When a business sets its course on a growth trajectory, one of the main questions is how to generate sufficient demand to achieve sales goals in a controlled and predictable manner. While lead generation could be an obvious answer to that, the debate starts when you decide which path to take.
‘Inbound Lead Generation is the shiny thing in the minds of all marketing managers. Still, with average conversion rates between 2% and 10%, you might quickly discover that you don’t generate enough interest to keep the sales team busy. On the other side, the outbound approach is usually described negatively, with many going so far as to proclaim it’s outdated or even ‘dead’.
The key to success is balance. Outbound lead generation can be very effective, especially with complementary marketing tactics and an efficient sales process. It could be your best bet if you focus on quick pipeline generation and proactive customer engagement.
What is outbound lead generation?
First, let’s define what it is. Outbound prospecting is a method of engaging with potential buyers who might not know about your service or product. It involves engagement activities over different communication channels in an orchestrated, targeted way to open new doors and uncover new opportunities.
How do you define outbound leads?
Outbound leads are people with limited or no prior engagement history with your company, products, or services. They fall within your company’s Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and demonstrate an interest in your offering to enter the nurturing journey.
Outbound leads fall into three categories:
- MQL – a marketing qualified lead demonstrates a buying intent in your product or service following an interaction with your outbound team or an online engagement.
- SAL – a sales accepted lead is an MQL that has been reviewed and passed to the sales team for further qualification as worthy of pursuing.
- SQL – to enter a sales opportunity funnel, an outbound lead has to tick most qualification boxes and be vetted by a sales team as ready for the next stage.
Set your outbound lead generation program for success.
Sales outsourcing could be a great option if you are not ready to onboard a fully managed in-house business development team. With the help of an outsourced sales provider, you can access a pool of readily-available talents, leverage industry expertise and capitalise on the investment made in the leading sales tools and people training.
Book a meeting with us to see how Illicium can ignite your lead generation engines and bring more qualified opportunities to support growth.