My last outbound post.

This is the last outbound sales post I ever make.

I've generated over $500M in pipeline by cold calling.?

Here's the raw, hard truths on how to be a successful Outbounder:

1 | The List

The most common sh*t I see:

? Sales manager goes into Apollo

? Puts in a handful of filters

? Extracts list to CSV

? Has SDRs call 1:1 through SEP

Stop it.

When you do this, you'll be lucky if even half the list is accurate.

Most of the leads will be outside of your ICP.

Instead, build the perfect list by starting with the accounts first and then identifying the leads inside the account.

? Find a place where all of your ideal accounts would be (M&A platforms, Y Combinator, convention lists, school district sites). It really matters based on your industry — get creative.

? Use Bardeen to scrape the list and push to Google sheets

? Use my free Google sheets formula guide (comment "Gsheets" if you want it) for advanced prospecting to enrich data

? Import your account list into Sales Nav

? Use the account list as a workflow for a lead search & use respective filters

? Use your data provider's Chrome extension to pull leads into a list

And if your list is incredibly small after this:

? Import your list into Clay

? Use Ocean[.]io (which is now native to Clay) to find 5-10+ lookalikes

? Enrich data again using waterfall feature

? You've now 5X-10Xd your lead list in minutes with 80%+ relevancy

2 | The Follow Up

The #1 misconception of new sellers is they "need more list."

Your TAM is finite.

It's always changing. It's always growing. It's almost always expanding. But you will eventually burn through it.

Work your leads to the bone > mindlessly outbounding them.

This all starts with organization/segmentation.

? Create your lead list (following step 1)

? Simplify the data on your Google sheet (condense titles, remove LLC/Inc/etc. from account names, create full name, last name, and first name columns for your lead)

? Create a column called "tags" which contains the account name and the lead's department and seniority, all separated by commas

? Make sure accounts/leads that come from different intent signals are placed on different sheets (IE recent job changes should be on sheet (A) while recent funding is on sheet (B))

? Import to your dialer/SEP/CRM (wherever you outbound) and include all of these columns and organization elements to help segment your list

? Create different messaging for different intent

Now you call through your list.

Don't email.

Don't DM.

Just call.

The idea is that you want to learn as much as you can about those accounts as fast as you can.

? Final DM

? Biggest influencer/champion

? Contract periods, procurement reviews, and various decision triggers

? Needs, wants, and account dynamics

? Obstacles

Update your data in your calling tool as you call to help you retarget key accounts with the new data.

3 | Multithreading

F*ck your "multithreading framework."

Each account is incredibly complex, especially when you move to upper MM/enterprise accounts.

Frameworks won't get you far.

If you want to appropriately multithread, you'll need to learn the ins-and-outs of the account and how to target them.

There are sellers who have won deals by sending hand written letters or CashApp transactions with a memo.

And there are even more eccentric wins. I've heard sellers who have sent boxes of pizza with letters attached to the office of their DM. Some have sent personalized rap videos. And some have tracked down their prospect from Instagram to find their frequently visited restaurants.

This can get intense when you're trying to win big accounts.

Use the available data and resources you can find/collect to get your prospect's attention.

Note:

If you book a meeting, typically the chance to win will double if you include 3+ DMs in the room.

Booked a meeting with the CFO??

For the second meeting, invite the CRO, CMO, and CTO.

Booked a meeting with a VP?

Get some managers and directors in there too.

More people = more success.

And if you speak to a CEO who shares intel, use their name at the beginning of every conversation you have with other DMs and influencers in that account.

What if you can't get a hold of any decision makers?

Then work bottom up.

Collect intel from lower-level employees and then slowly move up.

Lower level employees = great intel.

Middle level employees = top influencers/champions.

High level employees = sales power + faster decision making.

4 | Volume, Tech, Connect Rates

The biggest debate in cold calling is volume vs. quality.

Well, the answer is nuanced but it can be condensed to this:

Connect rates matter. More volume (without showing as spam) means more conversations. But too much volume can deteriorate quality.

For the beginning of your campaign, after you've built the big list and have 0 intel, call like a lunatic. Hit every lead on your list as fast as possible. Learn as much as you can.

After you've done that, then prioritize quality.

Here's the exact process I follow to get the highest connect % + the highest volume:

? Use a dialer

? Alternate your phone number (have 1 number for every 15 calls/hour)

? Use ZoomInfo's "hot leads" filter to find likely to engage leads

? If you don't have ZI, use a SureConnect, PhoneReadyLeads, or equivalent

? Put every non-ATT/Verizon number into FirstOrion for spam protection

My recommended tech:

Dialer: Orum

Data: ZoomInfo

Scraper: Bardeen

Address data: Anywho

Cold email: Mailforge + Smartlead

____________________________

Again, this is the last big-post I make about outbound since I've switched businesses.

#1 | I'm discounting my book 25%: https://hypersalesman.gumroad.com/l/savage-outbound/ad13ydr

#2 | 1:1 Sales/Organic marketing consulting: https://calendly.com/outbounder-james/meeting-with-james

#3 | Want my free resources? Comment "DM" below and I'll send you all the free stuff.