What’s the Difference Between Outbound Sales and Inbound Marketing?

By Steve Bissonnette
Inbound vs Outbound Marketing

There are really only two ways to find new customers. Either you find them or they find you.

When you find them, it’s called outbound sales.  Outbound sales refer to activities where you actively reach out to potential customers. Examples include cold calling, paid advertising, and direct mail. When they find you, it’s called inbound marketing. Inbound marketing refers to activities that generate demand for your products and services. This includes leveraging tools like blogs, newsletters, and social media to attract new customers.

Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is like Hansel from Zoolander. It’s so hot right now. And for a good reason. Who wouldn’t want an endless supply of free inbound leads? Well, not free exactly. Your potential customers are content-hungry and you’ve got to keep them well fed if you want to cut through the noise and be heard.

For inbound marketing to be effective, you’ve got to develop a plan (or content marketing strategy) that outlines who your audience is, what you want to communicate, and how you’re going to do it.

A simple inbound marketing process (the how)  looks something like this:

    1. Build an SEO optimized website.
    2. Create a blog and a newsletter.
    3. Encourage your existing customers to sign up.
    4. Produce engaging content that includes strong calls to action (CTA).
    5. Promote via social media and pay per click (PPC).

 

Another powerful inbound marketing tool is anchor content, where you provide a how-to guide or e-book in exchange for a prospect’s contact information.

The inbound approach takes a lot of effort, but it works beautifully over time.

Outbound Sales

If outbound marketing activities like cold calling, paid advertising, and direct mail sound more traditional, it’s because they are. They were around long before the internet and the recent inbound marketing revolution. They seem less sexy because most of the activities are analog. They involve using phones and snail mail. And they’re often perceived as ineffective or sleazy.

That’s too bad because they work. Especially cold-calling.

Do you sell a quality product or service that delivers real benefits? Then it’s in both you and your prospective customer’s best interest to make them aware of your offering. Sure you’re interrupting them. But if you find the right people (those who would benefit most from your product or service), do your research (learn about them and their business), and connect with them in a professional way (by adding value rather than selling), then you’re doing them a favor.

To be effective, you’ll need to develop a sales playbook that includes your ideal customer profile, sales tools, and a framework for your outreach. A simple outbound sales development process might look like this:

  1. Identify your ideal customer profile (ICP).
  2. Develop excellent messaging.
  3. Build a list of contacts.
  4. Research them via LinkedIn.
  5. Reach out to them via phone and email.
  6. Schedule introductory calls or in-person meetings.

Whether you’re bootstrapping or have a budget, outbound sales activities can fill your pipeline and lead to new customers and more sales very quickly.

Which Should You Use?

In the last few years, there’s been a big shift away from outbound to inbound. But as content marketing becomes ubiquitous, keywords are getting harder to rank for organically and pay per click is becoming more expensive. As a result, many companies have found that a balanced approach between inbound marketing and outbound sales is the way to go.

What’s your strategy?