"Is outbound dying?"

"Is outbound dying?"

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Short answer: Yes, for many

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The more nuanced answer: It works, but you can't wing it anymore

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I know, ironic coming from me. We've built Outbound Squad around helping organizations with their outbound motion.

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But the data doesn't lie:

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→ The avg. # of attempts per contact has nearly doubled from 7.3 in 2014 to 11.3 in 2022 (Bridge Group). And avg. # of quality conversations is down during that same period from 8 to 3.6.

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→ Avg. cold email reply rate is ~1% (Clearbit). And those ain't all positive.

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→ Avg. cold call pick-up rate is ~5% depending on the industry. Apple and Android will continue making ignoring and identifying unknown callers easier.

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❌ Pure cold outbound is dying a fast death

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I can't tell you how many companies are still running this playbook:

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- No named accounts (reps randomly find their own accounts in territory)

- Unclear ICP/persona definition

- Reps spin their wheels reaching out to bad fit companies

- Mass blast sequences created by marketing

- Not using the phone because ""cold calling is dead""

- No marketing engine creating content or thought leadership

- 1% success rates

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This is status quo at most companies right now. We talk to these teams every week.

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Untrained/un-enabled reps randomly reaching out to prospective customers. Talk about a waste of time and money.

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✅ It takes PRECISION to win at outbound right now

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The org should provide the accounts & contact info to reps, SMB all the way up to enterprise.

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Yes, you read that right. Reps should not be finding their own contact data.

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Then those accounts should be prioritized based on simple triggers and data:

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→ Previous customers who moved to another company

→ Newly hired or promoted execs

→ Following your company on LinkedIn

→ Tech stack

→ Mutual connections with board, c-suite, etc.

→ Previous champions in deals

etc.

This is where outbound sales teams should spend the majority of their time. The sliver of your TAM that's most likely to engage based on fit and timing.

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✅ Marketing creates the majority of demand

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Use marketing to create demand. And outbound to proactively start conversations to capture it.

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Adam Robinson calls this "inbound-led outbound."

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The concept is simple: create great thought leadership to attract prospective buyers into your ecosystem and create fans.

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→ Webinars or lives

→ Articles or white papers (that don't suck)

→ Podcasts

→ Guides

→ Social content

→ In-person or virtual events

etc.

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~~~

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Pure cold outbound is dying. Your revenue team needs to work much better together on the strategies above to compete in the next 2-3 years.

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Agree or disagree?

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