Data insights for effective outbound sales prospecting

A study conducted by HubSpot highlighted that businesses were wasting 50% of sales time on sales prospecting. One of the reasons behind this is the marketing data that is generated from inbound marketing forms and stored in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems is not suitable for outbound sales prospecting. Sales teams need to fill in the gaps of missing data before they can reach out to prospects. It is a critical step in the outbound sales process. Here are five data insights your sales prospecting teams need to close more deals.

Securing Customer Intent Data  

Your sales teams need to be aware of the products or services a prospect is willing to pay for before they make that outbound sales call. Since these data points are usually missing in the data derived from CRM solutions, sales teams need to acquire them from external sources. These data points can be compiled from outbound searches. B2B sales professionals can acquire this information from organizations that are actively collecting such data. Intelligent tools such as Crunchbase Pro help businesses gain access to the latest private company data which can then be integrated directly into the CRM solution. This way, businesses remain confident that when their sales teams call or email a prospect, they are not referencing something the customers are not interested in anymore.  

Utilizing updated data

Customers are constantly moving from one business to another. While some companies do manage to retain clients through their loyalty programs, this is not the case for everyone. Therefore, when sales teams buy external customer intent data, they fail to determine if the prospect on their list is still with that company.  

If you are thinking that the data, we are talking about is merely contact information, let us clarify it here. This data includes the personal preferences of customers, things they feel passionate about or stuff a persona is directly responsible for or a challenge they very usually face in business. This data is not easy to dig up and therefore we need to buy it from external sources.

Data needs to be fresh or updated regularly as there is nothing more cumbersome or fruitless than doing cold outreach. Not only does this reduce connect rates (establishing of connection with the customer) it even increases sales costs. Having the right, updated, and actionable data at hand will ensure your sales teams are able to hold meaningful conversations that establish a relationship, which is not just transactional in nature.

Direct Dial Phone Numbers  

Sales prospecting is not easy and calling the main telephone number of a prospect unprepared is nothing but a nightmare for sales teams involved in outbound prospecting. While the availability of a direct dial phone number helps businesses in improving their sales teams’ potential for closing a sale, only proper preparation can allow them to have a meaningful sales conversation. Therefore, it is important that outbound sales reps should have all data on the customer in advance so they can curate their sales pitches in an appropriate manner. Direct-dial numbers can be purchased from third-party data providers.  

Contact at appropriate times

Strike when the iron is hot. In outbound sales prospecting, this is translated into calling prospects at the best time to close maximum deals. How can businesses determine the best time to call a potential customer? They can start by considering the geographic zones and area codes to call clients during business hours. It will improve their pick-up rates. Businesses can use third-party sales dialing system here.  

Leverage data for email outreach

Email is one of the most popular channels businesses use to engage customers. According to Hyperise, 31% of marketers maintain that email outreach is the best channel to nurture leads. For effective outbound sales prospecting, businesses need to produce an effective email marketing strategy and leverage customer data to make it successful.  Businesses should also implement SPF or DKIM authentication to ensure their emails reach their target audience instead of getting marked as spam.

Businesses can use email-finding tools to build a good email list. Scraping emails from a Facebook group is one way of doing it but it is not effective. A good email finder will help businesses get their potential customers’ emails, using their name and domain. The next thing you need to do is to craft great subject lines to grab customers’ attention. These will need to get personalized using the data from external sources mentioned above.  

Businesses can send personalized emails to their clients at any time, but we have seen improved conversion rates on emails sent on occasions. An email automation tool can help businesses automate this task and save a lot of time. Since conversion is important and most people are on mobiles these days, successful emails need to be mobile-friendly. Just keep your subject lines short and snappy, your copy concise, your CTAs prominent and you will be good to go.

‍Conclusion

To be on the ball every time a prospect answers your call, you need to have a predictive intelligence engine at your side that helps you analyze, prioritize, and score outbound prospecting lists. The system should allow users to develop their customized ideal customer profiles using multiple data insights. These insights may include potential customers’ intent to make a purchase, direct dial numbers, data accuracy, and the best time to contact a prospect. Try making accurate customer profiles before contacting prospects that will enable meaningful conversations with potential buyers. Remember meaningful conversations dramatically increase sales, so leverage customer data to personalize your messages and make more sales.