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Pipeline Cures All
Summary
The article discusses how to shift from an inbound-only to a dual inbound and outbound sales motion. It explains how to build a pipeline-first culture, create a playbook, and operationalize and refine the pipeline generation process.
Q&As
What is the main problem that sales teams face when budgets tighten?
When budgets tighten, sales teams may find significant gaps in coverage as projects are cut or postponed, and sales cycles lengthen.
What is the best way to transition from inbound to a mix of outbound and inbound?
The best way to transition from inbound to a mix of outbound and inbound is to build a pipeline-first culture, empower frontline managers and reps with an outbound playbook, and implement the tools and processes to run and refine the pipeline generation process.
How do you build a pipeline-first culture?
To build a pipeline-first culture, CROs need to explain to their teams why generating pipeline through an outbound motion is critical to both the company hitting revenue numbers and sales reps hitting their individual KPIs. Additionally, CROs should lead by example by actively participating in pipeline generation.
How do you create an outbound playbook?
To create an outbound playbook, a tiger team should prioritize target accounts and buyer personas, research what SDRs should be looking for when researching accounts, and establish tools and KPIs. Additionally, the team should outline the outbound messaging and sequences, AE and SDR partnership, and discovery and qualification processes.
How do you operationalize and refine the pipeline generation process?
To operationalize and refine the pipeline generation process, frontline managers need tools to track outbound efforts and conversion rates at each step of the funnel. Additionally, AEs should have weekly targets for activities such as target accounts, face-to-face meetings, and intro calls.
AI Comments
👍 This is a great article that provides a lot of valuable insights into how to transition from an inbound to an outbound sales strategy.
👎 This article is complete garbage and does not provide any useful information.
AI Discussion
Me: It's about how in order to combat elongated sales cycles, companies should go outbound and build more pipeline.
Friend: That makes sense. In a downturn, sales teams that are accustomed to hitting quotas from inbound sources may suddenly find significant gaps in coverage as budgets tighten, projects are cut or postponed, and sales cycles lengthen.
Me: Exactly. The article goes on to say that in order to make this shift from inbound to outbound, companies need to build a pipeline-first culture, create a playbook, and operationalize and refine the pipeline generation process.
Friend: That all sounds like a lot of work. But if it means that the company can hit its revenue goals, it's probably worth it.
Action items
- Build a pipeline-first culture by reverse engineering what the target numbers and conversion rates the best sales people hit at each stage of your outbound funnel.
- Create an outbound playbook with a clear and consistent method and message when building pipeline.
- Operationalize and refine the pipeline generation process by tracking outbound efforts and conversion rates at each step of the funnel.
Technical terms
- Pipeline
- a sales pipeline is the process that a company uses to move potential customers through the stages of becoming actual customers.
- Inbound
- Inbound marketing is a marketing strategy that focuses on getting found by customers, rather than seeking them out.
- Outbound
- Outbound marketing is a marketing strategy that involves actively reaching out to potential customers, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
- Sales cycle
- The sales cycle is the process that a company uses to move potential customers through the stages of becoming actual customers.
- Sales development reps (SDRs)
- Sales development representatives are the first point of contact between a company and its potential customers.
- Account executives (AEs)
- Account executives are the salespeople who work with customers to close deals.
- Proof of value (POV)
- A proof of value is a demonstration that a product or service can meet a customer's needs.
- Qualified business meetings (QBMs)
- A qualified business meeting is a meeting in which a salesperson has identified a clear customer pain point and a champion.
- Mutual action plan
- A mutual action plan is a plan that is created by a company and a customer to achieve specific goals.