured, calculated approach, you can build your outreach funnel. You can define your method and refine your approach with every interaction. Outreach is as much preparation and mindset as it is execution. By following key principles, you will increase your effectiveness. Your customer outreach becomes your tool for achieving both short and long-term goals. As Zig Ziglar wrote, Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Lets get there.

Your success begins with preparation. This is the foundation of successful customer outreach. Knowing who you are calling, why you are calling them, and what you are offering is critical. Pre-call preparation ensures you can articulate the value of a meeting with you. It is not a laundry list of what you sell. Researching your prospect helps you tailor your message. Learning more about their vertical increases the likelihood of engagement. According to a study by Salesforce, sellers who research their prospects before picking up the phone are 70% more likely to secure a meeting. This preparation signals respect for the prospects time. It demonstrates your professionalism. It helps you stand out in a crowded field of other sellers. And these sellers are mostly winging it.

Begin with the end in mind, is the mantra of Stephen Covey. Think about what you want to have happen and then build the process backwards. What is it you want to have happen? If you are calling to schedule a meeting, you may run the call one way. If you are calling to set up a closing call, you may run it another way. But either way, it keeps your outreach focused and effective. By investing time in preparation, you are more likely to make a positive first impression. It helps you build rapid rapport.

Confidence is essential in your outreach. Prospects are more likely to engage with someone who exudes self-assurance. They can tell this because that person speaks with clarity and conviction. Confidence communicates that you believe in the value of what you offer. This helps establish a foundation of trust. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology found that confident sellers are viewed as more credible. They are more persuasive. How is your confidence this fine day?

Practice is a key to building confidence. Rehearsing your outreach steps give you an internal confidence. Preparing for potential objections can help you approach calls with ease. This is a mindset issue, as how you think is what you get. As Henry Ford once said, Whether you think you can, or you think you cantyoure right. This mindset underscores the importance of believing in yourself. Believe in your ability to succeed. When you hit a pothole, remind yourself of all those times you have been successful. Know you will be successful again. And then move forward.

Gatekeepers are often seen as obstacles. But they can be valuable allies in your outreach efforts. These individuals are trusted by our decision-makers. Make them your ally. Some will provide critical information. Others can facilitate connections. I have a seller in my office who has made a career of getting gate keepers to trust him. They will tip him off about best times to connect with a certain prospect. It may cost him a plate of cookies or brownies, but all in building a positive relationship. Treat your gatekeepers with respect, politeness, and genuine interest in their role. Most will not and treat them as if they do not matter. You can be different and stand out. You might make a new friend.

Research from Gong.io reveals the power of this approach. The research shows sellers who approach gatekeepers with respect will win. This respect is show with both empathy and professionalism. Sellers who do this are 30% more likely to gain access to the key decision-makers. From this we can deduce the power in making the gatekeeper your ally. They are not obstacles to overcome, but a player in the sales transaction. Think of them as a way to increase your chances of moving up the organizational ladder. Remember this from Dale Carnegie. He wrote, You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.

Reaching high into the organizational chart can yield better results. Yes, this is a harder road. But senior executives have the authority to make decisions and allocate resources. This makes them ideal prospects. However, they are often walled off from contact. So, we must be resourceful. Many sellers avoid this approach due to its perceived difficulty. But when you break through, it is more impactful. A study by HubSpot shows sales efforts targeting C-level executives result in shorter sales cycles. This means higher closing rates. Reaching high requires confidence, preparation, and persistence. Yet, the potential rewards make it worth the effort. As Wayne Gretzky said, You miss 100% of the shots you dont take. By aiming high, you position yourself for greater success. Take your shot.

Always work to get The Columbo. Get one more piece of information than the next person. Gathering one more piece of information during each contact will improve your outreach efforts. This concept, inspired by the TV detective Columbos habit of asking one last question, sets you apart. He would say, Just one more thing, as he was leaving. It was usually the case cracker. Asking that one more question can help you uncover valuable insights about your prospects needs. Ask about their challenges. Or ask about the decision-making process. Any of these will give you a greater competitive advantage.

A study by McKinsey & Company found that sellers who are curious close more. Those who make a point to learn more about their prospects achieve 23% higher win rates. Asking well-crafted, open-ended questions demonstrates your genuine interest. This is another trust builder. As Albert Einstein said, The important thing is not to stop questioning. This approach ensures that each conversation moves you closer to your goals. Your genuine interest sets you in a different light.

Time is a precious resource for both you and your prospect. Being direct and efficient in your communication shows respect for their time. Make sure your message is clear. Avoid unnecessary small talk or lengthy explanations; instead, focus on delivering value. The Harvard Business Review reports that prospects are more likely to respond positively to outreach that is brief and to the point. By being direct, you show you are a serious person who should be taken as such. You show professionalism and confidence.

Active listening is another key skill for successful outreach. By truly hearing what your prospect says, you can tailor your responses to address their specific needs. Here, you will build trust and prove that you value their input. Salesforce indicates that 80% of sales are won by salespeople who listen more than they talk. during conversations. As Mark Twain wrote, “You have two ears and one mouth. That should be the ratio of listening to talking.” Focus on understanding your prospect. Then, you can create more productive conversations.

Tracking your outreach efforts is essential for continuous improvement. Keep detailed records of your calls. Notate your outcomes and feedback. Here, you can identify patterns, both good and bad. It will help you refine your approach. Tools like customer relationship management (CRM) software make it easier to track your progress. You can measure key performance metrics. Anything outside of who did you call on, what did you ask for, and what did you close is mere window dressing. But a regular review of your performance helps you stay accountable. You can adapt to changing circumstances. The real clincher is we track what is important.

Clear and specific follow-up plans are critical to your momentum in the sales process. Clearly communicate next steps with each call. Set expectations for any future discussion. Whether its scheduling a follow-up call or sending additional information, taking the lead ensures that the process moves forward. Prospects are 50% more likely to respond to follow-ups that are specific and action-oriented. When you sound generic, you get nonanswers and vague put-offs. Then, you are restarting your outreach each time you contact a prospect.

When you lead the follow-up with specifics and action tasks, you tend to get them. This is all about preparing for your own success. Know where you want each call to go and lead it to its outcome. By leading the follow-up exchange, you show reliability and commitment. This is an attractive quality for sellers. Buyers want to know they are with someone who knows what they are doing. As Benjamin Franklin noted, By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail. By taking control of the conversation, you let your buyers know you are serious and should be taken as such. You will get the attention you deserve.

Outreach can be an emotional roller coaster. The highs and lows will test your resilience. Trusting your process and maintaining a positive attitude is the recipe for success. Focus on both consistent effort and incremental improvement. This way, when adversity does strike, you can avoid being derailed by it. Keep your eyes on the horizon. Know what it is you want to achieve and build your outreach plans with that road map. When you get one of those bumps in the road, you are prepared to adjust. That is because you plan on moving forward to the end.

Dont skip the steps, but dont count them either. When we start to drift into familiar territory, we tend to get comfortable. When that happens, we get complacent. We will skip ahead, assuming we know the answers to the questions we did not ask. We jump the process, and it usually blows up into a nothing burger. All because we failed to follow the process. The other thing we do is worry. Sometimes, we will go so far as worrying so much about skipping steps, we count them along the way. If we skip one, we will make a huge deal, in front of the customer, about going back to where we missed the step. Both actions are problematic. They project a persona that lacks confidence. It is not a good way to make a connection.

Successful outreach is a blend of preparation, confidence, strategy, and resilience. It starts with a focus on principles. Pay attention to your pre-call preparation. Practice active listening. Commit to being effective and efficient in your communication. This is how sellers, like you, can build better customer connections. It is what helps us achieve our goals. Track your performance. Leverage gatekeepers as allies. Aim high in the organizational chart. This will further enhance the effectiveness of our outreach efforts. Trust yourself and trust your process. Stay committed to it and don’t skip the steps in a rush to get to the finish line. Commit to continuous improvement. In doing this, success becomes not only a possibility but a certainty. As Thomas Edison said, Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Roll up your sleeves and get to work on your outreach.

My new book 21st Century Sales Success is now available on Amazon. If you like what you have read, please consider ordering a copy or two. You can always send one to a friend. Order your copy here: https://bit.ly/21stCenturySalesPB