Outbound isn’t dead. It’s not working because you don't put in the work to make it work

Outbound isn’t dead. It’s not working because you don't put in the work to make it work. You just don't.

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Most sales orgs treat outbound like an afterthought.

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They don't give it a fraction of the energy, effort, and attention that they do the sales process:

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- 7-figure investments in sales methodology

- Clear-cut (for the most part) stages and process

- CRM, call recording, business case creation, every software imaginable

- Weekly deal reviews

- A formal qualification framework like MEDDICC

- Quarterly enablement focuses

- Senior leadership involvement in deals

- Marketing branded slide decks

- Flying to meet customers in person

etc.

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Compared to outbound:

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- A sh*tty email sequence built by marketing (no offense)

- A generic, cheesy cold call opener from a course

- A subscription to Claude and a sales engagement tool (maybe)

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Most managers don't even talk to their AEs about pipegen in their 1:1s.

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THIS IS THE PROBLEM

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You must address these three core areas if you want your team to generate quality pipeline through outbound:

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⛔️ Lack of a standardized approach or methodology.

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I love Challenger, but it’s not an outbound methodology. Teach, tailor, take control are great strategies—not tactical elements to incorporate into pipeline building activities like phone calls, emails, in-person visits, LinkedIn, etc

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Outbound isn't a series of random cold call openers and email templates.

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The best orgs strategically approach account selection, messaging, tooling, plays, etc.

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Everyone's on the same boat rowing in the same direction.

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⛔️ Little to no "how to" tactical guidance

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I can't tell you how many orgs don't even provide enablement specifically for outbound. They make BDRs attend enablement sessions with AEs.

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And there's too much pie in the sky theory on what you should do. With ZERO examples of how to do it.

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Don't tell me I should use empathy to handle objections. SHOW ME AN EXAMPLE.

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The best orgs get extremely hands on.

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⛔️ Little to no leadership engagement

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Pipeline is an org-wide responsibility. Not just the reps.

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You can't expect your reps to make calls if you aren't willing to do it yourself. You can't complain about pipeline as a senior leader if you've never listened to a recording of one of your rep's cold calls.

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The best orgs lean in. And senior leaders "go and see" for themselves what's happening. It starts at the top.

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~~~

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Outbound requires a village to work. Put in the work, and it'll work.