Inbound Sales vs Outbound Sales - What's the difference?

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Les Sales “Inbound” correspond to a sales technique in which a potential customer (prospect) contact directly theventure to inquire about a product Or a service. Les Outbound Sales result, on the contrary, from a business process of prospecting On the part of a vendor Contacting a customer potential who has not yet shown interest in products or services Of thecompany. We also talk incoming vs. outgoing, knowing that on a Bootcamp like the one from Akimbo we focus a lot more on the Outbund!

Inbound Sales - Definition

This sales technique Is a strategy Of generation of Leads In which the prospects Come to undertakings. One Lead is generally the result of campaigns marketing, SEO articles or even social networks and prove the importance of tools digitals: when theventure has good online visibility and that its Contents are engaging, the Prospect Can be converted to customer. 

Outbound Sales - Definition

This methodology On the contrary consists in the fact that a Sales Representative Or a vendor Approach one Prospect to present him with products or services. It is a marketing method direct and this allows you to quickly expand your base of customer data. By sending posts Or Emails At shopper that they are interested in, the undertakings ensure a Business Development relevant and effective.

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What is the difference between Inbound Sales and Outbound Sales?

The main difference is in the way in which the Contacts are initiated between the prospects And the salesmen. In fact, the prospecting is more obvious for a possible shopper Who is already interested in the contents Online ofventure and who potentially knows the product and/or service. THEInbound Sales is, a prima facie, a commercial tool generating a Lead more engaging. Les patrons resulting from the sales technique Of theOutbound Sales, on the contrary, are less committed and less informed.

However, both trading methods have their strengths, and you have to take an interest in each step ofthe process Of generation of Leads And of Sales To have all the data in mind and be able to make a decision as to which technique to adopt.

Note, however, that it is not mandatory to choose: use a methodology that combines the two tools thus makes it possible to take advantage of everyone's advantages. It is thus possible to create contents online to generate Leads inbound, while keeping the data of contact Of these prospects and try to convert them into shoppers In a second step.

Inbound or Outbound, what should you choose?

If you need to take a ruling between these two techniques, know that thetool to adopt depends on several factors such as the nature of your patrons, of your Business model and your budget. In fact, depending on your Methods of CRM, One of these strategies may prove to be more relevant than the other.

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Why do inbound sales?

This technique allows in a first step To attract a Prospect Interested and interesting who can become shopper without having to go through a prospecting process, but simply through a good digital marketing strategy And of engaging content. Approached by prospects, the Commercials will be able to give them moreinformations to push them topurchase, and thus convert the leads generated.

Best practices for your inbound sales strategy

To attract potential shopper and then facilitate the purchases of products and services In a second phase, here are examples of techniques to follow:

• Define its target customers, in other words its persona to adapt the Contents and blog posts
• Create a qualitative content and personalized according to its target customers using a tool SEO to provide more visibility on the Blog, Linkedin or the website of theventure
• Train your sales teams To this news digital marketing strategy, to ensure that it works well and lasts over time
• Work and facilitate your buying journey, to be sure that the prospecting is in fact transformed into vending
• Sponsoring Contents via paid ads for generate A maximum of Leads and choose the type of shopper That we want to attract
• Select vouchers CRM tools such as that ofHubspot to send emails and messages to interested prospects

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Benefits of inbound sales

This method is precisely to be preferred when you do not have a huge budget. Indeed, it is based on the expenses that are already granted to the digital marketing. It also allows Generate a lead Who has more confidence in theventure and already hasinformations on it, and to easily keep His contacts If he is not ready to become shopper in the immediate future.

Use cases - examples

We can call on this methodology if we:

- Has little capital to invest in sales teams, for example in the case of a startup

- Realizing that many prospects are looking for our product On Google

- Consider that our products Do not require not a long phase of reflection to move on to the purchase decision

- Is able to create qualitative content and competitive

- Think that direct prospecting does not work with our target customer

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Why do outbound sales?

It's a good approach Commercial to reach his sales objective by simply targeting the Prospect that we are interested in. By performing a segmentation by demographic criteria (by grouping together individuals with similar characteristics) or geographical (by grouping together individuals living in France or in Paris, for example) we get a list of ideal people to approach by email or messages To tell them about our product or service. It is thus possible to create a quick engagement With a potential buyer, simply through telephone or digital contacts.

Best practices for your outbound sales strategy

For generate leads successfully, it is important to follow the next steps :

• Determine its objectives EAnd identify your target customer in advance in order to be able adapt your sales speech to the potential buyer
• Use the Cold Calling : an unsolicited phone call in an attempt to give company and product/service information And him make an offer. However, you have to work hard on your sales pitch beforehand to avoid that the shopper Do not hang up in the first few seconds in the nose of sales representative.
• Send Outbound email : it is a unsolicited enamel, just like the Cold Calling, but which seems less intrusive and can therefore be better received
• Employ the Social Selling, in other words, looking for potentials contacts on social networks and try to start a conversation with them.

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Benefits of inbound sales

The advantages of this technique rely above all on speed. In fact, thepurpose of Sales is reached more quickly because you can send strategic messages and get a Lead effectively and in few steps. It is the ideal way to contact the customer desired. Also, it allows target a prospect Who has not yet heard of the product/service by simply sending him a enamel To make him a offering. This method is also more expensive because it is part of a context of prospecting carried out by salespeople.

Use cases - examples

This method is preferred if:

- Our potentials shoppers Are undertakings And that we sell expensive products or services

- If you sell a innovative tool or product alternative to what is already sold on the market and that we have to give more information About him

- If the purchase decision process has a tendency to take some time to our products

- If you have the means to invest in recruitment of a sales team And of train salespeople

- If the clientele is targeted and specific and shows themselves Receptive to cold calling

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