Don't believe the propaganda on LinkedIn that outbound is dead or that we need a better mousetrap

Don't believe the propaganda on LinkedIn that outbound is dead or that we need a better mousetrap.

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Outbound isn't dead, but it's broken. A major tune-up is needed.

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Here's why outbound is so hard right now:

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⛔️ Culture & expectations

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You hired AEs 2-3 years ago and told them they'll never need to outbound. That SDRs and inbound will get them to their number.

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What you used as a recruiting angle has returned to bite you in the *ss.

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Of course your AEs don't want to outbound. Hard truth: they don’t know how to in 2025.

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⛔️ Front-line leaders never did outbound

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You have managers who crushed it as AEs 2-3+ years ago. They never had to do much outbound. They sold in an easier economy.

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They're asking reps to do something they cannot do themselves.

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You can't expect your reps to do what your managers cannot.

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⛔️ The outbound equation ain't mathin' anymore

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Look at what you're asking your AEs to do:

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- Let's say an AE can make 25 calls manually in an hour x 5 hours per week

- 125 calls total x 5% pickup rate = 6.25 conversations

- The avg. rep turns 6.25 conversions into .29 meetings (4.6% conversion rate, Gong)

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Do that once per week as an AE for 4 weeks and it's 1.16 meetings.

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That math simply doesn't work.

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So what to do about it?

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✅ Reset expectations.

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Not every AE will successfully make this journey with you. Many will fall short of target. And those same reps won't outbound.

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As harsh as it sounds, replace them with reps who are willing to outbound.

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Caveat: To me, outbound is everything from phone, email, social, events, in-person visits, conferences, exec dinners, etc. It's anything that involves you proactively reaching out to a prospect who isn't knocking on your door.

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It's unacceptable to have reps who are unwilling to outbound.

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✅ Enable front-line leaders

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The most neglected part of your sales org. Make sure they know how to outbound.

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Then make a serious investment in their coaching abilities. Help them set up a weekly rhythm that helps their reps win.

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They should know how to:

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- Coach pipegen in their 1:1s & team meetings

- Hold reps accountable

- Hold weekly power hours doing outbound together as a team

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Senior leadership should constantly reinforce and celebrate this.

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✅ Invest in better phone tech

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The phones are still the quickest way to build quality pipeline.

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Fix the pick-up rate problem first. Invest in a tool like TitanX (a partner of ours) to cherry-pick mobiles most likely to pick up. You'll increase pick-up rates to 25%+. That math equation works great for AEs.

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Then help reps convert more live conversations into qualified meetings. Aim for 15%.

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Let's use a similar sample from before (but only 3 hours of calls per week):

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- AE makes 25 calls manually in an hour x 3 hours per week

- 75 calls total x 25% pickup rate = 18 conversations

- @15% conversion rate = 2-3 meetings PER WEEK

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That's a closed/won deal or two per month.

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~~~

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Don't buy into the BS that outbound is dead. It just ain't on easy mode anymore.

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