Outbound sales is all about cold calls, cold emails, and more follow up. But does follow up always have to be the same thing every time? While these tactics are essential and will absolutely work, there are other follow up ideas that are a bit more “outside of the box.” Below are four uncommon outbound sales ideas you should consider.
Personalize A Sales Letter
Human connection is needed more than ever right now. Especially after a social distancing crisis. Your prospects are feeling just like you, lonely and in desperate need of human interaction. Instead of following up with a generic email, send a personalized letter, handwritten is best, through the mail! This is bound to grab their attention. If you need to do this at scale, consider outsourcing your personalized handwritten letter (Think Fiverr).
Send A Prospecting Gift
Sending a gift can absolutely make you stand out amongst your competition, but can require a little bit of a budget. It doesn’t have to be a huge purchase if you’re willing to put in the time to find something that is small yet meaningful. Perhaps something fun that can sit on their desk. Make sure to add a note that says, “All I’m asking for is 20 minutes of your time.” Again, search for the YES or the NO. Sending a gift will show your client that you are serious about working with them and could ultimately be what gets them to respond.
Randomly Buy Them and A Colleague Lunch
This is similar to the gift, but a strategy that has worked extremely well for us. It could be as simple as sending an email that says, “I’ve got ‘such and such’ restaurant down the street from your office and would love to sponsor your lunch!” You can add, “Just pick a day, time and tell me what you want and I’ll be sure to have it delivered directly to your office.” Be sure to add that you won’t actually be there, but simply want to treat them. This will a) show your customer that you really want their business and b) not make them feel pressured to meet with you. This tactic works similar to sending a gift, in that you clearly mean business. They are going to be excited to eat without spending a dime and will be more likely to either respond to your next follow up or commit to spending a few minutes with you on the phone.
Have Your Favorite Client Email or Call Them
Finally, when you are really stuck and can’t seem to get a response, having your favorite client reach out can make all the difference. This may seem risky, and it is, however it offers a very high reward. We all have a client we’re practically friends with. Ask that client if they would be so kind as to send a cold email (help them write it!) on your behalf. I’ve seen this done a select number of times and it ALWAYS yielded new business.
Taking time to think outside the box can yield an incredible increase in your sales numbers. You would be amazed how trying any one of these tactics can yield a great reward, especially for hard to reach customers whom you get little to no response from. By sending a gift, buying them lunch, sending a card or even having your client reach out, you are showing your customer just how important they really are. All of us get busy with emails, phone calls and deadlines, but receiving a one-off gift or even a hand-written card can be what ultimately separates you from the competition. Next time you are stuck, consider any of these tricks. It may just result in a new customer.
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