Are your traditional sales methods no longer delivering the results they once did? It's time to rethink your cold-outreach strategy with these innovative approaches.
For as long as you have been in sales, your primary tools have been the telephone and email. These conventional mediums are not likely garnering the conversions they did years ago. I can attest that cold outreach, as you and I have practiced, is exhausted and diminished. To the extent possible, we need to take a more expansive and extensive view of cold outreach.
Here, we will explore a set of strategies for acquiring a first meeting with your dream clients. Those who are willing to add other mediums will have an advantage over those who stick to the two primary methods.
1. Maximize LinkedIn for Sales Outreach
If LinkedIn is not part of your prospecting sequence, you are making a mistake. Before you start communicating with your prospective clients, make sure your profile is complete, including a professional picture. You should also include the strategic outcomes you can provide so your contacts recognize what you do.
2. Expand Your Network with LinkedIn Collaboration
This pragmatic strategy will expand your reach on LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is a social network, the network we are talking about here is one you create with a handful of sales reps. Each member of this network can introduce a contact that sells something that does not compete for their budget. By combining your networks, you increase your odds of getting a meeting.
3. Leverage Client Referrals for New Leads
Too few salespeople ask their clients for referrals. Your clients know other companies that need help improving their results. The best strategy here is to ask your contact for a referral only after you provide them with the results you promised. Once you succeed in executing the promised results, remind your client about the referral.
4. Use Direct Mail for High-Impact Outreach
Those with good writing skills may find that a well-conceived sales letter can be successful. You may benefit by ensuring your letter provides a set of insights that proves the client will need to change sooner or later. While your competitors send emails that are deleted at first glance, your letter is more likely to be opened and read. You may need to follow up with a phone call after LinkedIn and a well-crafted letter.
5. Revisit the Original Cold-Call Approach
The original cold call involved driving to see a client and, when finished with that call, walking in the front door of the adjacent businesses and asking to speak to the decision-maker who might be interested in learning more about how you can help. Depending on what you sell, you may be able to walk in, but some companies may have their doors locked. You may also find locations that show no signs of life, as everyone is working from home.
6. Host Webinars and Online Workshops for Engagement
If you are an insight-based sales organization, invite your prospective client to a webinar where you provide an education on a timely topic that will cause them to register. You can also host an online workshop.
7. Create Personalized Video Messages to Stand Out
This strategy is underutilized in B2B sales. It is easy enough to produce a short video with an introduction. If you want to pursue this strategy, another way is to use a tool like Loom, allowing you to walk through a slide deck or a (very) short demo, especially if you have something that may capture your client’s imagination.
8. Engage on Social Media Platforms beyond LinkedIn
The best social platform for B2B is still LinkedIn, but if your clients are on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or industry-specific forums, you need to be there, too. Meet your clients where they are to share valuable content, participate in discussions, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
9. Utilize Industry Conferences for Networking Opportunities
You can find some of your clients at industry conferences. You may want to buy a ticket so you can sit with people during the conference, at lunch, or at the bar. If you don’t have the budget to buy a ticket to the conference, you may be able to visit the site where it’s held and chat with attendees who are conversing in public spaces. If you have the budget, sponsoring the conference can lead to prospective clients asking questions about what you sell.
10. Feature Prospects on Podcast Interviews to Build Relationships
If you host a podcast, featuring a prospect or client and showcasing them can be an effective strategy for building relationships and connecting with similar prospects. You may have clients who would appreciate the spotlight, as it brings attention to their company. I have friends who use this strategy.
11. Showcase Products through Virtual Reality Experiences
Sometimes people understand a product better if they can see it in action. If this is like what you sell, consider using a virtual reality showcase for prospects who are interested in exploring the product. This can help you unlock your product’s value by giving contacts a firsthand experience with it.
When used in combination, these 11 cold-outreach strategies are far more effective than the phone-and-email techniques of the past. By making good use of all the tools that are available to you, you can establish yourself as an expert and become familiar to your prospects, making it easier to secure meetings with your dream clients.
