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<title>Email Outreach Mastery: How to Stand Out in Busy Inboxes</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/email-outreach-mastery/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 15:32:54 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cold email]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[email outreach]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mail outreach]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=11360</guid>
<description><![CDATA[In today’s digital age, where every inbox is inundated with a deluge of emails, mastering the art of email outreach has become a crucial skill for businesses and individuals alike. With attention spans shrinking and competition intensifying, it’s no longer enough to send generic emails and hope for the best. To truly stand out and […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[In today’s digital age, where every inbox is inundated with a deluge of emails, mastering the art of email outreach has become a crucial skill for businesses and individuals alike. With attention spans shrinking and competition intensifying, it’s no longer enough to send generic emails and hope for the best. To truly stand out and engage with your audience effectively, you need a strategic approach that combines creativity, personalization, and data-driven insights. In this comprehensive guide to email outreach mastery, we’ll explore actionable strategies, best practices, and tips to help you navigate the crowded landscape of busy inboxes and achieve remarkable results.
<h2>Crafting Compelling Subject Lines</h2>
The journey to mastering email outreach begins with crafting compelling subject lines that grab attention and entice recipients to open your emails. Your subject line is the first impression you make, so make it count. Incorporate elements like personalization, urgency, and relevance to pique curiosity and increase open rates. For example, instead of a generic subject line like “Check out our latest offers,” try something more personalized and intriguing such as “Exclusive Deals Inside: [Recipient’s Name], Don’t Miss Out!”
<h2>Personalizing Email Content</h2>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11361" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/personalized-email-outreach.jpg" alt="personalize email outreach" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/personalized-email-outreach.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/personalized-email-outreach-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/personalized-email-outreach-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Personalization is key to making your emails resonate with recipients on a deeper level. Segment your audience based on demographics, behavior, or preferences, and tailor your content accordingly. Use dynamic content and personalized tokens to address recipients by name, mention their interests, or refer to past interactions. This level of personalization shows that you understand your audience and adds a human touch to your emails, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
<h2>Timing and Frequency Strategies</h2>
Sending emails at the right time and frequency can significantly impact their effectiveness. Use data analytics to identify the optimal days and times when your audience is most active and receptive to emails. Avoid bombarding recipients with too many emails, as it can lead to fatigue and unsubscribes. Instead, strike a balance by sending timely and relevant content that adds value to their inbox without overwhelming them.
<h2>Leveraging Visuals and Multimedia</h2>
Incorporating visuals and multimedia elements such as images, GIFs, and videos can make your emails more captivating and memorable. A well-crafted video can convey complex messages in a concise and engaging manner, making it an effective tool for email outreach. Utilize a versatile <a href="https://invideo.io/make/online-video-editor/">video editor online</a> to create professional-looking videos that align with your brand’s style and messaging. Whether it’s a product demonstration, a customer testimonial, or a behind-the-scenes glimpse, incorporating videos into your emails can increase engagement and drive conversions.
<h2>A/B Testing for Optimization</h2>
A/B testing is a powerful tool for optimizing your email campaigns and understanding what resonates best with your audience. Experiment with different subject lines, email formats, CTAs, and content variations to identify the most effective strategies. Analyze the results of your A/B tests and use the insights gained to refine your email outreach approach, improving open rates, click-through rates, and overall campaign performance.
<h2>Building and Maintaining Relationships</h2>
Building strong relationships with your email subscribers is essential for long-term success. Focus on creating valuable and relevant content that addresses their needs and interests. Nurture these relationships over time by providing ongoing support, exclusive offers, and personalized recommendations. Encourage two-way communication by inviting feedback, responding to inquiries promptly, and fostering a sense of community within your email list.
<h2>Compliance with Email Regulations</h2>
It’s crucial to adhere to email regulations such as GDPR and CAN-SPAM to maintain trust and credibility with your audience. Ensure that your emails include clear opt-in and opt-out options, provide transparent information about data usage and privacy policies, and respect recipients’ preferences regarding email frequency and content. By staying compliant, you demonstrate professionalism and respect for your subscribers’ rights, enhancing your brand reputation and avoiding potential legal issues.
<h2>Metrics and Tracking Success</h2>
Measuring the success of your email outreach efforts requires tracking key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement metrics. Use email marketing platforms and analytics tools to monitor performance, gain actionable insights, and make data-driven decisions. Continuously evaluate and optimize your campaigns based on performance data, experimenting with new strategies and tactics to achieve better results.
Tips for Ensuring Legal Compliance in Email Outreach
To ensure legal compliance in your email outreach efforts, follow these tips:
<ol>
<li> Obtain explicit consent: Only send emails to individuals who have opted in to receive communications from you.</li>
<li> Include clear opt-out options: Provide recipients with an easy way to unsubscribe from your emails, and honor opt-out requests promptly.</li>
<li> Provide accurate sender information: Ensure that your emails clearly identify the sender and include valid contact information.</li>
<li> Avoid deceptive practices: Do not use misleading subject lines, false claims, or deceptive tactics to entice recipients to open your emails.</li>
<li> Respect recipient preferences: Honor preferences regarding email frequency, content, and communication preferences.</li>
</ol>
By adhering to these guidelines and best practices, you can build trust with your audience, reduce the risk of spam complaints, and maintain a positive reputation as an ethical and responsible email sender.
Metrics and Tracking Success
Measuring the success of your email outreach campaigns is essential for optimizing performance, identifying areas for improvement, and making data-driven decisions. Key metrics provide insights into the effectiveness of your emails and help you track progress toward your goals.
<h2>Key Email Marketing Metrics to Monitor</h2>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-11362" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ab-testing-cold-email.jpg" alt="AB Testing Cold Email" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ab-testing-cold-email.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ab-testing-cold-email-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ab-testing-cold-email-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Some key email marketing metrics to monitor include:
<ol>
<li> Open rate: The percentage of recipients who open your emails.</li>
<li> Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of recipients who click on links or CTAs within your emails.</li>
<li> Conversion rate: The percentage of recipients who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.</li>
<li> Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that are undeliverable due to invalid addresses or other issues.</li>
<li> Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of recipients who unsubscribe from your emails.</li>
</ol>
By monitoring these metrics and analyzing trends over time, you can gain valuable insights into the performance of your email campaigns, identify areas for optimization, and make data-driven decisions to improve results.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
Mastering email outreach requires a combination of strategic planning, creative execution, and continuous optimization. By crafting compelling subject lines, personalizing content, optimizing timing and frequency, leveraging visuals and multimedia, conducting A/B testing, building relationships, ensuring compliance with regulations, monitoring key metrics, and using data-driven insights, you can stand out in busy inboxes, engage your audience effectively, and achieve success in your email marketing endeavors.
Remember, <a href="https://backlinko.com/hub/content/email-outreach">email outreach</a> is not just about sending messages; it’s about building relationships, providing value, and delivering relevant content that resonates with your audience. Embrace the power of personalized communication, leverage technology and data insights, and stay customer-centric in your approach to unlock the true potential of email outreach mastery.
So, whether you’re promoting your video editing services, sharing valuable content with your subscribers, or nurturing leads through email campaigns, apply these strategies and best practices to elevate your email marketing game and stand out in the competitive landscape of busy inboxes. Here’s to mastering email outreach and achieving exceptional results in your marketing efforts!
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<title>Sales Strategy: How to Build Yours</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/sales-strategy-best-guide-line/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/sales-strategy-best-guide-line/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Aug 2023 14:30:02 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=10146</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Everyone who has a company, a trade or offers some kind of service has – or should have – a sales strategy well defined. It is what, in the end, will serve as the basis for achieving what every entrepreneur wants: profit, which generates growth and gives the business a long life. More than an […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Everyone who has a company, a trade or offers some kind of service has – or should have – a sales strategy well defined. It is what, in the end, will serve as the basis for achieving what every entrepreneur wants: profit, which generates growth and gives the business a long life.
More than an idea, a sales strategy deals with what is expected of each company.
Does it exist to sell to the final consumer? Is your focus on selling little, but with a very high average ticket? Is the idea to produce in the long term or is the focus to produce in one week to supply consumers the following week?
All these questions help define a sales strategy. Therefore, it is usually defined by managers, by professionals who follow the company’s own numbers, by people who are aware of market trends.
As we will show throughout this article, there are numerous strategies that have proven to be efficient over the decades. The point is that each sector of the economy and each business segment has its peculiarities. What works for one might not work for another.
What they all have in common is the way in which a commercial strategy is built. Next, we’ll show you the best guidelines for you to assemble yours.
<h2>What is a sales strategy?</h2>
Sales strategy is a set of guidelines aimed at building the brand, growing sales and increasing revenue. It is defined by company managers.
Also called commercial strategy, it aims to search for new customers. To do so, you need to rely on market research, consumer trends, lead generation, average ticket to look for, among others.
It is important to emphasize right away that sales strategy is not the same as sales techniques. Although the concepts are related, they refer to different aspects.
The sales strategy deals with the commercial objectives that the company wants to achieve, in what period of time and how to achieve this.
Sales techniques, on the other hand, are the tactics used by the sales team to reach the objectives set by the company’s board of directors.
There are numerous sales strategies, applied and tested by the market over the decades – and which have developed even more in recent years, mainly from the changes in the way of consumption and the growth of online sales.
Yet they all have aspects in common. Knowing the market in which it operates, defining a persona, having very clear objectives, knowing how to price products or services and, increasingly, focusing on the customer and not on the sale, are points that have already proven to be effective in the application of any strategy. of sales.
Another point in common to all of them are the three basic phases: finding potential customers, conquering them and keeping them.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10259" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Finding potential customers</h3>
Although with different objectives, this phase is common to companies of all sizes and of all ages, whether they are centenarians or startups that are now entering the market.
New companies need to find potential customers to place their product or service proposal on the market, while established companies seek new consumers to expand their revenues or, at least, maintain commercial stability considering the lifetime value seen in all segments.
If you are looking for new potential clients, you can search for information on blogs, YouTube and even access this article about tips for starting your online business.
There are several ways to find potential customers. You can make use of outbound marketing or inbound marketing strategies – in the ideal world, jointly. The fact is that prospecting needs to be constant for a sales strategy to be good.
When opting for active prospecting, it can be done through advertisements in traditional media, offering discounts or investing in approaches such as cold calling, especially cold call 2.0.
In the B2B business environment, one of the most traditional ways to get new customers is to participate in trade fairs. Common for many decades, they were on standby from 2020 due to the pandemic, but will certainly resume with force.
Business fairs have the great advantage of bringing together companies whose main focus is selling to other companies – and therefore, arouse interest in already qualified leads.
Another way to generate new leads is through digital marketing strategies, especially content marketing. It is a method that requires less investment, but whose results are expected in the medium and long term.
<h3>Conquering new customers</h3>
Earlier, we made a caveat that sales strategy is not the same as sales techniques. In it, we said that they were concepts that were related. And it is precisely at this stage that this happens.
After prospecting for new leads, the moment comes when it is necessary to win them over and turn them into customers effectively. This is the job of professionals like Business Development Representative, Sales Development Representative or even the sales professional himself.
Conquering new customers is an exercise that demands method, persistence and empathy.
A method is needed because this is the only way to get new customers that are not based on luck or just in case.
A lot of persistence is also needed because, especially in B2B businesses, these are agreements with new companies that are very likely to present a series of sales objections. As for empathy, this appears more and more as a differential to get good deals.
So much so that consultative selling is on the rise. In this model, more than a salesperson, the professional puts himself in the customer’s shoes to understand what his pain points are and how to design the best sales model for him.
The idea of this view is to show the customer that he is, above all, a partner. And that’s because the consultative sales model best fits the win-win definition, which is good for both buyers and sellers.
Whenever deals are established that are good for both ends, a virtuous circle is created: whoever buys knows that it will solve a need and that it will have a good return; who sells, sees an increase in the average ticket and gains a loyal customer.
And here we go to the next phase of the sales strategy.
<h3>Loyalty customers</h3>
If conquering new customers is the goal of every company, turning them into loyal customers is the best of both worlds. For at least two reasons: it guarantees long-term business, and prospecting new ones is always harder than keeping old ones.
Loyalty to a customer means understanding him well. For this, monitoring its history and being aware of changes in the market is essential. This will allow you to make the best offers, at the best times and for the right price.
The objective of this phase of the sales strategy is to surprise the customer. In the same way that you went after all of its features when fitting it into the Ideal Customer Profile, it’s also time to demonstrate that you know how to keep helping. You don’t have to wait for it to manifest itself.
In addition, satisfied customers work as a good form of advertising. They will start to defend your brand and you can even include them in your portfolio.
Another advantage of having loyal customers is the increase in the average sales ticket. It is natural that companies negotiating for the first time do so with greater reservations – after all, no matter how much information is available, it is something new and involves high investment.
On the other hand, companies that already have a relationship history understand each other more easily, shorten steps in the sales funnel and they have everything to negotiate larger volumes.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10237" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>How to build a sales strategy?</h2>
Establishing an effective commercial strategy involves recognizing that each market niche has its specificities – and, therefore, will require different choices.
The way to define it, however, is similar. Follow along.
<h3>Know who your customer is</h3>
This aspect is basic for any company and at any level. It is useful to define a good sales strategy, to choose the best marketing strategy and also to choose the best sales techniques. But it goes further: it is even worth knowing what to offer.
For this, the first step is to establish the Ideal Customer Profile. It defines the type of company – segment, size and region of operation – and with whom you want to do business within it.
This becomes important, especially in business between companies, because it offers focus, which allows the best solutions to be offered to the potential client.
Furthermore, in B2B sales, knowing this profile makes it possible to point to companies that are more likely to close good deals with yours. We are not simply talking about a sale, but those with a higher average ticket and with chances of a long-term partnership.
After defining this profile, it is necessary to go further and establish a persona – also called a buyer persona. She is an embodiment of what is considered the ideal client. It is a fictional character, created based on real behavior and data, supported by demographic information and previous research.
The persona allows you to have a better idea of who usually does business with your company: whether they are men or women, how old they are, what education they have, how much they usually spend, what their motivations are, and so on.
In B2B businesses, defining the persona helps to identify the best leads within the companies that the prospecting team identified as having the greatest potential to negotiate with yours.
<h3>Identify your competition</h3>
Getting to know who operates in the same segment as you is essential to design an effective sales strategy. This goes for both your direct competitor and the competitor of the company you want to do business with.
Comparing the strategies that are applied by companies that are referenced in the market is a good way to establish which are the most effective and which give less result. As we said at the beginning, there are several well-known and widely applied commercial strategies, but it is necessary to identify which are the best for your segment.
In addition, knowing what the competitor offers allows your company to go in search of the differential. If the products are similar, defining a better pricing method may be worthwhile. Offering ways to improve the customer experience, ditto.
<h3>Have well-defined goals and objectives</h3>
Although we often use them as synonyms, objectives and goals are two different things, but they generally need to go together.
Your company, for example, might aim to grow 20% in the next year. Well, to achieve that, you need to set goals: increase sales by as many percent, invest in machinery, hire new employees, and so on.
An effective sales strategy has to be supported by well-defined objectives and goals. But for that, they need to be viable. It is not enough simply to decide that you want to grow, you must work on bases that allow this.
Once again, keeping up with the market, the latest trends and forecasting real revenue is essential. As we will show later, being on top of all your company’s metrics, and making a historical comparison, will help you take each step safely.
A commercial strategy that is applied based on clear objectives has everything to give the expected result. This is because each step is taken thinking about the fulfillment of a certain goal. It is the sum of all of them that will lead your company to reach the final objective.
<h3>Empower your team</h3>
You can have the best product or service to offer, but you can also have the best possible sales strategy for your business. But all this will be of little use if you don’t also have the best sellers.
So train your team!
Hold regular meetings not only to present the goals and objectives, but also to cover everything about your product and company. The differentials, the potential, why what you have to sell will make a difference in your customer’s life.
In addition to motivating your sales team, this will help them become more assertive and more easily overcome objections that arise in negotiations.
The great sales gurus never tired of repeating that well-trained teams with well-defined functions boost results. In general, more experienced sellers are better at closing sales, while less experienced ones are more proactive and agile in capturing new leads.
As you can see, you don’t need to set up a dream team of salespeople, just train the team so that it becomes the dream team. 
And remember: Protagnst specializes in B2B sales. Get in touch with us and we’ll show you the best ways to boost your results.
<h3>Face the objections</h3>
Potential clients who have difficulties closing a deal are common. As long as your product or service is good and solves his problem, it is common for the lead to counter argue and show resistance to finalizing an agreement. Dealing with objections, however, is part of any salesperson’s life.
Bearing in mind that objections are common is the best way to prepare for them. A good seller is one who knows that the potential customer may raise doubts, questions and impose some difficulties to close a purchase – and, for this very reason, will be prepared to answer all of them.
One of the most effective ways to deal with objections in sales is to map out all possible obstacles and create an “objection matrix”.
This will allow you to answer the lead’s questions as soon as they arise, demonstrating knowledge on the subject and passing credibility on the product or service.
In case the resistance has to do with financial issues, by having prior planning it will be possible to present possible solutions or even already have more viable alternatives to guarantee the negotiation sequence. This is precisely why consultative sales are so in evidence.
To assemble a good matrix of objections, the ideal is to seek the questions and their answers with the various sectors of the company, from marketing to production. Asking each one of them about their strengths and possible bottlenecks in this area, as well as solving them, is an efficient way to prepare for possible resistance from potential customers.
<h3>Track your metrics</h3>
Keeping track of the different metrics within a company is the daily work of any manager, and they also help to improve the sales strategy.
Evaluate how prospecting for new leads is going, how many are qualified and what the sales conversion rate allows you to have a more accurate diagnosis of your own business.
Just as important, whenever the metrics do not show the expected results, they make it possible to reassess what has been done. This makes it easier to identify bottlenecks in the sales funnel and, from there, redefine strategies.
Not properly tracking metrics can mean wasting time, revenue, and opportunities. On the other hand, it makes it impossible to have real bases of growth potential, which hinders the creation of medium and long-term objectives.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10257" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-4-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-4-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Commercial strategies for different segments</h2>
The different sectors and segments of the economy have their peculiarities and, therefore, must make use of their own strategies. Although the basis and final objectives are similar, the path to the customer’s purchase journey can be longer or shorter, simpler or tortuous.
<h3>B2B sales strategies</h3>
Business between companies moves trillions of dollars every year around the world. Because it involves a high average ticket, it is a very good segment to invest in.
The high sums involved and the peculiarities of this type of trading, however, make trading strategies quite unique. One of the main ones is that it demands professional and highly specialized sellers.
B2B deals are made between people with a lot of knowledge and decision-making power. On the part of those who buy, it involves someone who certainly understands a lot about the product and who has decision-making power – or, at least, easy access to those who do.
Therefore, the sales strategy in this case necessarily needs to be supported by a lot of market research and by a salesperson with an advisory profile. After all, the buyer he will be dealing with is already someone who is on top of market trends, so it is necessary to invest in the differential.
Having a well-defined who your company’s buyer persona is, knowing your competitors and being flexible are three fundamental requirements.
Another important point for those whose commercial strategy is business between companies is to recognize that it is a more time-consuming and costly process than those that focus on negotiating with the final consumer. But, of course, the financial return is also much greater.
<h3>Complex sales strategy</h3>
It has that name and it is not by chance. These are businesses that require many steps, bureaucracy and engagement from the most diverse sectors. In general, they involve very specific niches and require different types of approval.
Imagine, for example, that your company trades parts or machinery for a shipyard that is producing submarines for the government. The construction itself already involves many steps, a few years of work and the need to overcome all kinds of bureaucracy.
Of course, this whole – costly – process generates good profits, which is why many companies choose to have a strategy aimed at complex sales.
To be successful in them, however, the salesperson must have a consultative and attentive profile throughout the entire process – not only during the sale, but also following the progress of the after-sales process with the customer.
Thus, the entire process needs to be extremely well structured and have a fully prepared sales team. Showing yourself willing and ready to meet any possible demand makes that sale have the expected result and, more than that, paves the way for new business. 
technical sales strategy
Companies that focus on technical sales should look for a high average ticket and the possibility of a large sales volume, since this type of business demands the involvement of professionals with a lot of knowledge and the probable need to include the training offer.
Technical sales refer to very specific niches and products that demand a lot of know-how.
Because of this, technical sales are expected to take longer, especially if the entire cycle is considered, from prospecting for new customers to team training after the bases have been defined by the buyer.
Thus, the sales professional needs to be at the same time very qualified from a technical point of view, assertive and resilient.
If well structured, however, focusing the sales strategy on a more technical sector can be especially profitable. This is especially true if the same model can be partly replicated for different customers.
<h3>Sales strategy for consulting and services</h3>
Sell consulting services also involve investing in some of the product sales assumptions, but with the necessary adaptations.
Building a strong brand and being recognized in the market is an important step. But for this to happen, you need to focus and define the target audience well.
The definition of the target public enables a more efficient communication, adequate for your public and made by the best means. It also allows you to offer more assertive services to customers. The sum of this generates better conversions.
Conducting market research is essential, and a good sales strategy involves recognizing that personal taste does not necessarily represent market preference. Therefore, it is necessary to be aware and open to the latest trends.
Consulting services are increasingly sought by companies, as they unite their productive potential with the expertise of those who work in the field. Protagnst, for example, specializes in lead generation and capture for business between companies. Our focus is on helping other companies sell more – and better.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10256" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-5-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/estrategia-de-vendas-5-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
Every manager works towards the financial health of his company. And, more than ensuring day-to-day cash flow, financial health is also about knowing the ability to take the next steps. Thus, a good manager is one who looks both to the present and to the future.
Projecting the future of a company involves forecasting future sales. And reaching an answer on this is not an easy task: it requires understanding the market, following the direction of the economy, understanding in detail one’s own productive potential, retaining customers and going in search of others with some predictability.
All this is taken into account when defining the best sales strategy. They serve as a guide and allow the sales team to focus on the most appropriate techniques for each segment.
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</item>
<item>
<title>Sales Machine: Definitive Guide to Structuring Your Sales Machine</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/sales-machine-guide/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/sales-machine-guide/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2023 14:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Closing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sales machine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[strcture your sales machine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[vending machine]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=10090</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Attracting customers in a continuous flow is essential for a company to remain in the market, but growing a business’s sales is not a simple task. If you want to leverage your sales, maybe it’s time to learn what a sales machine is. The growth of a company depends on the joint work of different […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Attracting customers in a continuous flow is essential for a company to remain in the market, but growing a business’s sales is not a simple task. If you want to leverage your sales, maybe it’s time to learn what a sales machine is.
The growth of a company depends on the joint work of different areas, such as marketing, sales, production and supply. Even more occasional factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to adopt a home office, for example, end up interfering.
All of this affects your business’s relationship with the market and customers. Therefore, having a sales machine is essential to maintain the stability of your business.
This concept was created to help your company grow and stay in the market.
So, if this is your goal as an entrepreneur, read on!
<h2>What is a vending machine?</h2>
Sales machine is the expression used to explain the process of structuring a scalable sales model.
That is, this concept designates optimized actions and processes designed to support a constant volume of newleads in your company.
A sales machine must always be scalable and deliver solutions that really make sense for the customer.
In other words, it’s like a roadmap of steps your company should take to increase lead capture and retention.
The term was invented by Aaron Ross, in the publication of the book“Predictable Revenue”, and comes from English Sales Machine. 
In the book, the author tells how he created a sales machine that earned more than 100 million dollars for the pioneering company of the strategy, Salesforce.
What Aaron did was to structure a lead generation growth process, continuously generating opportunities. This is what defines an effective sales machine today.
The vending machine is:
<ul>
<li>Scalable;</li>
<li>Profitable;</li>
<li>Predictable.</li>
</ul>
Scalable, as its objective is to increase the number of customers.
Profitable, because the objective of every company is the profit.
It’s predictable because it’s essential that your company’s projected future matches what’s happening in the present.
After all, you can’t imagine that your future will be billions if your company’s revenue hasn’t even reached the hundreds of thousands.
In that case, keeping your foot on the ground about your company’s growth is essential.
It is also essential that the vending machine is profitable. That is, your customers need to give a return greater than what was spent to acquire them (ROI).
This means that if you have a marketing campaign that costs 2,000, for example, and it only brought 2 customers, the cost of each customer was 1,000 reais.
In this case, the only thing that would pay for the campaign would be if both customers spent more than a thousand reais, which is unlikely in many scenarios.
In this sense, the CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) must always be as low as possible, as this means more profit.
Therefore, the sales machine is the whole process and mapping to increase your sales numbers and profit more and more.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10239" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-3-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-3-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-3-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Scalability and sales machine</h2>
A scalable company is a company that manages to increase its revenue without necessarily increasing its costs. In other words, it is a growing company.
Every company wants to be scalable, have continuous growth and profit greater than its expenses (even if this is not always the case for all scalable companies).
There are two scalability models within a business: horizontal and vertical.
The horizontal scalability model has as main objective to make the company a reference in the market in general. In this way, the company seeks to maintain a varied range of customers and segments, with the objective of remaining relevant in the market as a whole.
We can give as an example of a company with horizontal scalability Coca-Cola, which in addition to the soda, today is also a brand of clothing, sneakers and much more.
In horizontal scalability, the company seeks growth within its specific market niche, focusing on the company’s specific products and services.
It is necessary to define which type of scalability your company wants to focus on before creating the sales machine, as this model intends to standardize its entiresales strategy in line with your company’s goals.
The goal of the sales machine is to keep the flow of customers continuous, just as the goal of scalability is to keep growing.
By putting these two concepts together, it is possible to create a sales machine that increases your company’s ability to scale in the market and grow even more.
Therefore, for those who want to increase the company’s revenue without necessarily increasing costs, creating a sales machine is paramount.
<h2>How to make a vending machine?</h2>
The vending machine takes its name because it is also composed of parts and gears. That is, there are several parts of a process so that the whole structure makes sense.
All parts of the company need to be engaged with the sales machine: the team, the metrics, the strategies, everything. For example, there is no point in having a structured and perfect process if your employees are not trained to execute it.
If the team does not understand the process, the process will not be used and therefore will be meaningless. That’s why everything has to be working properly for the sales machine to bring results.
Implementing a sales machine in your company necessarily means reviewing your business’ commercial approach. That is, review the sales strategies and techniques used by your employees.
So, before you decide to make a vending machine, be aware that this is a laborious strategy.
However, once the sales machine is working properly, all sectors of your business will be much more in tune with each other – and the flow of customers will inevitably increase.
Below, we will mention the main tips and strategies to make a sales machine for your business.
We are specialists in business between companies. Get in touch and find out how we can help!
<h3>Define a sales strategy</h3>
Defining a commercial strategy is essential to establish the sales machine and create your company’s profile.
A commercial strategy is the direction your sales team should follow when contacting new and potential customers.
That is, it works as a kind of alignment roadmap, so that all its employees have similar service.
This helps build your company’s image in the minds of customers. That way, whenever they get in touch with your company, consumers will already expect a specific treatment.
Thus, you build your company’s image in the subconscious of your consumers and pass on greater professionalism in contact with customers.
Therefore, if you still don’t have a sales strategy aligned with your team, it’s time to create one.
If you’ve already given this direction to your sales team, you may want to review the strategies before adopting the sales machine.
After all, as we said before, the concept of the vending machine depends on several parts and gears, and it only works if they are all properly aligned.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10240" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="635" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-5-1-min-300x186.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-5-1-min-768x476.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Increase the number of leads</h3>
Now let’s talk about the interesting part: generating new potential customers.
Having the means to constantly generate good leads (potential customers) is the basis for the entire sales machine process.
For a company to continue operating, it needs to have the means tolead generation. Generating leads is usually a task for the marketing team, but there are many ways to increase potential customers for your business.
To increase your lead generation, you first need to understand what theprofile of your target audience, that is, the people most likely to buy your product.
That way, you’ll be able to think of increasingly efficient strategies to attract these specific people.
For example, what’s the use of running a marketing campaign focused on young people if your product is mostly purchased by adults?
In the same sense, knowing your target audience, you will understand which communication channels to use, how much to spend on each campaign and so on.
Knowing the behavior of your target audience will help you to increasingly focus on product campaigns according to the needs of your client’s profile.
Of course, for that to happen, potential customers need to become actual customers.
After all, it’s no use having a thousand leads if none of them buy the product or service you offer.
The quality of a lead is evaluated based on its propensity to buy. That is, how likely he is to make a purchase while going through the sales funnel.
That is, if leads go through the sales funnel several times and do not buy anything, something in the process is wrong, either with the types of leads or with the funnel itself.
The more assertive the qualification of leads is, the more profitable and easier the work of the commercial sales team will be.
Therefore, more than generating leads, it is important to generate qualified leads.
<h3>Have sales software</h3>
A sales software will help a lot in the sales machine process.
That’s because, with a sales software, part of this process will be automated.
That way, you won’t need to hire specific employees or waste time with this type of service, because the software will do it automatically.
There are several tools designed to scale vending machine processes. These types of software are aimed at increasing productivity and automating repetitive tasks.
In general, the software is divided between operation and management.
In the operations area, the software facilitates several different stages of the sales pipeline, including lead collection and qualification.
Another step facilitated in the operation process is the creation of cadence flows, which include tools for triggering emails and CRM, for example.
In the management area, sales software tools are usually focused on monitoring, analysis and management.
Of course, the advantages and tools will depend on the software chosen and the plan purchased by the company. Therefore, before choosing software, it is also good to consider your company’s needs.
For example, if your team’s difficulty is in qualifying leads, it is advisable to look for software that has good recommendations in this area.
So try profiling your company before deciding which toolset to choose.
<h3>Create metrics and strategies</h3>
The purpose of the sales machine is to keep the flow of attracting new customers. In this sense, it is important to create metrics and strategies to maintain this continuous flow.
To keep your sales team motivated, establishgoals that are related to the commercial strategy of the company.
Achievable and measurable goals, with defined time to reach and clear objectives, will give your team purpose.
In this way, the team will be aligned with the company’s objective and focused on maintaining the continuous flow of customers, which is the objective of the sales machine.
An unmotivated or lost sales team is a big problem, as your business depends on sales to continue thriving.
So always make sure your employees are focused and aligned with goals and sales.
To create achievable goals, you need to understand metrics. This is where KPIs, or Performance Indicators, come in.
KPIs indicate your team’s metrics and values, such as contact rate, follow-up rate, number of open opportunities, average sales cycle and many other important pieces of information.
It’s important to keep an eye on the KPIs to know how your sales team is doing.
Low ratings on the team could mean that the team needs training. We’ll talk a little more about that below.
Still on this topic, it is also interesting to establish a goal for the company.
Just as your salespeople have goals, your sales machine can too. For example, the goal might be to increase profit by 10%.
Of course, as we mentioned earlier, the sales machine needs to be predictable.
Therefore, it is good to establish a goal based on the real numbers of your company, always aiming for growth.
From there, it’s just a matter of creating strategies to achieve the set goal.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10241" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-6-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="684" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-6-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-6-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-6-1-min-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Set a hiring profile</h3>
As we mentioned before, creating a communicational profile for your company and keeping your employees aligned with this strategy will help your customers to establish a subconscious image of your company.
In the same sense, it is also good to profile the type of employee your company is looking for.
This strategy aims to keep all the cogs in the sales machine as aligned as possible.
Therefore, several selection processes today rely on psychological and technical tests. That way, you can get to know a little more about the candidate before moving on to the next steps.
The profile of candidates who best fit the vacancy are the most likely to prosper in the company.
Likewise, hiring an employee who does not fit the profile will result in the need for training and learning processes that other candidates might not need. This all costs money and time, which could be spent on sales.
Therefore, it is important to hire people who are already qualified and have the right profile for the company, which will depend on your type of business.
Try to outline your desired employee profile and use that as a basis for your hiring processes.
Of course, each employee needs to have a different profile from the other, since each one has a different function.
Depending on the role, different types of profiles are required. Therefore, define each employee’s role clearly and establish what each team member is expected to do.
For example, a hire for the sales team needs to be an extrovert, with good argumentative skills and good diction (especially in telephone sales).
When hiring, you already know what you are looking for these characteristics.
The process is the same for other functions in the company: see which role this profile should fulfill, and look for someone who fits the requirements.
Do you want to accelerate your sales and increase your customer base? Protagnst can help you! Fill out the form and we will contact you to present our solutions!
<h3>Define sales indicators</h3>
As we mentioned earlier, KPIs are important metrics to track the performance of the sales team.
It is through these indicators that the business manager can measure, validate and correct the entire operation andsales strategy.
That is, it is by analyzing the KPIs that it is possible to know what is working as a strategy and what needs improvement.
Therefore, it is always important to analyze these indicators to keep the sales machine working properly.
In this sense, there are already technological tools that perform the analysis automatically and make the data available to the team.
This way, it is possible to know much more easily what needs improvement and what is already working.
Therefore, if you intend to make a sales machine, it might be interesting to consider implementing software for sales indicators in your company.
<h3>Create scripts</h3>
As we have already mentioned, well-aligned and standardized communication is very important for your company’s image.
That’s because, with a standardized service, you show professionalism and commitment.
Therefore, creating sales scripts can be a great solution to keep your customer flow in the sales machine.
The script establishes the sequence of contacts and approaches that must be carried out by its collaborators.
That way, a good sales script has an answer to every possible question and an argument for every possible denial.
With a sales script, your employees will have standardized company communication and show much more professionalism.
Of course, not everything has to be done literally, and employees can wing it in the customer conversation.
This strategy is more intended to help the employee than to immobilize and condition him to automatic and cold responses.
In this sense, the script helps the employee with arguments and intelligent answers to the customer’s questions, but the ability of persuasion and the humanized touch of the employee are also essential for closing the sale.
The sales script also helps the salesperson stay up-to-date on the product.
For example, if a lead has a very specific question, it may be that the seller, not being an expert on the product, does not know the answer.
This is where the sales script comes in, which usually contains a question and answer area possibly asked by customers.
That way, the employee can refer to the script and offer an answer even if they didn’t know how to respond before.
Thus, it is not necessary to transfer the call and tire the customer, and the employee even learns more about the product or service.
<h3>Choose a channel</h3>
Knowing which communication channel is most used by person who seeks your product is also important to define your sales machine process.
After all, what’s the use of trying to sell your product or service over the phone if your target audience only buys online, for example?
Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the preferences of your leads and draw up your sales strategy based on that.
Today, there are several ways to contact a customer, such as email, social media, phone and even WhatsApp message.
The most effective way to do this will depend on your product and your company’s target audience.
After deciding on the best channels, you need to engage the team, always hiring people according to the desired profile, as we’ve already seen.
In this sense, if the main channel used is email, there is no point in hiring someone who is good at telephone sales.
Having just one sales channel is enough to create a sales machine.
This, of course, doesn’t mean you necessarily have to exclude everyone else.
But when it comes to communication channels, the best strategy is to have a different approach in each place.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10243" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-4-1-min-1.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="577" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-4-1-min-1.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-4-1-min-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-4-1-min-1-768x433.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Provide training to your sales team</h3>
Of course, for a company to continue making a profit and for the sales machine concept to work, it is necessary to align with various areas of the sales funnel.
But, without a doubt, a high-performance sales team is the fastest way to high profit margins and good performance in the market.
Therefore, the sales team needs to be always aligned and well trained.
The more ownership your salespeople have in the market, the more they know about the target audience, the product and the sales process, the more qualified they will be to close a purchase.
Therefore, for the sales machine process to work and be profitable, it is important to keep your sales team with improved skills.
To achieve this goal, offer product-focused sales training, as well as workshops, lectures, and even courses that help your employees stand out from the competition.
This way, your team will become more and more qualified. In addition, with the right training, employees will be able to grow within the company.
That is, the more internal opportunities you offer your team, the more people will want to work for you.
There are several types of training that can be administered between teams today that go far beyond traditional courses.
In that sense, always try to diversify. It is possible to offer on-boardings, mentoring programs, conversation circles and even learning games. After all, it’s salespeople who build your company’s relationship with customers.
Therefore, the more aligned with your company’s language and image your team is, the more your customers will recognize it.
To offer training relevant to the needs of your employees, try to map out what the main difficulties of the team are. You can do this by analyzing performance indicators or simply asking your employees.
<h3>Listen to customer feedback</h3>
Another important indicator to understand the difficulties and qualifications of your sales process is to always pay attention to customer feedback.
This way, you will more easily understand which areas of your company need more attention, which can influence the hiring of new people, the sales strategies used and even the necessary training for the team.
Thus, your sales process will become more and more efficient, and the sales machine will become more and more profitable.
Protagnst specializes in B2B sales. Get in touch with us and we’ll show you the best ways to boost your results.
Constant improvement is the rule
Be aware that creating a sales machine is also understanding that this process will never be completely finished.
After all, the market constantly changes and evolves, so it doesn’t make sense for you to keep a fixed model for a long time.
Customer demands are always changing. Therefore, it is also important to be in constant change and evolution, always attentive to future trends.
In this case, it is worth remembering that your competitors are also always looking to evolve and overcome your product once and for all.
Therefore, it is important to monitor what is to come.
Keep your sales machine always updated according to market demands and always seek to maintain the quality of your product and service.
No company can maintain its identical sales strategy for a long time, so it is always necessary to innovate in order not to fall into oblivion.
For this, know that your sales strategies and training needs will always be changing, and your sales machine will never be 100% ready.
But do not worry!
Over time, this process of change will become more and more intuitive, because thanks to the tips above, you will understand your client more and more and, consequently, it will become easier to decipher their desires.
<h2>Advantages of creating a sales machine</h2>
Now that you know what the main steps are to create your company’s sales machine, find out why implementing this strategy in your business can be a good choice.
Below, we mention the main advantages that a well-implemented sales machine can bring to your company.
<h3>Improves return on investment</h3>
This is the word that interests every entrepreneur. After all, what return will the sales machine bring to your business?
Know that the biggest advantage of this process is precisely the ROI, Return on Investment.
That’s because, with a properly functioning sales machine, you’ll have much more organization over your company’s entire sales process.
In this way, the sales machine will help to solve the problems that prevented your business from closing a sale – which, consequently, will bring better results.
That is, there may be a silly problem in your sales strategies that prevents you from selling more and nobody noticed. In this sense, the sales machine appears precisely to point out these errors and correct them.
<h3>Prepares you for market changes</h3>
The market is always developing and changing. As we saw before, adaptations to stay relevant are always necessary.
In that sense, the vending machine can also help a lot to predict what’s coming. This is because the vending machine was designed precisely with the aim of maintaining a continuous flow of customers.
Therefore, thanks to this strategy, it becomes more difficult to be surprised by market events, as was the case with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The sales machine works as a kind of “recipe for success”, a roadmap to keep attracting customers.
So as long as you keep the strategy up to date with market needs, you don’t have to worry too much about external changes.
And, if you need to make any changes, another positive point of the vending machine is its easy adaptation.
In other words, you just need to remodel your ready-made model according to your customers’ needs and take advantage of the stability that this concept can bring to your sales.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10244" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="667" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-1-1-min-300x195.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Maquina-de-vendas-1-1-min-768x500.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Generates new opportunities</h3>
With a sales machine properly implemented and aligned with your team, you can take the opportunity to create new opportunities in the market.
That’s because, with a sales team aligned in the process, all the tasks performed in your company will be done much more effectively and easily.
In this sense, there is practically plenty of time for you and your employees to focus on other tasks that do not involve day-to-day sales.
All of this gives you more opportunities to discuss new campaigns, think about new products and sales strategies, and much more.
That is, the sales machine will make your entire process much faster and more effective, which will enable new opportunities for your business.
<h3>Brings greater organization and planning</h3>
With an effective sales machine, your company will be an example of organization and planning. This is because, as we have seen previously, this process takes into account several metrics and performance indicators.
Therefore, if you are aware of your company’s indexes and the results that your team presents, it means that you have an organized plan.
The more organized your company’s data is, the easier it will be for you to understand your company’s numbers – profits, investments and expenses.
The sales machine will help your company organize these numbers and keep you aware of what needs cuts, investments or changes.
In the same sense, the vending machine will also help in the future planning of your business.
With this model, it is much easier to understand and, in a way, predict the profits of the following months.
Therefore, creating a sales machine is important to maintain your sales stability and understand what to expect for the future of your business.
<h3>Get clearer results</h3>
Thanks to the organization and planning that the sales machine imposes, it will become much easier to see your company’s results.
In addition to knowing what to expect for future profits, the organization of indicators will also help you understand how much your company has profited in a simpler and more objective way.
In this sense, we can also mention the ROI again, which is a clear indicator of the results of this strategy.
Therefore, in addition to having the entire sales process mapped, you will have a much better view of your company’s capital.
As much as this can be a difficult model to implement, the advantages it can bring to the effectiveness of your business are many.
Once implemented, the entire sales machine model will help you understand your strategies and processes much more clearly and understandably.
What used to be a messy and complicated process, thanks to the sales machine, becomes easy to visualize and understand.
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
Do you understand why a sales machine is an indispensable model for anyone who wants to increase the company’s growth?
In this sense, it is worth remembering that there is no point in creating an impeccable sales machine process and not implementing it for your employees.
For the model to work properly, all areas and teams in your company need to be integrated into the process. This, of course, focusing its main efforts on the sales team, who are primarily responsible for the buying process and contact with consumers and potential customers.
But, don’t leave the other teams aside. Your marketing is important for lead empowerment, and customer success is important for customer feedback, for example.
Therefore, each employee on your team plays an important role in the sales machine, and everyone needs to be a part of it so that you can have a clear view of the results of this process.
Don’t waste any more time! Start now the process of implementing a sales machine on your team to improve your company’s sales and make the whole process much simpler and more adaptable.
Protagnst specializes in lead generation and B2B customer acquisition. Fill out the form below, tell us a little about yourself and, together, we will design the best strategy for your business.
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<title>What are complex sales? Completely understand the concept</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/what-are-complex-sales/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/what-are-complex-sales/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 21 Aug 2023 14:30:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Closing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9915</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Have you ever thought about the process of selling a submarine? State-of-the-art technological systems? Of aerospace components? Or, bringing it closer to reality, equipment for assembly of manufacturing plants of any kind? Right away, you realize that these are not the simplest of negotiations. And there is even a category for this type of sale: […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Have you ever thought about the process of selling a submarine? State-of-the-art technological systems? Of aerospace components? Or, bringing it closer to reality, equipment for assembly of manufacturing plants of any kind? Right away, you realize that these are not the simplest of negotiations. And there is even a category for this type of sale: these are examples of complex sales.
In this article, we’ll show you what defines complex sales and what are its main characteristics.
You’ll find that they have some aspects of their own, notably their longer sales cycles than you’d see in simple sales. 
At the same time, complex sales bring the great advantage to the companies that work with them, the fact that they return a higher average ticket, which boosts revenue.
Another very present aspect concerns the environment in which complex sales are more common: in business between companies – also called B2B complex sales.
<h2>What are complex sales?</h2>
Complex sales are those that require longer processes, which involve more technical issues and, consequently, go through several decision makers until they are concluded.
Because of all this, in general complex sales have a more costly process, but at the same time represent a higher average ticket. Although not a rule, they apply more frequently in negotiations between companies (B2B).
As the name suggests, complex sales vary greatly depending on the type of product or service being sold.
More technical or more specific products or services make sales more complex than others. This is because they demand clear and very restricted understandings at both ends: both from those who sell and those who buy.
As a result, it is quite common for this type of sale to require the engagement of very specific professionals, expanding the negotiation process and the number of decision makers.
The seller, for example, needs to act a lot with theconsultative sales profile, evaluating the client’s pains well and formatting a business that fits perfectly to his.
At the same time, it is essential that those who work with complex sales are specialists in the product they offer. After all, negotiation involves a series of doubts and technical questions that only those who are very knowledgeable about the subject will be able to answer.
And a bad impression left could put the entire sales effort down.
Despite taking longer and requiring a much more expensive process than simple sales, complex sales bring a great return. This is because they involve high-cost products and, as such, offer great revenue opportunities.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10233" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-5-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-5-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-5-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-5-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Difference between simple sale and complex sale</h2>
First of all, let’s make it clear that the expression ‘simple sale’ in our context does not carry any meaning that represents lesser importance. Far from it. It is simply a conceptual issue.
That said, simple sales can either be those of everyday life, or other less commonplace ones, but with shorter processes and fewer decision makers.
A simple sale aimed at the final consumer, for example, could be a traditional trip to the mall. You enter a shoe store, choose the model, ask the salesperson for help and close the purchase.
When it’s abouta B2B environment, we can say that a simple sale is one whose negotiation is possible to be done directly with a single decision maker. Think, for example, of the person responsible for supplier relations.
Complex selling, on the other hand, requires a longer decision process and involves more than one decision maker.
Because of this, it is necessary to build a relationship of trust between the parties – something that we do not necessarily see in simple sales, which are often resolved in a matter of minutes.
In addition, while in a simple sale, in general, the seller’s approach is more incisive, in complex sales, it is necessary to act mainly as a consultant. After all, in complex sales, the idea is not simply to sell or sell soon, but to format the best deal so that, in the end, the entire investment makes sense – for both ends.
<h2>Features of complex sales</h2>
We have seen so far that a very present aspect in complex sales is the longer period for closing a deal. However, this characteristic is just one of those that conceptualize a complex sale.
Quite simply, it can be said that a complex sale is one in which all the nuances involved in a simple sale are enhanced. After all, as you will see below, the cost to acquire a new customer is greater, the journey to be faced until closing the sale is greater, the average ticket is higher and even there are more decision makers.
<h3>High Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)</h3>
Those who work in sales know that conquering a new client is not a simple task. It takes a lot of research, analysis, conversations and negotiations. And, even if you are an extremely prepared seller, there is no guarantee that the deal will materialize.
In any case, conquering a new client is an activity that requires the integration of efforts.
The marketing team needs to invest in content analysis and production, while those responsible for the pre-sales department need to prospect and qualify potential new customers. Then comes the time for the sales consultants to actually start negotiating, and only then is the deal closed.
As you can see, this whole cycle demands financial investment. And all of this will have an impact on what we call Customer Acquisition Cost, or simply CAC.
The CAC calculation takes into account the total amount invested by the company in all sectors and/or professionals and the total number of customers actually acquired. For example, if the company invested BRL 20,000 in marketing and sales, and during the period it acquired four new clients, the CAC would be BRL 5,000.
In complex sales, the CAC is often much higher than that seen in simple sales. This is because, in general, negotiations involve few potential clients and a lot of investment in research and prospecting.
Consider, for example, a company that sells automated solutions for product logistics in large warehouses. This market, although promising, is still quite restricted.
Reaching out to potential customers requires extensive market analysis – and not just in terms of leads, but competitors as well. And, in the end, business may come down to one or two new customers a month.
Adding up all that was invested, and the total number of new clients won, the CAC will certainly prove to be high.
Want to grow your B2B customer base? Protagnst specializes in lead generation for business to business. Get in touch and see how we can help!
<h3>Longer sales cycle</h3>
As you may already know,sales cycle it is the entire period involving the relationship between company and customer. The period considers from the moment of prospecting to after-sales.
Thus, it is to be expected that it will be divided into different stages, each with a specific duration – not necessarily of time, but of maturation.
In general, we can divide a sales cycle into seven stages:
<ol>
<li>prospecting (search for potential customers);</li>
<li>initial contact;</li>
<li>lead qualification;</li>
<li>presentation of the product or service;</li>
<li>evaluation (when the parties analyze the proposal);</li>
<li>closure;</li>
<li>after sales.</li>
</ol>
The duration of each of these steps varies, and although companies often try to streamline the process, this is not always possible in complex sales.
This is because, as we have already reiterated, a characteristic that is very present in this type of sale is the need to impersonate different decision makers, each with their own time and need for analysis.
Of course, this does not mean that in complex sales, the cycle time is only for the potential customer. After all, if in the end the business does not work out, the costs involved in the whole process will be higher.
Suppressing some steps may be possible. Trying to qualify the potential client even before prospecting him is a good example – and a good analysis and research team will help in this regard.
Even so, it is necessary to keep in mind that the whole cycle will take much longer than that seen in simple sales. The point is that this will not necessarily be a problem, since in the end the average ticket tends to be (much) higher.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10234" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-4-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-4-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-4-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-4-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Highest average ticket</h3>
There are numerous performance indicators that we can – and should – consider when it comes to sales. One of the most important of them is the average ticket.
The calculation of the average ticket is quite simple, just divide the billing by the total sales in a given period.
In simple sales, the average ticket tends to be low, but this is always considering a context. After all, the sale of a car at a dealership is included in the list of simple sales, but the average ticket is certainly much higher than that seen in the sale of a stationery store – which is in the same classification.
In complex sales, in turn, the average ticket always tends to be high. After all, the whole process takes longer, involves a larger group of people and greater involvement between the parties. Therefore, to make business sense, the final sale needs to be highly profitable.
In general, complex sales offer a high turnover to the company with a very low number of sales.
A very illustrative example is in the manufacture of submarines. It is a highly complex product, with a very restricted market – in Brazil, notably the Armed Forces -, which demands months and months of negotiation.
In the end, however, the amounts involved, in the hundreds of millions, make perfect sense for both those who buy and those who sell.
<h3>Multiple decision makers</h3>
This characteristic is very present in complex sales processes, even more so when the product or service being sold is quite technical.
Think, for example, of a technology company. It develops equipment and applications capable of fully integrating the systems of a large company. Absolutely all the information circulating there, and even its own operation, depend on it. 
Certainly, the issue is quite sensitive for the company thinking of acquiring it. And, as such, not a single person will be able to know whether everything offered meets the demands.
The acquisition of a product of this magnitude requires the approval of those responsible for various sectors. Only they will know if what is proposed is viable.
But even in cases where the complexity is not as evident, a sale can still require the presence of several decision makers.
As we said, complex sales in general involve high costs, the approval of which depends on the signaling of different managers.
The technical manager may insist that that product or service is essential for the company, but the costs involved may run into the disapproval of the financial manager.
Precisely for this reason, those who work with complex sales need to be highly qualified and have the support of a good team. It is this set that will convince the various decision makers of the acquisition.
<h2>Good practices to follow in complex sales</h2>
Now that you know what characterizes a complex sale, let’s show you good ways to work with them in search of good results.
Many of the aspects that we will discuss below are inherent to all types of salespeople, but note how important teamwork is in this type of negotiation.
Perhaps the great differential in complex sales is precisely the need for it to develop with several hands and thinking heads.
Even so, each of the practices that we will present below must be pursued individually. It is from the union of these individualities that a successful sales job will come out.
<h3>Be an expert</h3>
It’s no use wanting to work with complex sales if you don’t understand, and a lot, the product you’re selling, the company you work for and the company you negotiate with.
These three aspects are fundamental because, as we have already mentioned, complex sales require a performance similar to that of consultative sales. To succeed in negotiation, you need to find the best business format to solve that customer’s pain.
By surrounding yourself with as much information as possible about the product or service you are offering, you will always have the argument on your side. Present a portfolio of customers who have already made use of your solution,show successful cases. After all, showing the practical result of what is being offered can be the differential when closing a sale.
Getting to know the company you represent is also very important. This is because it is a safe way to find ways to adapt the business if some problems arise.objections at the time of sale.
Finally, it is essential to be very well informed about the potential client.
Knowing your history, your competitors and your growth potential is information that will certainly help to put together the best deal during a complex sale.
This is because understanding what the main challenges of that company are allows you to offer the best solutions. Once again, acting as a consultant will make all the difference.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10235" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-6-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-6-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-6-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-6-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Empower the sales team</h3>
A good sales team needs to be cohesive, with each professional aware of their roles and goals.
But more than that, the sales team needs to be closely aligned to be successful in complex sales.
As we mentioned earlier, this type of negotiation involves a higher customer acquisition cost and, above all, a longer sales cycle.
Precisely because it is longer, it needs to face each of these steps very assertively, so as not to tire the customer and not make him give up in the middle of the negotiation.
In addition, a well-trained sales team will support the sales consultant when the first objections arise or when the negotiation needs to adjust its path.
Thus, constantly training the entire team is essential to maintain performance at a high level.
Another point to observe is to make sure that communication between the entire team is easy to understand. After all, any kind of obstacle
– be it a delay in getting back to you, or a mistake in solving problems – can further delay a complex sale.
Need help selling more? See how Protagnst, B2B business specialist, can help.
<h3>Choose the right customers</h3>
By now, you’ve already understood that complex sales require a good deal of perseverance and a very well-executed joint effort. More than that, we emphasize the importance of getting to know potential clients well, in order to work on surgical solutions that solve their pain.
That said, it doesn’t make any sense to invest time, effort and money trying to sell to leads who are unlikely to want to buy – or, more than that, who are unlikely to “need” to buy.
Complex B2B sales exist for a simple reason: one of the companies has some need, and the other has the solution for it. The focus needs to be on that.
It is worth remembering that business of this type usually involves high sums. Why, then, would you invest time in a customer whose product or service you offer does not address any of their pressing pains? Why would he spend on it?
One of the great advantages of consultative sales, and which is also present in complex sales, is that they make it possible to create a lasting relationship.
It is worth remembering that businesses that return the new customer tend to be repeated in the future – or, at least, the partnership tends to continue for possible new business.
Another very important point is that complex sales that give good returns reinforce your brand’s reputation and put your company in the spotlight. In other words, you become recognized as an authority by the market.
<h3>Identify the right people</h3>
Complex sales have, among their characteristics, the fact that they involve several decision makers, and not just one, as is quite common in simple sales. But that doesn’t mean that all decision makers have the same strength when it comes to giving the final word.
Even though it is essential that a large-scale acquisition be evaluated by managers from different sectors, it will most likely be up to one of them to carry out or withdraw from the purchase. This is where you need to pay special attention.
This does not mean, however, that you should leave others in the background. Far from it. Identifying influencers is very important, because they will be the ones who will provide technical support to the business.
At the same time, when the final person responsible for the business is identified, the chances of the conversation evolving into a closure are greater.
It is also important to point out that you cannot give up an eye-to-eye conversation, a face-to-face meeting. When identifying the person responsible for the final word, make an appointment with him, present your product or service. Pay attention to details and show how your partnership can make all the difference.
<h3>Be prepared for the closing of the deal</h3>
A complex sale is a meticulous job, full of nuances to observe, objections to break down and details to clarify.
You’ve seen so far that, for it to be closed, it depends on strong engagement among all those involved during a long period of negotiations. And, depending on what the sale involves, this period can sometimes exceed many months.
Therefore, one cannot run the risk of losing a deal that demanded so much effort due to obstacles at the time of closing.
So, have a contract template ready. When that potential client gives the green light to close the deal, be ready to move on to the bureaucratic procedures as quickly as possible. Don’t give a chance that a longer term could result in a setback in the agreement.
In addition, the advances in technology seen in recent years – and especially with the boom in remote solutions that have been seen since the pandemic – allow contracts that previously required sending all types of correspondence to now be resolved with a few clicks. .
Digital signature options exist on different platforms, which streamline processes and leave any type of bureaucracy in the background.
Thus, invest in technological solutions.
Remember: complex sales in general are defined by demanding decision makers who value efficiency. And this efficiency needs to be evident at all stages, not just those dedicated to convincing people about the business. 
offer flexibility
A common misconception that affects many sellers is to consider that the product they offer is the only way to solve their potential customer’s pain. The bad news is that, unless it’s something very innovative, there are probably other competitors knocking on the same door you found yourself.
Likewise, another point to consider when working with complex sales is that, most of the time, they involve very high values. This means that they carry with them very important risks for those who acquire the product or service.
All that said, it is easy to see that it is not uncommon for objections to arise or even the possibility of giving up the business, even in the final stretch of the sales cycle.
Thus, it is very important that you are open to changes in direction during a complex sales negotiation.
Be flexible!
Get ready to review values, quantities, deadlines or guarantees. even though it mightdecrease your profits, it is always better to reduce the gain after a lot of negotiation, than having to start from scratch another one – and without having any guarantee that it will evolve with it.
Consider, also, that a concession here may represent new business in the future.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10236" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-2-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-2-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-2-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-2-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Profile of a complex sales professional</h2>
Complex sales professionals have varied profiles, after all, there are hundreds or thousands of different businesses, and each one with its very specific characteristics. But, in general terms, sellers who work with this type of business converge on certain points.
Therefore, if you want to work with complex sales, look for the following characteristics:
<h3>Organization</h3>
Organization is a welcome virtue for all types of professionals, but in complex sales it is more than that: it is a basic requirement.
After all, consider everything we’ve covered so far: deep market analysis to find the right customers, working closely with the entire sales team, identifying decision makers and influencers, months of negotiation. And add an extra item: deadlines to be met.
It is simply unfeasible for a complex sale, which involves this set of characteristics, to materialize if the seller is not methodical and organized.
Sellers who do not have efficient control of their deadlines and schedules, who do not have contact with the decision makers at hand, who get lost in the processes, tend to have little success in a complex sales negotiation.
<h3>Be a good listener…</h3>
This characteristic is very present in a consultative sales professional, and likewise is something to be pursued by those who work with complex sales.
Keep in mind that complex sales are much more likely to succeed when they adapt to the customer’s needs, never to the seller’s.
A professional who works with complex sales, if he does his homework, he already knows in advance what that potential client needs.
After all, he researched, prospected and found in that leadthe ideal customer profile.
But it will be in personal dealings, in the first business meetings, that the salesperson will be able to find in the context or between the lines a business model that is as close as possible to the ideal.
Therefore, knowing how to listen is essential.
<h3>…but also know how to position yourself</h3>
Everyone knows the old adage that “the customer is always right”. This is an indirect way of saying that you should not contradict the customer.
That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t have your point of view.
Remember that, in complex sales, whoever comes up with a solution to a pain is because he knows what he is talking about. In other words, whoever sells a product knows the potential of that product and how it can be useful.
A good salesperson to work in complex sales is one who, in the face of objections that appear, knows how to circumvent them with convincing arguments. Again, being surrounded by information will help with the task.
<h3>Be persevering</h3>
This is another of those characteristics inherent to all types of salespeople, but which is enhanced by those who work with complex sales.
Long sales cycle, successive business meetings and adjustment of intentions, negotiation setbacks, objections… A lot tends to appear during a complex sales process. After all, the long term goes hand in hand with patience.
Persevering and knowing that some kind of setback or unforeseen event will arise along the way is what guarantees good results, especially in complex B2B sales.
<h3>Know how to customize</h3>
As much as the product or service you have to offer is the same, the way it can be useful to a customer will hardly be the same as another.
Thus, there is no point in wanting to fit the same solution to different companies.
A good salesperson working in complex sales needs to be agile to customize solutions and design unique sales proposals.
More than that, he needs to have the courage – and knowledge – to draw a line.unique sales proposition, but which is capable of generating a good return both for those who purchase and for those who sell.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10237" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/vendas-complexas-3-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
As we’ve seen, complex sales are those in which the close goes through a longer sales cycle than that seen in simple sales. However, all this time invested also results in a higher return, in terms of revenue and average ticket.
It is not easy to work with complex sales, since they generally involve products and services for a more restricted market. The point is that they are part of everyday B2B. Therefore, understanding its characteristics and pursuing best practices can be the key to success.
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Downsell: understand what it is and see how to use the technique</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/understanding-the-downsell/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/understanding-the-downsell/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Aug 2023 14:30:56 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Closing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9796</guid>
<description><![CDATA[High inflation and political uncertainties have made the economic scenario increasingly difficult, forcing companies to act with an extra dose of caution. Even if every manager has the ultimate goal of seeing business growth, it is necessary to be confident at every step. And that often means investing less. Less money circulating means less business, […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[High inflation and political uncertainties have made the economic scenario increasingly difficult, forcing companies to act with an extra dose of caution. Even if every manager has the ultimate goal of seeing business growth, it is necessary to be confident at every step.
And that often means investing less. Less money circulating means less business, right? Wrong! You just need to know how to use the right strategies. And today we’re going to address one of them, the downsell.
Downsell is a widely used sales technique that basically consists of proposing a negotiation with lower bases than initially anticipated.
However, anyone who thinks that thismeans decreased profits or loss of revenue. It’s all a matter of knowing how to use donwsell efficiently.
Often, offering discounts or less expensive business alternatives serves as a way to retain customers or even gain new ones.
Although, at the tip of the pencil, the final numbers are smaller individually, in context they can mean the same billing. More than that, in the medium and long term, today’s donwsell may result in more advantageous agreements.
For this to happen, however, it needs to be applied consciously. As we will show below, having well-trained teams, knowing the market, knowing how to listen to the customer and, just as important, identifying the correct timing to propose the donwsell, is what makes the technique yield good results.
Follow with us!
<h2>What is a downsell?</h2>
Downsell, also called downselling, is a sales strategy that consists of offering the customer a solution whose sales value is lower than the one he had expressed at the beginning of the negotiation.
The idea here is not simply to sell the same product or service cheaper; What you want is to keep the customer, even if the direct consequence for the company is a lower average ticket.
A very common example concerns cable TV operators. Whether due to the popularization of streaming services, the economic crisis or the change in consumption habits, in recent years this sector has seen a sharp drop in its customer base. And how to break it?
One form that has been quite common concerns the offer of service packages consistent with the new reality. If a customer calls the operator expressing interest in canceling the subscription for reasons of economy, it is very common for the company to offer a cheaper package, or else a discount for a period of time.
Even if this could mean a decrease in profit for the cable TV operator, the permanence of that customer will at least generate “some” profit. And, no matter how small it is, it’s always better than having no sales at all.
It is often possible that the downsell actually ends up not generating any financial advantage for the company – in this case, the sale price ends up being the cost price. But this momentary stalemate could mean customer loyalty, and profits from it could be resumed later on, when conditions prove to be more favourable.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9797" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-1-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-1-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Differences between downsell, cross sell and up sell</h2>
As we have seen, downsell is a sales strategy that aims to keep a customer, even with a lower financial return than he previously offered. The strategy, however, also applies to new consumers or business partners.
Imagine, for example, that your marketing team has identified a new lead and its professionals pre-sales started an approximation. That potential customer showed interest and started negotiating a purchase. But at the last minute, he raised some objections and decided to pull out of the business.
One way to try to secure a sale is to downsell. Even if the average ticket becomes smaller, once again the sale can be guaranteed and you will have a new customer.
This strategy is exactly the opposite of two others that we have already covered here at Protagnst: up sell and cross sell.
How about having the services of a consultancy specializing in B2B sales? Protagnst excels at this! Contact us and find out how we can help you!
<h3>Up sell</h3>
Also called up selling, this strategy aims to expand an initial sale, making it more interesting.
The idea is basically to take advantage of a customer’s desire to buy to make the product or service even more advantageous for them. It is important to highlight that, in up sell, the benefit is mutual. When doing up selling, both the buyer and the seller have an advantage.
This method basically consists of offering a larger quantity of the product, but with a proportionally lower price. Thus, you gain in value from the sale.
Although it is fully feasible – and interesting to apply – in business between companies, this strategy is very common in the day-to-day business between companies and end consumers. Good examples of her we find every time we go to the supermarket.
Just look at the shelves of products offered in different sizes.
Who never thought something like “the price of two bottles of this 600ml soft drink is higher than the price of the same soft drink in a two liter bottle”? Or did you choose to buy a five-kilogram bag of rice instead of a two-kilogram one, because the sum ended up being more affordable?
Realize that, at the end of the day, you spent more, but benefited proportionately. The supermarket lost proportionally, but had a higher average ticket.
Also read about how to win more customers with the technique ofrole playing.
<h3>Cross sell</h3>
Cross sell – or cross selling – is another sales strategy that brings benefits to both ends of the business, but here using cross-negotiation.
The intention of this business model is to expand the customer experience – and the average ticket – by offering products that complement each other.
Once again, the gain is in proportional terms: if the products or services are purchased separately, the customer will have a higher cost than if they are purchased together.
One sector that uses a lot of cross selling is travel. Try accessing that site that searches and sells airline tickets. Choose a destination and see the ticket price. Then search for hotels and room rates.
Most likely, if you choose to purchase the entire package (airfare + hotel) at once, it will be cheaper than buying separately – unless, of course, you find some individual promotion.
See that, in the example of the travel site, the customer will save if we consider the individual values of the services he needs. The company will earn more than it would if the initial purchase was just for the air ticket.
Other examples of how to cross sell and up sell, and how to apply it to your business strategy,you find in this article.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9798" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="819" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-2-1-min-300x240.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-2-1-min-768x614.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Downsell advantages</h2>
Even if, at first, the downsell may seem like a strategy that represents a loss of resources, in practice it is exactly the opposite. That is, of course, if we apply it well.
Even if in the end the average ticket for that sale that had a downsell is lower, the simple fact of having done the deal already represents an increase in revenue for your company. And always keep in mind that a minor sale is better than no sale at all.
There are also other advantages.
Sales with a lower average ticket can represent a greater reach of customers. Your company may be used to trading large volumes, but this often becomes inaccessible to smaller companies.
With the downsell, you can earn with new partnerships. In the end, it will be the increase in your customer base that will guarantee the maintenance of the income you were used to.
In addition, we always emphasize the importance of building customer loyalty – and this is another downsell advantage. Perhaps that old client of yours, or even a new business partner, is not going through a good financial moment and needs to rethink its investment capacity.
If youwork with consultative sales, understand this and offer downsell opportunities, you will become the partner that company needs to grow again – and, later on, expand agreements with you.
<h2>Using downsell effectively</h2>
Now that you know what downsell is and that you realized how this strategy brings much more benefits than possible losses, let’s show you how to use it effectively.
The tips that we are going to present are not very different from what you should already observe in good sales environments. The point is, basically, you need to further develop your sense of empathy.
Companies that slow down business often do so because they need to rethink their costs. And this has become especially pronounced in recent years, when Brazil experienced its biggest economic recession in decades, and the whole world had to reduce its pace due to the pandemic.
Acting with consultative sales, knowing how to listen, keeping in mind that each client is unique and trying to move forward with a negotiation until it really proves to be unfeasible are fundamental steps to work with downsell effectively.
Follow up next.
<h3>Keep the customer at the heart of the strategy</h3>
This point is very important, and should not be considered just as a cliché or a sales pitch. The sale will only happen if the customer is willing to buy. Therefore, it needs to be the center of your strategy.
A potential customer who has made a whole previous negotiation – which, in business environments between companies, is usually extensive by itself –, but in the end is giving up buying has a reason for that.
In advance, we already know that there is a total lack of resources for investment. After all, if that potential client or even that company that already has agreements with you is willing to move forward in a negotiation, it means that there is room to invest. So, the problem is in the solution you are offering, which still doesn’t seem to be the best one for him.
To resolve this, listen. Find out why that sales objection came up. Perhaps the proposal that you presented and that aroused interest at the beginning is no longer as advantageous as the customer had imagined.
Don’t forget that donwselling is proposing to have a lower turnover now to, who knows, expand business down the road.
Loyalty a customer,especially in B2B sales, tends to be much easier than acquiring new ones. So, if you came very close to closing a sale and it didn’t happen, all you have to do is regain his trust.
In short, make a new proposal that fits your budget.
Need help growing qualified B2B customers? Fill out this form and see how Protagnst can help.
<h3>Offer products or services that solve the problem</h3>
As we said at the beginning, donwselling does not mean simply giving a discount, but proposing a deal with a lower final cost. After all, the idea is to have a lower average ticket, not a loss.
For example, if you work in the furniture business and are negotiating with a new customer to sell a large number of bedroom pieces, one way to downsell is by offering products from another line. This product has a lower production cost for you, a lower acquisition cost for your customer, and a greater chance of selling.
In other words, it’s much easier to donwsell when you have a portfolio of products or services to offer, not just one or a few.
When your product mix is reduced, there isn’t much room to negotiate. After all, you have a production cost that you need to consider.
Think of the case of a pizzeria. In general they offer a series of flavors,some are priced much lower than others., and others with equal values. But it is obvious that the cost of producing one is always different from the cost of another, because the ingredients are different and, as such, more expensive or cheaper.
The pizzeria’s profit comes from diversification. She sells cheaper pizzas to reach those customers who are short on money – but who, if they like the pizzeria and the service they received, might want to buy a more expensive pizza next time.
One can think of donwsell in this way. Maybe that customer of yours can’t buy your top-of-the-line product (premium pizza) this time, but if you have other products that satisfy him in some way (basic pizza), you’re presenting a satisfactory solution to the problem.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9799" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="819" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-3-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-3-1-min-300x240.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/downsell-3-1-min-768x614.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Keep your staff well trained</h3>
A well-prepared sales team is essential for downsell strategies to work. And that means no one can be caught off guard.
The bestway to overcome sales objections is anticipating as much as possible what they might be. Therefore, never go into a negotiation with just a business proposal. Consider which points may not please and have solutions to present.
For this to happen, you need to know your company very well:
<ul>
<li>What similar products or services can become an alternative?</li>
<li>How much margin do you have to offer discounts?</li>
<li>How much smaller can the final order be than expected to still be viable?</li>
</ul>
In addition, the team needs to be well prepared from a communication point of view. What practices are most accepted or currently work best?
Doing market research and looking at how the competitor is acting to stay competitive is also part of a good downwsell strategy.
Remember that the need to offer a sale with a lower final cost exists because there is a competitor who can meet your customer’s needs.
<h3>Pay attention to the timing</h3>
Paying attention to time is essential in any sale.
You certainly already know the sales funnel and a customer’s buying journey. He knows that there are a series of steps to be taken and that each one happens in due time. Wanting to rush them is a dangerous step, which can mean the failure of a negotiation.
For example, companies that rely on pre-sales services (SDR) choose to rely on this professional because they know that sales will be much more efficient if the seller is dedicated exclusively to this. But for that,it is necessary that the SDR know how to identify the right moment to refer the potential customer to the seller.
The same goes for downselling. It cannot be presented as an option only when the rope is about to snap for the prospect. The downsell should not be seen as a last card, but rather as a joker that you have in your hand.
The correct timing to offer a downsell is when that potential buyer demonstrates that he is not willing to move forward in a negotiation with the price bases that were presented.
<h2>Hire a company specializing in B2B sales</h2>
Do you have a company and want to increase your revenue by negotiating with other companies? Protagnst is a consultancy that works only with B2B sales and specializes in lead generation, customer acquisition and increased sales in this type of business.
Fill out the form below so we can put together the best strategy for your business.
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</item>
<item>
<title>Unique value proposition: why is it important and why have one?</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/unique-value-proposition/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/unique-value-proposition/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 16 Aug 2023 14:30:33 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Closing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=10231</guid>
<description><![CDATA[What makes your business different from the competition? If you answered a unique value proposition (Unique Selling Proposition), is a sign that you are on the right path! However, having a unique sales proposition and not offering a guarantee is not enough. After all, many companies can even bet on a PUV, but not generate […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[What makes your business different from the competition? If you answered a unique value proposition (Unique Selling Proposition), is a sign that you are on the right path!
However, having a unique sales proposition and not offering a guarantee is not enough. After all, many companies can even bet on a PUV, but not generate the expected result, that is, convince the customer that their business is better than the competitor’s.
Here, then, is the great challenge for marketing and sales: winning over the customer with a good sales promise that guarantees the result of the unique value proposition.
That is, if you promise to deliver much faster than the competition, then this becomes yoursUnique Selling Proposition (USP), and you must maintain this agility, because this becomes associated with the brand identity.
A good example of a unique value proposition is the Head & Shoulders brand. Who does not know the brand of shampoo that promises to eliminate dandruff?
Well, she brought the following phrase in the advertisement in the 60s: “Clinically proven to reduce dandruff” (Clinically proven to reduce dandruff).
It’s not just a sales promise, but a guarantee that the product actually works. And that’s why, if you’ve never done or intend to improve your unique sales proposal, we invite you to continue reading and learn more about the term USP.
<h2>What is a unique value proposition (Unique Selling Proposition)?</h2>
A unique value proposition, also called a unique selling proposition,Unique Selling Proposition, Unique Selling Point or USP, for its acronym in English, is the term given to a product, service or any detail of the brand that helps to differentiate it from the competition.
The name was created by Rosser Reeves, in the 1940s, to define the promise of sales within the advertising of products and services.
According to him, the unique sales promise should bring a real benefit that no other brand has or claims to have.
In this way, the target audience starts to associate the benefit with the brand and, as a consequence, even buys it.
In short, the unique selling proposition should answer the following question:
What sets you apart from the competition? What makes your company/product/service unique?
<h2>Why is it important to have a unique sales proposition in your business?</h2>
Before answering this question, we want to know: when you enter the supermarket or visit an online store, what do you consider when you find two or more products of the same type? If they’re equal in supply and price, either one will do, right? Unless one of them has a unique selling proposition.
That unique value proposition could be a promise of service, not necessarily a benefit of the product’s composition: for example, the product always has free shipping, a 5-year warranty, or part of the sales goes to a charity.
That is, the unique selling proposition is not always an exclusive advantage for the customer itself, but it can be a benefit to society as a whole. This also helps the brand to leverage its position in the market by not thinking of people only as customers.
Therefore, having a unique sales proposal is important because you stand out in a competitive environment, bringing a differential that no one else can bring, and nullifying any comparison of prices and products.
Not to mention that, without a good USP (Unique Selling Point), you don’t connect with fans because there’s nothing about your product or service that sets you apart from others to create an identity.
But, before thinking about an exclusive offer, it is essential to fulfill the advertising promise, unless you want to have your sales pitch go down the drain.
Having a well-defined PUV can transform your business. If today you have difficulty selling value, maybe it’s because your audience sees your brand as a commodity and will always buy for price.
If you compete on price and don’t have differentials, you’ll end up losing margin and having an unprofitable company.
To prevent your solution from being easily replaced by the competition, you must think and define a unique value proposition.
If well defined, you stop being compared with the competition and start being compared to yourself.
Do you need to improve your approach results in sales processes? Talk to Protagnst and find out the reasons to hire a company that specializes in B2B prospecting.
<h2>Characteristics of a good value proposition</h2>
An effective unique value proposition must be very assertive, harmonious, coherent and directed to the public that seeks the values that only your brand can offer.
It must be supported by four categories of value elements, according toBain & Company: social, emotional, functional and life changing impact.
A company can focus only on social impact, like the Peita store, which sells t-shirts with inspiring phrases that give visibility to the female audience. It can also have a functional impact, like Airbnb, which provides cheaper accommodation.
In other words, the characteristics of an effective value proposition go far beyond granting exclusivity. It is important, however, to highlight the differentials that make a person look for your company, and not the competition.
See what these differentiators are then.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10226" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-4-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-4-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Assertiveness and clarity</h3>
“We sell the best cheesecake in town”. This is a generic phrase, without impact, since every pastry shop can sell its product as the best in town.
Therefore, it is worth identifying a differentiating point of the product/service in a clear and objective way – and, of course, fulfilling the promise of value.
The sentence above, therefore, could be more or less like this: “We sell the only cheese pastry, with real cheese, straight from Minas”. It is a fun and unique proposal.
See that, by positioning itself as a different pastry shop, the owner manages to bring something that really adds value, leaving aside subjectivities and points that are difficult to prove.
If this pastry shop had an award, which proved that it was the best pastry in the city, state or anywhere else, then the unique value proposition would make sense and would follow with something like: “We sell the best cheese pastry in town according to the Bom Gourmet award”.
<h3>Targeting and language</h3>
A proposal will only have unique value if it is directed to an audience that considers it relevant. That’s why it’s important to think about your segment’s target audience, since the USP doesn’t always direct the consumer directly to the product, but goes through good brand communication.
An example of this is the chocolate brand Bis, by Lacta, which invests in the young target audience, using cooler and bolder language.
Hitting the ideal audience also helps to reaffirm a unique selling proposition.
An important point to consider is that when defining yourunique selling points, You are toodefining the persona who are more likely to buy your product or service and keeping away “bad buyers”, who are not aligned with your brand positioning.
<h3>Transparency</h3>
Being transparent when addressing your unique value proposition is only talking about what your company can offer, nothing more. Sincerity and objectivity should be the focus of your USP when describing how your product/service can take away the persona’s pain.
The more you talk about your qualities in an exaggerated way, the more the consumer will move away, thinking that your brand is far from reality. So promise only what you can deliver.
Simplify. In other words, it’s no use promising the world and delivering a street. The truth is that people are tired of brands that promise a lot and deliver little. Be true and promise what you can deliver.
If you manage to deliver too much, surprise the customer by delivering more than promised.
<h3>Warranty / Elimination of risks</h3>
Perhaps the biggest fear of an acquisition is the fear of spending money, failing, wasting time and not having your problem solved. If you have an implementation process that really delivers value, providing reassurance can eliminate any initial objections.
Think with me. You want to lose weight. You’ve tried several methods and never succeeded. But this time it landed on a personal sales page, which promises to lose up to 10kg in 2 months or your money back.
He promises that if you follow the premium plan with daily monitoring, do the exercises and follow the diet, you will eliminate at least 10kg in 2 months. If you don’t delete it, it gives you your money back.
The difference is that this program, although online, is much more expensive than any other solution you’ve ever purchased. It costs R$ 10,000.00. But, you never made it there.
You even think about the personal, nutritionist and other methods you tested and never worked. But, in the end, you end up opting for the most expensive program, and installments, since, if it doesn’t work, you can ask for your money back.
See, in this case, you ended up opting for a more expensive product, but one that guarantees results. The psychological price of paying dearly for something is also conditioned by the expectation we have of the result.
A good unique selling proposition eliminates risk and gives the buyer assurance. With that, if it doesn’t work out I can cancel at any time without penalty or even get my money back.
<h3>Payment terms</h3>
In very competitive markets, it is very difficult for you to differentiate yourself. Often, the B2B customer will be demanding and will be used to buying solutions similar to yours.
But, it may be that the market has pricing practices and payment terms that are the same. If you have the financial strength to do something different, extend a deadline, pay in more installments or even charge in a way that is only successful, you can win several competitions.
See, that a unique value proposition can be focused on the conditions that your company offers. We often focus on the product/service and forget that sometimes contractual conditions can also be a differential.
<h3>Implementation process / Facilities</h3>
We often imagine that acomplex sales solution be very difficult to implement. When we show potential customers that we have a methodology and process that are simple to understand, they start to respect our deliveries better.
Show the customer how easy it is to hire your solution and you will see that this can bring you peace of mind when closing sales.
A unique sales proposition focused on a streamlined process shows the customer that the plan is solid and works. It eliminates uncertainties and guarantees sales.
<h3>What do you do well vs what your customer needs</h3>
A good PUV works an intersection between what your client really needs and what you do well. If you still don’t do well, you have a huge opportunity to modify your business model by focusing on what your customer needs.
When we stop thinking about ourselves and look at what the customer really needs, the result is super positive. Thinking about something you already do well or modifying what you still don’t do, but based on your client’s needs can be a great differential in a unique value proposition.
<h3>Deadline</h3>
Depending on the solution you deliver, you will run into a deadline issue. Customers want you to deliver fast and that can be a differentiator.
No recruitment and selection market, for example, companies seek agility in hiring. Usually they already have an internal team and hire third parties to speed up this process.
Therefore, if the market standard is to deliver in 7 or 14 days, if you manage to promise and deliver in 3 days, you will have a huge difference in the market.
Whenwe build vending machines for our customers, normally the expectation is to have the process running from 14 days to 1 month. We achieved this speed because we have already implemented many qualified lead generation processes.
<h2>What is NOT a unique sales proposition?</h2>
Discounts, promotions, low prices and other offers that any other brand can grant, do not constitute a unique selling proposition.
Understand that a unique proposal is exclusive, only you own and deliver the product in the offered condition.
However, these elements can, yes, embody a USP, as long as it is truly a one-time promise and not a seasonal offer.
For example, a store that sells products for up to R$9.99 should only sell products that cost up to that amount. In this sense, the low price is the company’s unique selling proposition.
Likewise, an online store that always offers a free gift for purchases over R$50 is also relying on a unique value proposition.
Another very famous example on the internet is a discount coupon site. At first, it was an exclusive sales proposition, but over time, many sites in the same segment have emerged. So, the idea today, to stand out, is to deliver coupons faster, through a browser extension or application.
In short, even a free shipping strategy can be unique in the sales proposition, if it is well designed.
There was a time when the clothing brand Amaro offered shipping for same-day delivery, if it was within some specific neighborhoods of São Paulo.
They understood that their audience was very concentrated there, that they had stock close to the region, and they offered what seemed to be impossible: same-day delivery.
When you work exclusively, delivering quickly and without errors can be a huge differentiator.
Do you want to sell more, without miracle formulas? Meet Protagnst, a specialist in putting together a sales strategy to expand your business opportunities in B2B lead generation!
<h2>Famous examples of unique value proposition</h2>
The unique selling propositions of famous brands carry the benefit in their own slogan, in such a way that they become their unique and exclusive identity.
But that doesn’t mean that every slogan should bring a value proposition, unless you guarantee the benefit forever, without ceasing to innovate.
Below, we present some examples of Unique Seeling Proposition big brand celebrities.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10227" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>1. M&M’s</h3>
“Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.” (It melts in your mouth, not in your hand). 
For decades, since the 1950s, the M&M’s chocolate brand had the promise of a chocolate that didn’t melt in your hands as a unique selling proposition. To prove the benefit, they used a patented sugar crust that favored the safety of the candy during transport.
<h3>2. Head & Shoulders</h3>
“Clinically proven to reduce dandruff.” (Clinically proven to reduce dandruff). 
The discovery that zinc pyrithione was a dandruff-fighting component made Head & Shoulders the #1 dandruff brand. Even the name
Head & Shoulders already identified its promise: to eliminate dandruff from the head and, as a consequence, remove the unpleasant appearance of white spots on the shoulder.
<h3>3. Starbucks</h3>
“Nurturing the human spirit – one person, one cup of coffee and one community at a time.” 
This is the mission of Starbucks, a multinational company with a large network of coffee shops around the world. But offering coffee is not a differential, since many bars do this.
So the brand’s unique selling proposition is to offer a range of coffees with different flavors, in a cozy environment, and to show its mission to connect with people.
<h3>4. Airbnb</h3>
Airbnb is famous for being an online accommodation company, offering homestay rentals and tourism activities, all at a good price. Therefore, Airbnb’s unique value proposition is about the sharing economy and a sense of community.
<h3>5. Facebook</h3>
Connect people. You may have already seen this phrase and associated it with Facebook, one of the largest social networks in the world.
Because this is the unique selling proposition of the brand, although we have Twitter with the same idea. Therefore, the importance of renewing yourself. We will talk about this in the next topics.
<h3>6. Domino’s Pizza</h3>
“You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less – or it’s free.” (You get a fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less – or it’s free).
Tempting proposition, isn’t it? Between 1973 and 1993, Domino’s Pizza became a leader in fast delivery of pizzas, and this was, until then, an exclusive and innovative proposal when it came to delivery.
<h3>7. Uber</h3>
“Concerned about your safety, wherever you go.”
The concept of Uber is to be an alternative, economical, practical and safe transport to take one or more people to the same place or the same route.
Its PUV is so innovative and with different prices and models of vehicles, that it is difficult for someone to launch something new that surpasses this urban mobility market. People say they are going to “order an Uber”, even when the car is from a competing company with a similar solution.
<h3>8. Apple</h3>
“Think different”.
It’s just a tagline, but the unique selling proposition runs through the entire Apple brand concept. Competing with the giants of the electronics market, such as Microsoft and Samsung, Apple bet on the shopping experience to stand out in this niche.
In this sense, the company makes its customers feel different every time they buy an Apple product, either through design or through the sensations inside the brand’s store, such as touch and smell.
Not to mention that any complaint, such as a negative response during the satisfaction survey, is quickly dealt with by the manager himself, with the aim of resolving doubts and reversing the problem.
<h3>9. Coke</h3>
“Open the happiness”.
Despite being a short slogan, it says a lot about one of the biggest soda brands in the world. The idea is that when you open the Coke bottle, you feel happiness.
And that’s far from saying that soda has a beneficial content, because let’s be frank: a carbonated drink, full of sugar and coloring, can’t be good for your health, right? However, Coca-Cola does not sell the image of a nutritious drink.
Rather, the brand’s unique selling proposition is to sell emotion. Who has never felt emotional in a commercial for soda during Christmas season, especially? This brings us back to the strategic elements of the USP, which we’ll look at next.
<h3>10. Protagnst</h3>
“No cancellation fees or minimum contract term. 30 days notice only”.
In the SDR (Sales Development Representative) allocation service, we do not have any contractual penalty. Only 30 days notice.
Customers stay with us only if they are satisfied.
When we think of an outsourcing service, there are usually large fines, minimum contract time and several other points that influence the success or failure of service provision.
When we thought about this unique value proposition, our focus was on offering a guarantee and letting the customer only stay with us if it really makes sense.
<h2>Unique Selling Proposition Strategy: The Importance of Adapting to the Sales Market</h2>
Remember we talked about Head & Shoulders being number 1 in the fight against dandruff? Well, of course you’ve heard of many other brands that follow the same sales proposal, and now it’s no longer unique to be more of the same.
However, the company did not stop at just that sales promise – on the contrary, it renewed itself. It remains the brand that fights dandruff, but over time it has produced a scented anti-dandruff shampoo with even more innovative formulas to eliminate and completely prevent dandruff from returning.
This means that unique sales proposals need to remain unique over time – either gain new aspects, or seek to establish themselves with less material proposals.
This is the case of Coca-Cola, O Boticário, Natura and many others that carry emotion in their advertisements. Your proposals can inspire the customer and convince them to buy from you.
That’s why it’s important to adapt to the sales market, using good marketing strategies and combining it with your USP.
You can, for example, remain the best coffee brand in the world, but now the packages are reusable, environmentally friendly or have a gourmet coffee version, with different flavors.
You can even offer more than one value proposition, as is the case with Starbucks: cozy atmosphere, different coffee flavors and connection with people.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10228" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="684" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-3-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-3-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-3-1-min-768x513.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>The stages of maturity of a PUV</h3>
The unique value proposition, as we have seen, must always adapt to the sales market, after all, everything changes and everyone is looking to offer exclusive value, all the time.
As an example, let’s go back in time and remember the offer of internet in home networks. Until then it was a novelty, but with the passage of time, the advancement of technology and new demands, nobody could – today – consider a PUV like this: “The only service that offers broadband internet for your entire home… and that accompanies you on the street too.”
The only image people will have of your brand is that it’s outdated!
Instead, give your potential customers something exclusive, without leaving your main service aside: for example, “The best internet in Brazil with the best gaming service in the world. Try playing 30 days free”.
Note that, in addition to the free offer mental trigger, there is a unique selling point that is irresistible to game lovers.
This is the phase of maturity of the proposal, since the product/service cycle tends to fall, as competitors start to bring comparable services to the market.
<h2>Tips for Renewing a Unique Sales Proposition</h2>
When we talk about O Boticário and Natura, the first image we have is of their social and emotional impact, that is, two of the four categories of USP’s strategic elements.
As both brands offer cosmetics, their unique sales proposition rests on how they impact people’s lives. The commercial for O Boticário brings diversity in families, while Natura focuses on nature and its preservation.
Therefore, if you can no longer sell a unique product or service, because everyone is already doing it, you can still invest in social and emotional values as a differentiator.
By the way, this also has to do with lead nurturing. After all, after prospecting and qualifying the lead, it is necessary tonurture qualified leads.
That is, educating the lead so that he becomes a customer – he is already your target audience and has already shown interest in your product. Here, we are taking into account those people who STILL don’t know your reputable brand in the market.
So, when you launch differentiated products, betting on these people’s emotions and within the context of today’s world, you have a chance of nurturing the lead and continuing to keep those customers of yours with you.
Need help prospecting B2B customers? Contact us! Protagnst is the most prepared company to work in B2B sales and will help you prospect customers.
<h2>How to create a unique and exclusive sales proposition?</h2>
Now we come to the most awaited part of this article: how to create and develop a proposal that is unique and exclusive to sales?
Firstly, you can see that a unique value proposition also depends on the competition, right? More than thinking about people’s needs, it’s important to think about what competitors are doing to renew their proposals and get ahead.
That’s why we developed the best practices in the market to create a unique and incredible sales proposal. Let’s go!
<h3>1. Research your competition</h3>
The competition is your starting point. It is from there that you discover the positive and negative points of your company, in addition to the guarantees that the competitor offers.
The ideal, in this case, is to make a questionnaire, answering the main key questions, such as:
<ul>
<li>What do competitors do best?</li>
<li>What do competitors do the worst?</li>
<li>What is their guarantee and what can they not guarantee?</li>
</ul>
You will be able to have a broad view of your business and where to invest time and money to improve it in front of the public.
<h3>2. Define your target audience</h3>
Knowing your target audience and their pain points is the best way to create a unique value proposition, linked to knowledge of the competition.
Even if you already have a consolidated company in the market, consider talking to customers to find out why they buy from you and not from other companies.
Also look at demographics, age, gender, and salary range to find out who people (or new people) are interested in your industry.
<h3>3. Craft your persona</h3>
After defining your target audience, it’s time to create personas for your company. 
and you already knowwhat is persona, it is not? They are fictional characters based on real people, including their demographics, ages, genders, fears, pains, needs and hopes.
Having an ideal customer profile within the target audience is of paramount importance to creating a unique value proposition for your business.
<h3>4. Think about your business’s main niche</h3>
When talking about Porsche we remember speed, Volvo brings us to safety and the Tigre brand is synonymous with quality. After all, what does your brand say about your products/services?
The unique selling proposition always reveals a specific niche about your business. Try to think of some aspects that differentiate what you deliver from your competitors.
<h3>5. Discover your customers’ frustrations and your business benefits</h3>
If you already have a formed clientele and this is the first time you are going to create a unique value proposition for your company, discover and write down the frustrations of your main customers.
It’s a good time to know what they said about you then and what they say about you now. The answers can help you determine your business’s main benefit.
But whether your business has been in business for a while or is new, find out about your competitors’ customer frustrations too. It’s a great exercise to know which advantage to include in yourUnique Selling Proposition.
<h3>6. Review your brand guarantee and your next success guarantee</h3>
What guarantees do you have to offer to overcome your customers’ and competitors’ frustrations?
This is the main question that you, in possession of all the clientele information, must ask yourself. If the customer is looking for a product that prevents white stains on black clothes, but cannot find it, it is precisely this guarantee that you need to offer.
However, do not forget that the proposal cannot be limited to promises. Promised, fulfill!
<h3>7. Make your unique sales proposition!</h3>
Based on these tips, the next step is to create your unique selling proposition. It should be attractive, unique and consistent with your brand.
And, incredible as it may seem, there is a formula ready for you to start and adapt to your business, which is exactly like this: 
[power phrase] + [product description] + [primary benefit] + [possibility phrase]
The following unique sales proposals have this structure:
<ul>
<li>“The first soap brand with formulas tested on all skin types and scientifically proven benefits”;</li>
<li>“The only delivery service that guarantees the receipt of the product within 24 hours, even on rainy days”.</li>
</ul>
These proposals can be between 20 to 35 words, but they need to have the power to convince. A unique value proposition in a nutshell reaffirms a company’s values and mission.
As people are increasingly consuming digital information, it is very important to think of a short and quick promise of value, but without neglecting to develop a greater proposal to accompany it.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10229" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-1-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Proposta-unica-de-vendas-1-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>After all, when and where to use the unique value proposition?</h2>
Normally in consultative sales, you have many touch points and the use of the unique value proposition can be at various times. More important than knowing where to use it is understanding why to use it.
A good PUV allows the seller to work with the certainty that he is delivering something different from the competition. And that turns out to be a good sales pitch.
Therefore, it is important to communicate the Unique Selling Proposition, but not to do something too forced, as it cannot be your only sales argument. Below are some examples of when and where to use:
<ul>
<li>Proposal and proposal submission</li>
<li>Website – communicate on the home page and on services/products pages</li>
<li>Cold Call – cold calling</li>
<li>Pre-sales</li>
<li>During lead qualification</li>
<li>In B2B lead generation</li>
<li>During the complex sales process</li>
</ul>
See, which you can use during various sales moments. Just be careful not to focus only on that, so as not to seem boring and unreasonable during the sale, as the repetition of the same arguments too much can make your unique value proposition not bring the expected result.
More examples ofunique selling propositions
Below, we bring you some more examples of unique sales proposals so you can become an expert in the art of winning over customers:
“The only design pack with more than 1 million templates for Photoshop and Corel Draw, which even non-experts will know how to use”;
“The best and only electronic magazine on Stock Exchange quotation written by the greatest ex-traders of Wall Street”;
“The only company that guarantees support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, directly on WhatsApp, with real attendants”.
Gradually, you adapt your unique sales proposition, update your offer and win more customers. Remember that this is not an easy task, but the sooner you define your Unique Selling Proposition, better!
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Predictable revenue: how to get the most out of the methodology?</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/predictable-revenue/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/predictable-revenue/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 14 Aug 2023 14:30:39 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9911</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Are you related in any way to the business world and have never heard of predictable revenue? It’s time to change this scenario! Anyone who undertakes or manages a business knows how important it is to have financial control. In addition to cash flow and monthly expenses, being aware of how much the company will […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Are you related in any way to the business world and have never heard of predictable revenue? It’s time to change this scenario!
Anyone who undertakes or manages a business knows how important it is to have financial control.
In addition to cash flow and monthly expenses, being aware of how much the company will earn over the year helps to devise medium and long-term strategies, such as sales growth, business expansion, increase in physical capital and so on.
This is only possible when the income you have is consistent with what you have projected. In other words, this is only possible with predictable income.
Because predictable recipe is precisely the name of a method – and, because of it, also of a book – developed in 2002 by an engineer in the United States. At the time, Aaron Ross took the sales team of a large CRM company and turned it into a global giant.
The model allows the manager to more reliably project future sales. And this happens because it is something that has already been tested and can be replicated. So the tendency is that what worked once will work again. That is, you already have a notion of the return that it brings.
This article is not intended to be a summary of the book, nor a guide to implement the model. It sets out to present the core concepts and also help you understand how to get the most out of the methodology.
The idea is to understand the bases and, who knows, serve as a start to implement in your company. Let’s go?
<h2>Predictable income: what is it?</h2>
Predictable Revenue is a sales methodology that aims at both increasing a company’s commercial capacity and, as the name suggests, helping to predict how much the company will earn at the end of the year, very close to reality.
Unfortunately, it is quite common for companies around the world to set a revenue target that, in the end, is not sustainable. The reasons can be the most diverse, but among the most frequent are unrealistic goals or the loss of customers along the way.
However, the model developed by Ross at the beginning of the century has helped managers around the world to have greater predictability of how much they will sell and, consequently, how much they will earn.
This model was named Predictable Recipe, which became a book that is a worldwide bestseller.
Aaron Ross’ predictable recipe rests on a few pillars. In summary, he teaches that good returns on sales appear when teams are specialized and with division of tasks, when inbound and outbound marketing strategies are used to have a variety of leads, and when the prospect is conquered without haste.
In this article, we’ll introduce Ross’ predictable revenue assumptions and give some tips on how to implement the methodology in your company. As you will see throughout the text, these are simple ideas, but if applied with patience, they can greatly increase your company’s revenue.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10216" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-2-1-min-1.jpg" alt="" width="1023" height="682" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-2-1-min-1.jpg 1023w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-2-1-min-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-2-1-min-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" />
<h2>But who is Aaron Ross anyway?</h2>
Graduated in engineering at Stanford University, American Aaron Ross changed his life – and the way to succeed in sales – starting in 2002, when he was hired by Salesforce, one of the largest CRM companies in the world.
At the time, he assembled a sales team and implemented a new outbound prospecting model, which would become known as outbound 2.0. The result was immediate and couldn’t be better: Salesforce increased its revenue 20 times, jumping from US$ 5 million to US$ 100 million in revenue in just a few years.
The curious thing is that Ross himself says that, in the past, he was a failure as an entrepreneur. The reason: I didn’t know how to sell.
It was based on his difficulties and what he saw next to him that the engineer realized what could be done differently.
In general, he understood that it is possible to be much more efficient when salespeople are dedicated exclusively to selling, and not to prospecting new customers. To prospect, in turn, it is right to invest in specialists in the area. In short, what matters is putting the right person in the right place.
The experience he gained also served as a basis for Ross to point to nine assumptions that help sustain predictable revenue. And it is precisely with them that we will begin.
<h2>What are the key assumptions of predictable revenue?</h2>
In his book Predictable Income, and in his lectures, Aaron Ross shows us that the model is based on nine principles. And the most interesting thing is that many of them can apply both to the world of sales and to our daily lives: being patient, experimenting, looking for long-term projects, focusing on results and knowing how to identify the right time are some of them.
As we will see below, success in sales depends a lot on accepting that everything has its time and that each step needs to be taken at the right time. Wanting to shorten or lengthen steps doesn’t help. And we’ll show you why.
<h3>Be patient</h3>
Of course, everyone would like to see the company taking off right away, selling well and growing at good levels from its first movements. But let’s be clear right away: it’s not about that at all.
Aaron Ross’ Predictable Recipe is not a magic formula; it is, rather, a method that has proven to be effective when applied with the time it demands. Don’t expect immediate results. Be patient.
According to Aaron Ross himself, the method starts to show results after a few months – and this varies from company to company. After all, one cannot expect the same return in environments with competition, economic conditions and other variable opportunities.
Sometimes the fruits of applying the predictable recipe begin to appear after four or five months. Other times it is necessary to persist for a longer time, up to a year. Even if you seek – and it is necessary – financial return, you have to be resilient.
<h3>Try it</h3>
The first premise that we present has to do with this second one. You need to keep in mind that it’s possible that not everything you apply at first will work. And that even makes sense, after all, the greatest discoveries and inventions in history came from a lot of experimentation, from mistakes and successes.
For example, we’ll show throughout this article that predictable revenue goes a long way from using email. It will be a great ally, as well as other digital marketing techniques and tools.
Among the numerous advantages that e-mail and other digital marketing tools offer is the possibility of testing at no cost. These are seemingly simple things, but they can make a lot of difference. In short, it is possible to experiment. And you need to do this.
Make variations on the texts you forward to your lists. For a group, send material with an approach. For another group, try another approach. Sometimes just changing the title of the email makes a difference.
Also try using other colors, layouts and styles. And see which ones generate the most return.
These are the famous A/B tests, which help to identify what is giving the most results. Paying attention to them is essential.
<h3>Avoid one-off projects</h3>
Even for a semantic reason, a predictable recipe depends on being applied to a perennial project, or at least a long-term one. After all, there is no way to predict something punctual or that will last a few months.
Put another way, this method needs to be applied and repeated. It is the insistence on the model that will make it bear fruit.
As we said there in the first of the premises, it takes patience – and perseverance.
Experience shows that the sales model that is based on predictable revenue needs at least four months to start showing results, but often the time is longer, and can reach a year. Thus, it is practically impossible to apply the method to sales projects that last only a few months.
In addition, for your company to have a good return, it needs to apply the model throughout its sales process. Therefore, wait to adopt the model when you consider that your business and your team are ready for it.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10217" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1023" height="682" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-3-1-min.jpg 1023w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-3-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-3-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" />
<h3>Have management tools</h3>
Excel and Google spreadsheets are wonderful and are part of any sales manager’s routine, aren’t they? Yes, but they are not enough in the sales model that is based on predictable revenue.
It is necessary to invest in management software.
Tools such as Customer Relationship Management – which everyone knows simply by the acronym CRM – help the company to control all stages of commercial processes, from end to end.
They allow you to have access to data, numbers, contracts and all kinds of information that involves the sales process. Having easy access to this makes all the difference when assessing whether the business strategy is working well, whether it needs any kind of intervention and at what time.
In addition, as we will show later, another basic principle to be successful with predictable revenue is to measure the results at different stages – and having a CRM software will help a lot with this. 
design the process
If you’ve never done it in your own company, it’s possible that at least you’ve already seen a sales flowchart drawn on some wall. Well, the fact is that designing the process so that everyone involved is aware of it is one of the premises for implementing predictable revenue.
And when we mention “making a drawing” we mean it literally: make a visual scheme and put it in a visible place, or make it available to everyone involved.
The idea here is for each of the members to see that they are part of the gear and that their contribution is very important for the success of sales. After all, every commercial process takes place in stages. The success of one depends on the success of the other.
This helps motivate the team and makes everyone more engaged.
<h3>Focus on results</h3>
Volume of work is important, but what is fundamental are the results it reverts.
For example, imagine that your company’s production sector is working at maximum capacity, with the machinery producing from the first to the last minute, without any type of waste. Efficient, isn’t it?
But this will be of little use if all production does not have a destination. Inventory is money at a standstill and, at the same time, it means loss of efficiency that we just mentioned.
The same goes for the sales process. It does little good for your team to contact a thousand people if it results in one or two deals.Focus needs to be on conversion.
So much so that one of the assumptions we mentioned earlier is about experimenting – remember A/B tests? Well, the reason for testing and looking for better solutions is directly linked to the premise of focusing on better results, not on increasing workload.
<h3>The measure of what is important</h3>
We have already mentioned in other articles here at Protagnst about the importance of tracking metrics – all of them. After all, they are the ones that give a more accurate picture of how your sales strategy is flowing.
In the predictable recipe, however, this is a little different.
As mentioned in the previous premise, the focus in this model needs to be on results. In other words, the numbers we are most interested in are conversion numbers.
This is not to say that all other metrics should be discarded, far from it. The issue is that they should not be a priority within this context.
What matters to us at this moment is to verify if the strategy is being efficient among everyone.
For example, if a sales professional managed to close 10 deals out of 10 sales, it means that he is performing better than another who closed 15 out of 25 deals.
Although in absolute terms the second has traded more, in relative terms it has not been as efficient. And that can impact the predictable revenue chain as a whole.
<h3>Know the proper timing</h3>
One of the most difficult assumptions of these nine is knowing the right moment to pass the baton from the prospecting and/or pre-sales team to the sales team. The lead needs to be mature enough to take the next step. If not, then everything could be lost.
The problem is that knowing the correct timing doesn’t mean preparing too much. Remember that if you leave a ripening fruit on the tree for a long time, you run the risk of seeing it rot and having to discard it.
Thus, knowing the proper timing is an exercise that demands a lot of practice and, mainly, a lot of interaction between the teams that prospect and the teams that sell.
The lead has to move forward naturally, without any stimulus beyond what a good interaction offers.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10218" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-4-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-4-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>One step at a time</h3>
The last premise of Predictable Revenue is equally important: Take it one step at a time, safely.
Aaron Ross uses the term “baby steps” to refer to this. And you know how a baby walks, don’t you? Calmly, with cadence, looking for balance, trying to stay firm to move forward.
The analogy helps you to realize that steps cannot be skipped. Remember: you have to do everything in due time.
The central idea of predictable revenue is to replicate the model on a recurring basis so that in the future you have a notion very close to the reality of what you can achieve in terms of revenue. And this is only possible if things are always done with the same standard, and not skipping any of them.
<h2>Sales Funnel</h2>
You are certainly familiar with the sales funnel, the graphic representation of how a customer’s buying journey works. There are some variations of it, but in the end the models are very similar.
In predictable revenue, the funnel also has its variations. Generally speaking, however, it can be divided into three parts: preparation, prospecting andstart of sales cycle.
Common to all funnel models is the fact that each step needs to be completed. You can’t shorten them. Let’s see more details below.
<h3>Preparation</h3>
Our funnel starts at the preparation stage, and for that one of the most effective ways is to have an email trigger system to reach the leads identified by the marketing team.
It goes without saying that this is not spam – especially from the General Data Protection Act –, but email marketing tools.
The email needs to be pleasant, draw attention to reading. It is not enough simply to be a means to present a product, since often those who will receive it do not even know that it could be useful to them – and, for this very reason, it has a great chance of being discarded soon.
In some of his talks, Aaron Ross himself talks about his first attempts at Salesforce.
He says he once sent a long, detailed message introducing his products. Did this for a list of 100 contacts. And just none of them responded.
Later, he sent another email to 100 contacts. However, instead of detailing his products, this time he opted for a simple, short text asking for someone to recommend someone in the company with whom he could talk, to present his products. Ten percent of them returned the email.
In short, what you want at the top of the funnel is to have a simple, efficient and inviting approach. Prepare the ground.
<h3>Prospection</h3>
Predictable revenue teaches: a salesperson’s job is to sell, not prospect. Whenever you put a salesperson on prospecting, you’re letting someone who specializes in sales share their time trying to get new customers.
There are two problems there: you waste time that could be used to close more deals, and you run the risk of putting someone without all the necessary assignments to prospect. The loss of efficiency is clear.
Therefore, who works in prospecting is the pre-sales professional.
The Sales Development Representative, or even theBusiness Development Representative – in the case of B2B businesses – acts by qualifying leads and leaving prospects ready for the commercial team to act and close a deal.
In other words, the pre-sales professional identifies potential customers, those who appear to be most likely to move forward in a negotiation.
He also assesses the situation of the company with whom he wants to negotiate, establishes a first contact, identifies its needs, analyzes how his company can solve this and, then, prepares the seller with this data.
Another important function of the prospecting area is to establish a first contact with the person capable of making decisions for the company with whom you want to negotiate. After all, it is this person who will later be forwarded to the sales team, and being surrounded by as much information about him or her is an important point for successful negotiations.
<h3>Start of the sales cycle</h3>
Do you remember that we talked earlier about the importance of knowing the right time to pass the baton in the predictable revenue method? Well here we have an example in practice.
Sales professionals only step into action when leads are already effectively aware that your company has the right solution to their problem.
The idea here is for the salesperson to present the final details: how the product or service perfectly fits the needs of that potential customer and how to get the best deal.
This does not mean, however, that the sale is guaranteed. As Aaron Ross teaches, “baby steps”. Take it easy, negotiate without haste.
Cadence is important. Acting as if they were consultative sales always brings good results and builds more trust. 
even if theprospecting and pre-sales work is done with all the necessary attention and care, it may be that that lead still presentsany objection to purchases. After all, inB2B business environments, we deal with large volumes and high sums. It is not so simple to negotiate with a new client and/or supplier.
<h2>Lead generation: inbound marketing or outbound marketing?</h2>
The generation of leads that will serve as the basis for the sales model that is anchored in predictable revenue goes through the use of previous marketing strategies, which can be outbound or inbound.
Outbound marketing is a model active prospecting for new customers. Also called interruption marketing, in this strategy the idea is to identify who has the potential to become a new customer and go for a direct approach.
It differs from inbound marketing – also called attraction marketing -, which seeks to spontaneously prospect new customers, mainly based on content generation.
For some time, inbound prevailed in the preference of those who work with marketing because it is much cheaper and less invasive.
However, outbound marketing has also evolved and regained its importance – and that’s thanks to Aaron Ross’ predictable revenue model.
He gave rise to what would be called outbound 2.0. The modern version is based mainly on the use of intelligence and segmentation.
It also makes use of the most current communication strategies and tools – in addition to emails, WhatsApp messages, prospecting via LinkedIn and the use of its own prospecting tools are part of the process.
Thus, outbound 2.0 is closely related to the predictable revenue model. But Aaron Ross himself teaches that the ideal is to use both strategies, so that there is variation in the types of leads.
Do you want to increase your sales and expand your business in a sustainable way? Contact us. Protagnst specializes in generating business between companies.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10219" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1023" height="682" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-5-1-min.jpg 1023w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-5-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-5-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" />
<h2>Leads: what are the types in B2B business?</h2>
At this point in the championship, you should already know what leads are, our potential customers. And you know that there are different types of leads – those that need to be qualified, those that are already ready, those that are unlikely to convert into a sale, and so on.
In Predictable Revenue, three other types of leads are presented to us. As we will see below, in this sales model we can come across seed leads (seeds), network leads (nets) and spear leads (spears). Each one has its peculiarity, and it’s good to know them.
<h3>Seeds</h3>
These are the seed leads, which are attracted organically. Here, inbound marketing plays a leading role, as it helps build a relationship with the potential customer from scratch. Seeds are also those that arise from the indication of other people, public relations practices or through communities.
This type has a great attraction: the conversion rate is usually very high, and this is due to the history of the relationship that was created.
A good example to illustrate is that lead that came from content marketing campaigns. At first, this person didn’t know your company and probably didn’t even know they had a problem to solve in your business. But with a good content offer strategy, interest was awakened spontaneously, as well as the business.
It should be noted, however, that this type of lead brings with it a disadvantage: even though it has a high conversion rate, it generally takes time to happen. And the name itself suggests: until it becomes fruit, a seed needs to be planted, germinate, become a plant and flourish. Only after that will the time of harvest come.
But then our analogy brings another piece of good news: trees that bear fruit do so for many, many years.
<h3>Nets</h3>
“Network” type leads are those that attract themselves from a large number of people. Unlike seeds, the goal here is not to have a high conversion rate, but to capture as many leads as possible.
Think of this model as if you were fishing on the high seas with the aid of a net. You toss it in, and when you pull it back, you have a bit of everything: big fish, small fish, algae, and eventually some debris.
Evidently, in this fishing you will discard what is not your objective: the algae, the detritus and, perhaps, even the smaller fish. Your focus is on the big ones. The same goes for capturing leads.
The secret to having a good return here is the same used by fishermen. It’s no use just going out to sea (or to the market) and casting a net anywhere, because in many areas there’s nothing to catch. Therefore, the important thing is to do prior research and find out where to bet.
For B2B lead capture, both inbound and outbound marketing help. As you’d expect, not everyone will make it through our sales funnel and close a deal, but the idea here is to have access to a lot of people.
<h3>Spears</h3>
These are the leads that we capture through a “spear”: it is necessary to be both punctual and accurate.
To illustrate, let’s keep the example of fishing. You’ve taken your boat and are on the high seas, but now the objective is to catch a real big fish, the kind that the net is insufficient. What is needed is to fish it out with a spear, a harpoon.
What we have here is a whole lot of work aimed at achieving something very specific. In the sales area, this is the lead that the team outlined as being theIdeal Client Profile, the one that converts will really mean good business
The best way to accomplish this is through active prospecting techniques. Cold calling 2.0 – which we will see later on – is usually a good choice, even if it requires a good deal of perseverance.
<h2>Cold call 2.0</h2>
Ocold calling 2.0, also called calling 2.0, is a method of actively prospecting for new customers without using the traditional cold call. It is, after all, an evolution of this model.
Until a while ago, this type of prospecting was done through phone calls to contacts gathered in large lists by the marketing team. This model brings results, but it is not exactly efficient. This happens because lists in general also have uninterested contacts, which often represent wasted time.
Cold calling 2.0, in turn, made use of new prospecting tools, which include contact via email and WhatsApp. And surveys have already shown that more than 70% of those born between the years 1980 and 2000 – the so-called Millennials – prefer that negotiations be handled by email, not by phone. These are people in this age group who currently occupy strategic positions in companies.
However, there are still other reasons that make calling 2.0 a more interesting model. It allows the negotiation to be more pleasant and to develop gradually. Instead of a phone call that can represent a direct denial, exchanges of emails and WhatsApp messages allow the approach to also be consultative.
In other words, this type of prospecting is more analytical. This makes the team responsible for capturing new leads identify whether it is ready to move forward in a negotiation or if it still needs to be worked on better.
In this sense, cold calling 2.0 is also very useful for retaining customers, as it allows the sales team or even pre-sales to make a more complete prior diagnosis of that potential customer, as well as everything that can be offered to attract them.
<h2>Predictable Recipe: Building a Team</h2>
Now that you know the precepts of predictable revenue and are familiar with its main concepts, let’s help you assemble a cohesive team to implement the model in your company.
This is not a watertight formula, but it can be said that a good team must have at least three types of professionals (in addition to those who take care of marketing):pre-sales professionals, sales professionals and after-sales professionals.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-10220" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-6-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1023" height="682" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-6-1-min.jpg 1023w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-6-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/receita-previsivel-6-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" />
<h3>Pre-order: SDR or BDR</h3>
The Sales Development Representative (SDR) – in free translation, Sales Development Representative – is a professional who analyzes and qualifies leads.
In other words, he is responsible for sorting out all the prospected leads and defining whether they are, in fact, potential customers. The intention is to deliver to the sales professional someone who has all the conditions to close a deal.
In addition to screening,it is up to the Sales Development Representative to qualify the lead, and it does this by taking care of first approaches.
More than just presenting the product or service, the idea is for the SDR to hear about the pain points of that potential client and begin to envision the best business options.
In the past, this approach could be done in several ways, especially by telephone – the so-called cold calls. But Aaron Ross’s predictable recipe teaches that this is not the best method. Calling 2.0 should be chosen, with e-mail as the main ally.
We have already covered the call 2.0 in another of our articles, but later on we will present its basic premises.
Anyway, the intention is to know a little more about the intention of the lead. The approach will serve to clarify doubts and offer more information. And when the lead is mature enough, it will be up to the SDR to make contact with the sales representative.
In addition to SDR, alternatively you canhave a BDR (Business Development Representative) to do theb2b prospecting work.
<h3>Closers</h3>
They are the sales professionals themselves. They are the ones who will negotiate with the already qualified lead.
Note that, in the context of predictable revenue, the salesperson has a far more objective role. He didn’t need to prospect potential customers, nor did he need to present or detail the product or service he had to offer. All of this the lead already knows. So, the seller’s role here is to find the best deal design.
This makes it possible for him to act as a true consultant, understanding more deeply the pains of that potential client and designing the best ways to help him.
As we mentioned earlier, the seller should not arrive with the intention of finalizing the deal in the shortest possible time. Remember: one step at a time. The idea is to close the deal – and it doesn’t matter if that happens on the first, second or even third date.
Furthermore, it never hurts to bear in mind that good businesses in B2B environments are those that develop and tend to repeat themselves later on. What you want is not to get a new customer for a single business, but to get a customer who is satisfied with your solution and who will do business with you and your company again.
<h3>Customer Success</h3>
Keep in mind that having an after-sales professional is important to be even more successful in the predictable revenue model.
These professionals aim to maintain contact with the new client, in order to monitor whether the deal that was closed is giving good results, whether it is necessary to offer some type of assistance or whether there are points that can yield even more results.
As we know, satisfied customers tend to do new business and, at the same time, can be good promoters.
Investing in a good after-sales team and taking care of the Customer Success (Customer Success) is the guarantee that all the work done from the beginning – from prospecting to closing the deal – yielded good results and that it was done correctly.
<h2>Final Considerations</h2>
The book Predictable Revenue, by Aaron Ross, has almost become a sales guide for commercial managers around the world. But it’s not exactly about that.
What Ross teaches is that selling, more than an art, is an application of method. He created one of his own, but much of the success he achieved was because he did exactly what he set out to do.
To do so, it teaches that you need to be patient, persevere and know when to take the next step. After all, if we know what we are doing, the result will always be predictable.
 
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<item>
<title>What is outbound marketing?</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/what-is-outbound-marketing/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/what-is-outbound-marketing/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 11 Aug 2023 14:30:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9802</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There are countless ways to define marketing and sales strategies, but in the end they come together in two large groups: the inbound model and the outbound model. While inbound turns to learning and spontaneous searchby the leads, the outbound is active, does the opposite and goes in search of them. After all, what is […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[There are countless ways to define marketing and sales strategies, but in the end they come together in two large groups: the inbound model and the outbound model. While inbound turns to learning and spontaneous searchby the leads, the outbound is active, does the opposite and goes in search of them. After all, what is outbound? And what is outbound marketing for? Precisely to show a potential customer that the company has something that will help him, even if he didn’t even know he needed it.
Although it is not something watertight, it can be said that the outbound model is more interesting forcorporate business, known as B2B. In these, negotiations take longer, involve a higher average ticket and, for this very reason, require a more direct approach, involving different decision makers – not to be confused with hurried. And, in this article, we are going to show what outbound marketing is for within this context and how to apply it togenerate more qualified leads for your company.
<h2>What is outbound marketing?</h2>
Outbound marketing or outbound sales is a business model for actively prospecting for new commercial opportunities. It involves several techniques, ranging from the identification ofwhat is your ideal customer profile to what he values, and what needs to be done to generate qualified opportunities.
In this article we are going to talk a lot about outbound, its advantages, when to use it and present a step by step so that your company can get out of inertia and put it all into practice.
<h2>What is outbound marketing for?</h2>
Outbound marketing is a model ofactive prospecting for new customers. Also called interruption marketing, in this strategy the idea is to identify who has the potential to become a new customer andtake a direct approach.
Before starting an approach, it is important to define who we should approach, why we should approach it, and really only offer something if it is in line with what the lead is looking for or will help him in the future. Our idea is to qualify the lead even before starting theactive prospecting process.
This is the most classic model – in the sense of “used for many decades” – of marketing. It includes TV commercials, newspaper and magazine advertising, billboards, as well as cold calls and other media.
In recent years, outbound marketing has been losing ground to inbound marketing – also called attraction marketing –, due to the fact that inbound is cheaper and spontaneously arouses interest. In addition, it is a less “invasive” model.
Inbound marketing manages to attract large volumes of leads, but which often require greater prior qualification, as they are impacted by different media and end up finding the company in different ways.
From an operational point of view, inbound requires asking questions to assess whether or not that customer is a potential customer. This demands a very high cost of hours of work, making the company really have to filter who is and who is not worth doing business with.
However, outbound marketing has also evolved and regained its importance. With cold calling 2.0, cold email and newprospecting strategies, such as approaches via social networks (social selling), especially LinkedIn, it has proven to be an important way to attract new customers.
Furthermore,outbound marketing has a big advantage in relation to inbound: despite demanding larger investments, the return is faster. This becomes especially important for companies seeking rapid sales growth or market repositioning.
The outbound manages to attract customers within a pre-delimited size and manages to attract more customers within a more interesting size. These are customers who have the economic and financial capacity to pay more, and who can get bigger tickets.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9812" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-1-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-1-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Outbound 2.0</h2>
One of the main responsible for showing the importance of outbound marketing wasAaron Ross. In the early 2000s, he took over the sales team atSalesforce, modernized processes and made the company jump from revenues of US$ 5 million to US$ 100 million, transforming it into a global giant.
In the model launched by Ross, which would come to be called outbound 2.0 or cold call 2.0., it was about segmenting and specializing the sales team. Instead of everyone doing the same thing, sellers with different profiles started to act where they stood out.
Author of the book “Predictable Revenue”, Aaron Ross teaches us that a good sales team needs to be formed both by experienced sellers, specialized in closing deals, and by otherswho excel in prospecting. This is because the same person is hardly capable of carrying out the entire process with the same efficiency.
Also, it doesn’t make sense to get everyone trying to sell, because you often end up wasting time on leads that won’t convert into sales. It is necessary to balance the demand for prospecting with the demand for business generated and sales closed. Therefore, specialization in sales becomes necessary.
To address this, Ross showed that much better results are achieved if the prospect team does prior research to identify ideal leads; if in the sequence another team tries to make the first approach – as theBusiness Development Representative or theSales Development
Representative; and if the closing is up to more experienced sellers, who understand negotiation techniques. 
Thus, outbound 2.0 is mainly based on the use of intelligence and segmentation. It also makes use of the most up-to-date communication strategies and tools.
Using e-mails, WhatsApp messages, prospecting via LinkedIn, phone calls and using your own prospecting tools are also a fundamental part of the process.
<h2>Advantages of outbound marketing</h2>
If you ask yourself what outbound marketing is for, if inbound is the darling of the moment, you need to pay attention to some fundamental aspects such as: return on investment, predictability of the sales funnel, right message for the right audience, going after big accounts, better control and, perhaps most importantly, lead qualification. And we will deal with each of them below.
<h3>Faster return</h3>
If you work with sales or company management, you certainly know the term ROI, an acronym for the English expression Return Over Investment – or, in good Portuguese, Return Over Investment.
This metric serves to know how much the company gained, or lost, with a given investment. Everything you do for future profit should be considered investment, including marketing campaigns. 
In this sense, outbound marketing campaigns have a huge advantage over inbound. This is because the return on investment begins to appear as soon as a new customer prospecting campaign is put into action.
Imagine, for example, that your company launches a new product and wants to make it known to the public.
If you opt for inbound strategies, such as content marketing, you will need a lot of SEO work, the results of which will only be seen in a few weeks or months.
On the other hand, if you decide to use cold calling, calling 2.0, TV campaigns or other forms of interruption marketing, the first customers will contact you instantly.
<h3>Right message for the right lead</h3>
Perhaps one of the most interesting points of outbound marketing is the fact that you can choose who you want to approach. When defining a process, the first step is to design a strategy.
This strategy ofoutbound prospecting defines the size of the company, the geography, the positions, as well as other points, which are essential for your company to set up good meetings.
You don’t sell anything to the lead. It just opens up opportunities. That’s the basic premise. You send the right message to the right lead at the right time.
When imagining an inbound marketing investment, it would be too expensive to target the message only to leads within the ideal profile.
Therefore, in inbound, there is a huge operational cost with qualifying leads.
Have you ever thought about advertising only to decision makers? Can you speak directly to them? Understanding your moment and only setting up good meetings?
The outbound is capable of all of this. With active and well-structured prospecting, it is possible to generate only opportunities that are really good.
In a cold mail strategy, you will only speak with companies of the type, size and segment that you want to serve. You’re going to try to help your real lead solve a problem, which he often doesn’t even know he has.
<h3>Easier to land big B2B accounts</h3>
Now that you know you can prospect whatever you want, it’s easier to create a strategy to reach large accounts. Before approaching any company or any segment, you’ve already done your homework and come to understand that, if you’re going to make an effort, that effort should bring big bills.
Large B2B accounts are capable of bringing in the equivalent of dozens, sometimes hundreds of “regular” accounts. This is due to the fact that outbound always provides consultative sales, which are aligned with what the customer needs.
Customized solutions take more negotiation time, but they are solutions that require more steps to be implemented. When opening the way, the tendency is that the opportunities generated are for a larger ticket and that they are directly with those who make the decision.
<h3>Easier measurement</h3>
Measuring, calculating and evaluating the results of your marketing and sales actions is easier and faster when working with outbound marketing.
This happens because the campaigns end up targeting a large number of people in a short period of time. Think, for example, of a strategy that allows direct contact with two thousand leads in a month – via cold calling, for example. This will generate a good basis for analysis of results. Thus, access to information and data ends up being more agile.
An outbound marketing action that results in new leads andlots of conversions right away demonstrate that it has been well definedyour buyer persona and that the strategy is working.
On the other hand, a low immediate return allows a quick course correction and a more assertive investment.
It is extremely important to have this feedback during the process, since the strategy is alive and deserves constant evaluation.
<h3>Sales funnel predictability</h3>
One of the most interesting concepts of the “Predictable Revenue” approach, as the name implies, is to create a sales funnel that generates revenue in a predictable way, in which you know what you need to do and how long you will reap results to increase sales in a staggered way.
By predicting your sales funnel, you can recurrently double or multiply sales, replicating the model created for outbound sales.
For a CEO or commercial manager, knowing your numbers and what you need to do to double in size means not depending on anything other than good management and good execution to grow steadily and assertively.
<h3>Best leads</h3>
In outbound 2.0, contact lists are better developed and yield prospects and leads with more potential.
This is because, as we mentioned earlier, the prospecting work is done from the beginning by a specialized team. Through research, theIdeal Client Profile, a persona is built and leads are sought from that. Thus, the chance of finding people who might really be interested in moving forward in a negotiation is greater.
In addition, this type of data-based prospecting allows you to look for leads that offer deals with a higher average ticket and are willing to make long-term agreements. Thus, the eventual sale leaves and the one that makes possible the agreement with long-term customers enters.
The outbound 2.0 model is very suitable for business between companies, since the seller’s profile is more consultative, who interacts more intensely with leads in search of a more personalized business design.
To be able to find the perfect leads, one strategy is to connect and be attentive to them in every possible way. The use of social networks such as linkedin, made this type of approach and prospecting much more effective. It’s what we callsocial selling.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9811" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Disadvantages of outbound marketing</h2>
Not everything, however, is just advantages in this type of marketing and sales strategy. And it’s even to be expected, because if it were the other way around, there would be no need to bet on other models, would you?
Perhaps the main disadvantage of the outbound model is its cost. It is higher than inbound strategies, since it involves hiring specialized people and investing in means to carry the message, which are sometimes very expensive. Therefore, outbound campaigns must be very well analyzed.
You may not have a scale depending on the size of the market you work with. It is necessary to assess whether, in fact, yourSDR (Sales Development Representative) ou BDR (Business Development Representative) will be able to generate enough opportunities for your company.
They work if they involved sales with a high average ticket, since the return will offset the expenses. Likewise, they can be interesting if they represent a large volume of sales in a short period of time.
Another disadvantage is the potential to have a high rejection rate if done wrong. Even as interruption marketing has evolved, outbound campaigns that include sending emails, phone calls or Internet advertisements often run into email filters, caller IDs or ad blockers.
This rejection, however, decreases if the prospect team actually identifies the best leads, which will be more likely to be approached.
As these are negotiations with a larger ticket and complex sales, in most cases, it is possible that the sales cycle, that is, the duration of negotiations, is longer.
Finally, outbound marketing has a response time, just like inbound. This ramp-up time, that is, the maturity of the pre-sales process, tends to last from 3 to 6 months. Don’t expect results overnight, as they are unlikely to happen.
<h2>Types of outbound marketing approaches</h2>
There are countless ways to do outbound marketing and it would be impossible to list them all. But, below, we will show some of the techniques that the market uses most nowadays.
<h3>Cold call</h3>
This is one of the most traditional sales strategies. Probably everyone has been approached, at least once in their life, bya cold call.
It is when the person responsible for prospecting new customers comes into contact with a consumer or person responsible for the purchasing area of a company to present their product or service.
It is important to point out that the person receiving the call often does not even know about the existence of such a product or company – or even that he was a potential customer for it. And that’s precisely where the name of the strategy comes from: it’s a cold call, in which the potential customer is approached without him having expressed interest.
Like all sales strategies, cold calling has strengths and weaknesses. Among the disadvantages, one of the main ones is the possibility that the person receiving the call will consider the approach inconvenient – and this has a strong potential to make the company offering the business opportunity equally inconvenient.
On the other hand,whether made with expertise by the seller or sales consultant, onecold calling brings some benefits.
One of them is the possibility of having immediate feedback from potential customers. The conversation between the two parties makes it possible to get to know the needs and solutions, clarify doubts and, fundamentally, establish a relationship of trust.
Also, with a good dose of persuasion, it is possible to close a deal right then and there.
Another advantage is that a cold call allows you to collect information from what you consider to be a potential customer, which will facilitate future negotiations. After all, knowing him makes it easier to establish strategies and offer a product or service in a more personalized way.
You need to understand your customer and if he is a customer who answers the phone, if he is willing to listen to someone on the other end. Cold calling is fundamental to the strategies of companies that do not have a consolidated digital presence.
The case of restaurants, which operate a lot through delivery, or even dental clinics, are types of companies that are more used to being prospected by this type of means.
<h3>Cold call 2.0</h3>
As the name suggests, this is an evolution of cold calling, but with some differences.
In a traditional calling, the seller contacts a list of people and initiates a negotiation with the main purpose of closing a sale at that very moment. It is widely used in business with the final consumer (B2C).
Among the disadvantages of traditional cold calling is the fact that the seller can spend hours connecting with people who have no interest, which represents a waste of time and money.
A cold call 2.0, in turn, is more strategic. A specialized sales team first establishes the ideal group to take calls from. Thus, the chance of closing a deal is greater.
In addition, because they are made by a specialized team, the approach is more personalized and the focus is first on developing a relationship of trust. She will be the one who will result in the closing of the deal.
In terms of sales strategy, cold calling 2.0 measures results differently. It considers converting leads, not immediate sales. After all, the idea is to create a good relationship and have a permanent customer.
Another point to consider is that, by not necessarily seeking an immediate sale, cold calls 2.0 allow for less invasive approaches. Phone calls, emails or WhatsApp messages are shorter and more friendly and encourage interaction.
In practical terms, cold calling 2.0 is often more effective in Business to Business (B2B) business environments.
A big advantage of using outbound prospecting tools is that it allows you to gain strategic information during the process. This means you can cold call only those who opened the email but didn’t respond.
You begin to filter customers even more before starting a cold approach.
<h3>Cold e-mail</h3>
The use of cold emails is a very similar model to phone calls, but of course through the use of electronic correspondence.
Its use can often be associated with cold calling 2.0 itself, which involves calls, but also sending emails.
The main difference here is in the approach, which is developed from the beginning through emails, advancing to phone calls or even video calls only from the moment when the interest is already in negotiating a sale, and not in prospecting new leads.
Cold email has the great advantage of being a smoother interruption marketing. Sending an email is less invasive than a phone call, as it can be read at the most favorable time.
There are, however, some disadvantages. Perhaps the main one is precisely to get valid e-mails.
Even though it is increasingly easier to access e-mails correctly – by filling out forms or simply accessing websites or corporate pages on social networks – these contacts are often in vain.
This can happen because it is a generalist email – which will make it very difficult to reach the lead within the company –, because it is an old email account and, therefore, already in disuse, or because it ends up in the spam box if the lead settings assign it that way.
The great advantage of using e-mails is to show, through pain (problems that your company solves) or through love (benefits that the company will have when hiring your solution), that your option is the most suitable for the market.
Differently from what the traditional market thinks, the less salesperson your e-mail is, and the more likely it is to help the lead, the greater the chances of you being able to set up a qualified meeting.
The idea is not to sell anything. The main idea of cold mail is to schedule a next step, which is usually a meeting with the decision maker.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9810" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="695" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-3-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-3-1-min-300x204.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-3-1-min-768x521.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Prospecting via LinkedIn</h3>
Certainly, the most suitable social network for outbound marketing targeting business between companies is LinkedIn.
It is an environment dedicated exclusively to professional profiles, so you will find good leads there and, of course, your direct contacts.
Prospecting on LinkedIn is constant, and if you have an account there, you’ve probably already been approached by someone offering a business opportunity. And if you still don’t have your profile on this network, you’re wasting your time.
Prospecting on LinkedIn is relatively simple, but a few steps are critical. One of them is to have a complete profile on the network, with a photo and clear information about who you are.
Afterwards, it is necessary to create a network of contacts, since these contacts will make it possible for their contacts to also become part of your radar.
Also, one needs to be active on the net. Posting texts and inviting people to interact will make you engage and become more and more known.
From there, the leads themselves will start to appear. And you, of course, will also be able to do your active prospecting, going after the people you consider ideal and making use of the In Mail that the platform itself offers.
How about structuring outbound marketing processes and seeing your customer base grow? Protagnst is an expert on the subject! Contact us and see how we can help you.
The advantage of LinkedIn is that you can use inbound techniques combined with outbound techniques to assertively create a champion profile and leads. By producing content that helps your audience, you increase the chances of generating interest from those you want, making your work easier.qualified lead generation.
<h2>Prospecting tools</h2>
There are many ways to build good prospecting lists, but doing it manually can be quite counterproductive – unless you have a very small number of leads to prospect.
The good news is that there are tons of tools online that help you prospect. As we will show below, Protagnst has a partnership with Ramper, which is the main platform in Brazil. But we will also show you other tools that are highly rated around the world and that will help you in your search for new customers.
<h3>Ramper</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-9804 aligncenter" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ramper-2-min.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ramper-2-min.jpg 683w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ramper-2-min-300x300.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ramper-2-min-80x80.jpg 80w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />
Protagnst is an official partner of Ramper. We got together when our brand Intern Brazil started to offer commercial consultancy.
Ramper is the best B2B business prospecting tool for generating qualified leads. It automates the entire prospecting process. This includes searching for contacts on LinkedIn, approaches and follow-up.
With this platform, it is possible to build lists and send emails in a segmented way, based on the definition of the Ideal Customer Profile for a given campaign. In addition, it is possible to monitor the metrics, which helps with conversion calculations and allows you to run more assertive campaigns.
Although it can be used to capture leads for all sizes of companies, Ramper has won over the market mainly for being a great ally for small and medium-sized companies looking to expand their business.
Let’s measure
<h3>Meetime</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-9807 aligncenter" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/meetime-logo-1-min-1-min.png" alt="" width="683" height="402" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/meetime-logo-1-min-1-min.png 683w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/meetime-logo-1-min-1-min-300x177.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />
This is a multi-channel outbound prospecting tool. That is, through it, you can prospect through different channels such as email, telephone, whatsapp, linkedin and much more.
<h3>Apollo</h3>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-9806 aligncenter" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/banner-apollo-1-1-min.png" alt="" width="683" height="359" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/banner-apollo-1-1-min.png 683w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/banner-apollo-1-1-min-300x158.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />
Apollo serves to create prospecting lists and also to automate the prospecting cadence flow by email, call and linkedin.
<h3>Find That Lead</h3>
As the name suggests, this tool aims to find the lead you intend to initiate contact with.
It integrates with LinkedIn – which makes things a lot easier – but it also works without using that function.
All you have to do is enter your full company name and your internet address. From there, Find That Lead is about finding you the correct email address for the person you’re looking for.
The tool has some interesting features, such as a complement to Google Sheets and an extension for the Chrome browser. In addition, it generates lists with large volumes of emails – and perhaps this is the great advantage for those looking for larger lists.
There is a free version, but it only allows you to use it for ten days. After that, you have to pay for a monthly subscription, whose values vary according to the amount of emails you want to get.
<h3>Find That Email</h3>
Remember the famous yellow pages of old telephone directories? They were the ones where advertisers put their contacts.
Because Find That Email is a platform that presents itself exactly that way, but as “the yellow pages of email”.
This tool’s main characteristic is the excellent delivery rate, greater than 90%. This means that out of every ten contacts you search for via
Find That Email, at least nine you will find.
Right off the bat, the platform has a database with more than 100 million emails already validated.
According to its developer, this tool integrates with more than 500 applications. And, if you install the plug-in for Google Chrome, you can search for contacts on social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook on your own.
The platform offers its use for free initially and promises subscriptions without a long-term contract – it is possible to cancel its use at any time.
<h3>Email Hunter</h3>
This is another tool for validating lead emails.
It operates integrated with LinkedIn and does its search by locating contacts of different people who connect.
In addition to validating emails, this tool allows you to create lists in Excel, organizing contacts and facilitating the launch of new prospecting campaigns.
In its free version, Email Hunter limits the user to up to 150 searches per month – even so, a considerable number depending on your ability to prospect.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9809" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-4-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-4-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Reev</h3>
Reev goes far beyond finding and validating leads. In addition to prospecting customers, this online tool personalizes and manages emails and allows you to track data and statistics.
The platform helps manage the customer base and automates the sales process, which reduces the time sellers spend sending emails.
With Reev, the advance of the potential client through the sales funnel is more easily followed, which allows for more precise interventions.
For all that it offers, this prospecting tool can be well used for both inbound and outbound marketing.
<h3>LinkedIn Sales Navigator</h3>
Linkedin Sales Navigator is focused on Social Selling, which is how we call the use of social networks to interact with customers and improve sales.
As it should be, this platform’s field of action is restricted to LinkedIn, but this in no way diminishes the attractions of this platform.
That’s because, as you know, it’s the main social network for work and business. Companies of all sizes have a LinkedIn page, as do most of the top professionals who work for them – including their leads.
In addition, the fact that it is a smaller network than others – such as Facebook, for example –, its database allows access to more qualified leads. Thus, prospecting promises to be more assertive than that of most competitors.
Sales Navigator is especially suitable for those looking for leads in large companies and focused on the technology sector.
<h3>Datanyze</h3>
The purpose of this prospecting tool is a little different, and very interesting.
It helps to capture the maximum amount of information of interest, such as billing and number of employees. Even the type of technology used on the company’s website is informed – and this is additional information for your company if it operates precisely in this field.
<h3>VoilaNorbert</h3>
This tool is not the best for those looking for mass contacts, but it is certainly one of the most interesting for those who work with a specific niche – whatever it may be.
That’s because your daily number of searches is quite limited. Thus, it becomes impracticable for large volumes of contacts, but perfect for more specific deals.
Another great attraction is the simple interface, which facilitates its operation.
<h3>Charlie App</h3>
This application collects information available online on the most diverse social networks, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It generates a report and sends it to the registration email.
Integrated with Gmail, it acts based on the next prospect meeting scheduled in Google Calendar. Thus, it allows you to have complete feedback on the most recent actions of the lead on social networks, which makes it possible to be more assertive in the approach.
There is, however, a catch: if the lead is not regular on social networks, the Charlie App becomes practically innocuous.
<h3>Geofusion</h3>
The proposal here is to prospect leads also based on geolocation.
Remember that an important part of prospecting for clients is to study and get to know them.
With Geofusion, it is possible to access a database by region and, from there, plan more specific actions. In addition, it allows you to research the performance of competitors using the same criteria, which makes it easier to come up with a more interesting proposal.
<h2>Outbound and inbound together</h2>
Now that you already know what outbound marketing is, its advantages, disadvantages and ways to do it using prospecting tools, it is worth making an observation: it does not need to be used in isolation. More than that, whenever you work using theinbound and outbound together, the gains increase.
One of the best ways to do this is to use inbound strategies to “warm up” outbound leads.We have already mentioned that one of the characteristics of outbound 2.0 lies in the fact that negotiations take longer and that they have a very consultative profile. More than offering a product or service, the first contacts serve to better understand the pain of that potential customer. 
Imagine, then, the gain if the lead with whom you initiated an approach received prior emails with relevant information and that had to do with the solution you intend to present to him.
Beforehand, he would already have complementary content on how he could be helped – and that the connection that would follow would not have a purely commercial purpose, but would be a demonstration of being open to partnerships.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9808" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1023" height="486" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-5-1-min.jpg 1023w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-5-1-min-300x143.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Para-que-serve-o-outbound-marketing-5-1-min-768x365.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1023px) 100vw, 1023px" />
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
For a long time, marketing and sales relied almost exclusively on outbound strategies. Radio and TV campaigns, advertisements in newspapers and magazines and the famous telephone calls were the basis for prospecting new customers and seeking new business.
With the internet and new forms of communication, this model was losing ground to cheaper and long-term strategies. SEO techniques have made content marketing a darling. Prospecting went from active to passive and, instead of going in search of leads, it was the leads that started looking for companies.
However, the outbound sales model has never ceased to be important and, thanks to the contribution of Aaron Ross and his “predictable income”, it has proved to be the most interesting way to seek leads in B2B businesses. This is the most effective way to increase sales in a short period of time.
Even though they involve higher costs, outbound strategies have the great attraction of offering a quick return, whether in terms of conversion or campaign feedback. Investing in this model, which for some time was seen as out of tune, remains essential.
Hire outbound consulting
More than knowing what outbound mkt is for, how about structuring a process to increase your revenues? Protagnst specializes in B2B lead generation and customer acquisition for business to business. Fill out the form below so that we can put together the best strategy for your business through our outbound consultancy.
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<item>
<title>7 stages of the sales funnel: start with prospecting and end with loyalty</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/7-stages-of-sales-funnel/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/7-stages-of-sales-funnel/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Aug 2023 14:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Business Administration]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Closing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9790</guid>
<description><![CDATA[You’ve certainly heard of a sales funnel and know how important representation is for business. After all, it simply illustrates how a customer’s journey works, helping to develop strategies. There are numerous ways to present it, each with a more specific focus. And, in this article, we’re going to cover the 7 stages of the […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[You’ve certainly heard of a sales funnel and know how important representation is for business. After all, it simply illustrates how a customer’s journey works, helping to develop strategies. There are numerous ways to present it, each with a more specific focus. And, in this article, we’re going to cover the 7 stages of the sales funnel, with an eye on what’s most modern in business strategy.
Over the years, the sales process, the customer journey and the way marketing relates to our daily lives have changed a lot. 
Philip Kotler – about whom we will talk at the end of this text – is a pope on the subject and adamant: the time when the idea was to sell to the masses is gone. Businesses today need to be customizable, and the 7 stages of the sales funnel that we are going to cover are exactly about that.
<h2>How are sales made today?</h2>
Until recently, companies sought to sell in the same way to as many customers as possible. It happens, however, that there was a great diversification of players in the market, specific niches were created and, today, small ones are able to compete with the big ones many times under similar conditions.
Thus, the way of negotiating had to evolve, and nowadays one of the most accepted strategies is what is conventionally calledconsultative sales. The term emerged about half a century ago, but it has only recently become common practice in business.
The central idea behind consultative sales is to make the seller become, in fact, a business partner.
When working with consultative sales, the consultant analyzes the difficulties faced by the company with which he is negotiating, and what are the alternatives to overcome them. It is only from there that he draws a sales proposal.
By doing this, sellers tend to make more assertive proposals for customers. Thus, the chances of the solutions being effective are greater, the customer experience improves and the chance of doing future business also increases.
Consultative sales usually bring a series of advantages, and in corporate businesses the most obvious one is the increase in the average ticket. After all, sales in B2B environments naturally tend to involve larger sums, and companies that feel secure in negotiating with others tend to spend more.
It so happens that, although in consultative sales the way of acting is different from that seen as traditional in the past, many things are similar. One is that all negotiations go through stages. And do you know the stages of the sales process?
<h2>7 stages of the sales funnel</h2>
In this model, the journey has seven steps. And the 7 stages of the sales process are divided in very different ways, with the intention of seeking the best leads from the beginning.
Therefore, the first of the sales stages (prospecting and qualification) is of paramount importance for the smooth running of the entire journey. After all, a bad choice about who to negotiate with can mean unnecessary expenditure of resources, as well as an effective loss of time.
It is clear, however, that all stages deserve the utmost attention. Knowing how to prepare a presentation that fits the potential customer, choosing the best way to approach them and presenting a proposal that fits their needs is the first part of a successful sales process. The final part, in turn, is about being as consultative as possible.
<ul>
<li>That said, these are the 7 stages of the sales funnel:</li>
<li>Prospecting and qualification;</li>
<li>Preparation;</li>
<li>Approach;</li>
<li>Presentation;</li>
<li>Dealing with objections;</li>
<li>Closure;</li>
<li>Follow-up and loyalty.</li>
</ul>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9791" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="577" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-1-1-min-300x169.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-1-1-min-768x433.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>1. Prospecting and qualification</h3>
Let’s start at the beginning. The first step in an effective sales process is prospecting. In it, you make widemarket research after potential customers – which in marketing and sales are conventionally called leads.
There are several ways to do this prospecting, both through inbound marketing,how much per active search.
In case of corporate business, the intention behind the prospecting process is to have a broad base of potential customers. These are companies that are in a branch of economic activity similar to yours or capable of being interested in your product or service.
This initial search should be broad. Any and all companies that seem to benefit from the products or services you have to offer need to get on your radar.
It happens, however, that not all of them will actually become customers. Therefore, to reduce the chance of error by investing in negotiations that have no chance of occurring – at least at that moment – it is necessary to qualify the leads.
A lead qualification it is the sales stage in which you analyze whether that company can, in fact, move forward in a negotiation.
At that moment, you need to find out if that lead is ready, willing and, above all, able to buy from you. After all, there is no point in spending weeks or even months negotiating – something quite common in the stages of thecomplex sales process, for example – if that company does not have effective conditions to make a purchase.
Qualification is very important because it is also a statistical issue. Studies have already shown that, in modern sales, in general, a typical purchase happens after approaching seven potential customers. Thus, it is essential to find the leads that best fit theideal customer profile before moving on to the next stage of the sales funnel.
Do you want to grow your business with the help of B2B experts? Protagnst can help! Get in touch and find out about our solutions.
<h3>2. Preparation</h3>
The second of the 7 stages of the sales process also precedes the approach itself. In other words, you have to do your homework. 
You have already identified a company that could be a potential customer. You’ve already warmed up that lead, identifying that he has a real chance of being interested in your product or service. The business is indeed promising. That way, you can’t afford not to be properly ready to present your solution to him.
The preparation stage is more research. This time, however, you need to scour the market for solutions that resemble your own. Competition costs, advantages and disadvantages.
In addition, of course, you should surround yourself with as much information about your potential client as possible. Areas of activity, productive capacity, growth trend and so on.
This step in the sales process is important because once you gather all that information, you can start customizing a deal unique to that lead. In other words, something that fits your needs and pains perfectly. A proposal that will actually help that company to achieve its goals.
As mentioned earlier, this is the essence of consultative selling. It is a purpose to be sought and a direction to always follow.
<h3>3. Approach</h3>
If the homework was done correctly, we reached the approach stage, the third of our 7 stages of the sales funnel.
There are different ways of doing the first approach, and choosing the right one is essential to have better business chances.
When we talk about B2B sales, we are referring to people who tend to be extremely busy. These are managers who have to work hard with meetings, travel, contracts to review, and so on. And, after all, each person relates to their demands differently.
Some prefer phone contacts. Others work best via email or WhatsApp message. Nowadays, there are those who prefer to do business even through LinkedIn, due to the ease of access to professional information. And there are those who only negotiate in person.
As you can see, making phone contact with a lead who only works through internet resources is a very bad idea. After all, as cliché as it may be, the first impression is usually the one that lasts.
It’s also a bad idea to knock on someone’s door for a face-to-face meeting if the advance preparation falls short of what is expected. So, if possible, try to talk to people who know how your lead acts.
That done, after defining the best way to approach, start the relationship. The first conversation should be smooth. Comment on your product, interact, ask warm-up questions, talk about the company you represent.
Depending on the case, and if it’s feasible, it’s worth sending a free sample of the product or service you want to present as a solution.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9792" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>4. Presentation</h3>
This is the stage of the sales funnel where you actually present your solution to the potential customer. The presentation must be succinct and complete at the same time, so as not to bore the lead, nor to appear shallow.
Use a slideshow or other technological resource that facilitates the visualization of your product or service. Videos, images or quotes from successful cases are good options.
Keep in mind that it is essential to awaken his interaction. Listening, at this stage, is even more important than talking. After all, it’s the best way for you to further customize the business for that company.
Also consider that there is always the possibility that you are not the only salesperson trying to do business with that company. The lead can follow your offer while associating it with your competitor’s.
If you notice something along these lines, it is also in the presentation that you should offer extra business opportunities, such asup sell e cross sell, or any other viable sales strategy. This, however, must be done within very specific parameters that can actually improve the customer experience.
If it is already difficult to negotiate a solution that will clearly be useful to him, “pushing” a product or service that does not meet his needs can cause a breach of trust and increase objections with the business.
<h3>5. Dealing with objections</h3>
You already know what thesales objections, Is not it? They are those difficulties or barriers that potential customers have during a negotiation. And, if you don’t work around them properly, they can simply make the sale fall apart.
Here it is necessary to be very clear: objections are among the most underestimated stages of the sales and customer relationship process, which is a tremendous mistake on the part of sellers – and this does not depend on the path you will take.
Studies have already shown that 44% of consultants or sales representatives leave the business after a single rejection; nearly a quarter of them (22%) do so after two rejections; 14% leave the business after three, and 12% after four.
If easily walking out of the deal is a mistake, ignoring objections is an even bigger mistake.
Keep in mind that objections are common, and you need to prepare for them. A good seller is one who knows that the potential customer may raise doubts, questions and impose some difficulties to close a purchase.
Sales objections don’t mean the lead won’t buy. It means that you, as a seller, will need to give more arguments to convince him.
First of all, acknowledge that the lead is correct with their concerns. Show empathy. Ask questions that encourage you to share your fears.
Then reassure him with the correct answers.
Obviously, to do this, you need to prepare. The best way is to pre-map all possible objections. And if one comes up that you don’t know how to solve at the moment, say that you will evaluate it with your team and present a solution as soon as possible.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9793" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="520" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-4-1-min-300x152.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-4-1-min-768x390.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>6. Closing</h3>
This is the most awaited sales step. It is at this time that the potential customer will either agree with your offer or decline it.
If your client is willing to purchase your product or service, it’s time for you to make his job easier. Offer payment alternatives – in cash or in installments, by transfer or other means. Also take care of the bureaucratic part, leaving the contract ready and taking care of all procedures.
In case the customer is still having doubts, however, offer an extra incentive. If you work with services, for example, offer a free extra term. If possible, allow the payment to start a little later than anticipated.
In short, demonstrate that you really want to become his business partner and that, in order to do so, you are willing to make one last concession – provided that this does not result in losses for you, of course.
Another way of trying to secure closure is by launching one of the famous mental triggers – and thescarcity trigger is often quite useful in corporate sales. “It’s our last batch in stock”, “we only have so many licenses for use”, “I can only keep the values in these terms that we negotiate until next week” are some examples.
<h3>7. Monitoring and loyalty</h3>
Follow-up completes the 7 Kotler sales steps. It is the after-sales phase, which is fundamental for customer loyalty.
Very common examples of effective follow-ups are those of electronics companies. Dell, for example, became famous a few decades ago for its after-sales efficiency.
As soon as the computer company settled in Brazil, notebooks were only sold by order directly from the factory. The computer was then taken to the customer by a company representative.
The equipment came out with a unique service tag, which meant that whatever the problem was could be solved with a single call – after all, Dell knew exactly which computer it was.
Such efficiency created a generation of loyal customers for the company, who didn’t mind paying more for the product knowing that they would have easy support at any time.
In corporate business, making yourself available to customers is essential to provide them with security. More than that, it allows you to develop a greater level of trust, which will give that company a great chance of doing business with you again.
Do you want qualified leads that have a good chance of advancing down your sales funnel? Count on the help of Protagnst experts. Get in touch today and see how we can help.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9794" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-5-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-5-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/7-etapas-do-funil-de-vendas-5-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>How did the 7 stages of the sales funnel come about?</h2>
As we mentioned earlier, the way of doing business has evolved over the decades, especially in recent years. 
In the past, traditional marketing prevailed, that of active search. Advertisements in newspapers and magazines, commercials on radio and TV, as well as advertising on billboards, were the conventional ways of getting to know a company or product.
With the arrival of the internet and the advent of social networks, however, access to new markets has become an endless possibility. In addition to companies being able to invest ininbound marketing – much cheaper and with the potential to bring customers to them -, consumers themselves can look for business opportunities.
Thus, the task of prospecting, validating and presenting itself as a solution to customer pain has become an even greater challenge.
Marketing guru, Philip Kotler has been studying these movements since the middle of the last century, and he always reiterates the importance of focusing on the customer.
<h3>Who is Phillip Kotler?</h3>
Born 90 years ago, Philip Kotler is still one of the world’s greatest references in marketing. He holds a PhD in economics from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is also a postdoc in mathematics from Harvard University and in behavioral sciences from the University of Chicago.
He developed the thesis that marketing is very strongly linked to the economy, and not just to price. It was with this thought that he revolutionized marketing strategies – and still does today.
For the professor, marketing is both an administrative and a social process. It is this process that makes people obtain what they want and need through the generation of desire, offering and exchanging products of value.
Through his teachings, which accompanied the evolution and changes over the decades, new business strategies were developed, which helped to create Kotler’s sales stages and the stages of the sales funnel in digital marketing.
<h3>About the sales funnel</h3>
In addition to this article, here at Protagnst we have already presentedthe sales funnel in several others. However, this is not about redundancy; it is, indeed, something fundamental in business. And Kotler has a theory as well about its use and evolution.
As you know, there are several representations of the sales funnel, some focusing more on marketing, others more on sales. Philip Kotler, in turn, considers that the stages of the sales funnel in digital marketing need to operate at very specific times.
If we divide our funnel into three parts, we will have at the top of the funnel the moment of learning and discovery, the one in which the lead discovers you; in the middle of the funnel the phase in which he recognizes that he has a problem and that you have a possible solution; and at the bottom is where you close the sale.
Now, it is also possible to divide the funnel into six parts:
1) customer prospecting;
2) understanding of the needs of the target audience;
3) development of solutions;
4) proposal presentation;
5) contract negotiation;
6) sale.
For Kotler, the first three steps should be under the responsibility of the marketing team, while the last three should be left to the sales team. For him, after all, when doing this, each part will be with those who actually understand the subject.
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
Although there are differences in the numbers, different studies converge on one point: it is much more difficult to win a customer than to retain it. And this in corporate business is especially true.
In everyday life, it is very easy to switch brands. You may be in the habit of buying a certain type of coffee, for example, but you probably won’t have a problem trying another brand if your favorite brand is out of stock or the current price is an impediment.
In intercompany business, however, this is more difficult. Transactions involve high amounts, and any mistake can represent an unavoidable hole for the company’s future. Thus, they usually give preference to businesses with whom they already know.
This is why following the 7 stages of the sales funnel is often a good choice. After all, they teach that, with good planning and correct execution, the result is good sales and customer loyalty.
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<title>Cold Call 2.0: discover the future of customer prospecting</title>
<link>https://protagnst.com/cold-call-2/</link>
<comments>https://protagnst.com/cold-call-2/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Protagnst]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:08:18 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[B2B Sales Consulting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Inside Sales]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Outbound Marketing]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Prospecting]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sales Strategy]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cold call]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[cold call 2.0]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://protagnst.com/?p=9783</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Prospecting customers is a task that is part of the daily life of those who work with sales. There are several strategies to get new leads and one of the best known is the cold call, that technique in which the seller or responsible for pre-sales reaches out to someone who may not even know […]]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[Prospecting customers is a task that is part of the daily life of those who work with sales. There are several strategies to get new leads and one of the best known is the cold call, that technique in which the seller or <a href="https://protagnst.com/?p=10209&preview=true">responsible for pre-sales</a> reaches out to someone who may not even know your business to offer the product. This technique brings good results, but it also carries with it some disadvantages. And, more and more, it is losing ground to cold calling 2.0. Have you heard?
Cold calling 2.0 is one of the most modern methods of do active B2B prospecting (which focuses on business-to-business sales). The basis is the same as calling as we’ve always known it, but adapted to this increasingly connected world and people increasingly valuing their time.
Also called calling 2.0, this model is based on the use of e-mails, app messages and, of course, also by telephone – but in a more specific way.
Much more than using new means, however, cold calling 2.0 has a different proposal. Instead of looking for a lot of sales, he focuses on better sales, with a higher average ticket and greater added value.
This is because, from the beginning,prospecting is carried out supported by surveys. Even if you keep getting in touch with prospects who may not even know your company, it’s already known that they have a need to fill – and that your company has the means to do that.
Another point to highlight is that cold calling 2.0 has developed targeting B2B business, and not the final consumer. Traditionally, business between companies takes longer to complete and involves more interaction. And that is precisely what calling 2.0 proposes.
<h2>Remembering traditional calling</h2>
<a href="https://protagnst.com/how-to-schedule-a-call/">You probably ever heard of cold calling</a> and if you work in the sales area, it is possible that you have already made use of this strategy.
This model is quite old and is still used today, being a classic method of active prospecting.
A cold call is the model in which someone makes contact by telephone with a lead in order to present their product or service.
Often, the person receiving the call is not even aware of the existence of such a product or company – or even that he was a potential customer for it. And that’s precisely where the name of the strategy comes from: it’s a cold call, in which the potential customer is approached without him having expressed interest.
This system is widely used because it brings immediate results, unlike inbound marketing models where conversions tend to happen in the medium term, albeit spontaneously.
But like all sales strategies, cold calling has strengths and weaknesses. Among the disadvantages, one of the main ones is the possibility that the person receiving the call will consider the approach inconvenient – and this has a strong potential to make the company offering the business opportunity equally inconvenient.
Also, the focus in this model tends to be on a quick sale. The seller’s conversation has a more persuasive tone, with the aim of ensuring a negotiation as soon as possible. The main intention is in the moment sale, and not necessarily in a relationship between companies or between company and consumer in the long term. Thus, although it brings immediate results, it does not always ensure their perpetuity.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9784" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-1-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="435" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-1-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-1-1-min-300x127.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-1-1-min-768x326.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>And what is cold calling 2.0?</h2>
Cold calling 2.0, or even cold calling 2.0, is a method of actively prospecting for new customers, with whom no previous negotiations have been held, but without using the traditional cold call. It is, after all, an evolution of this model.
As we have seen, in the past this type of prospecting was done through phone calls to contacts gathered in large lists by the marketing team. Even if it gives results, the method is not exactly efficient: the lists invariably also have uninterested contacts, which often represent precious wasted minutes.
With cold calling 2.0, you start using new prospecting tools, which include contact via email and WhatsApp. And surveys have already shown that more than 70% of those born between the years 1980 and 2000 – the so-called Millennials – prefer that negotiations be handled by email, not by phone. These are people in this age group who currently occupy strategic positions in companies.
However, there are still other reasons that make calling 2.0 a more interesting model. It allows the negotiation to be more pleasant and to develop gradually. Instead of a phone call that can represent a direct denial, exchanges of emails and WhatsApp messages allow the approach to also be consultative.
In other words, this type of prospecting is more analytical. This makes the team responsible for capturing new leads identify whether it is ready to move forward in a negotiation or if it still needs to be worked on better.
In this sense, cold calling 2.0 also becomes very useful for retaining customers, since it allows <a href="https://protagnst.com/?p=10180&preview=true">the sales team or even pre-sales</a> make a more complete prior diagnosis of that potential client and everything that can be offered to attract him.
<h2>The importance of prospecting new customers</h2>
The sales sector is historically one of the most important of companies. This does not mean that it is more relevant than development or production – which, after all, produce what you want to sell –, but without a team prepared to put that product on the market, little progress is made.
In addition, it is sales that bring revenue to companies and, therefore, sustain them.
Therefore, having a solid customer base is essential to maintain the financial health of any undertaking. But always relying on the same sales volume impedes growth and is, at the same time, risky. Many times, an important client stops doing business with you for a number of reasons, billing drops and this can bring harmful results.
Thus, being on the lookout for new leads should be a constant goal.
However, on many occasions, this alone is not enough. If managers cannot predict how much they can grow in revenue, it becomes difficult to plan the next steps for their companies. And if they waited to confirm billing, they might eventually miss out on precious opportunities.
Because it was precisely by solving this equation that an American became a true global guru in sales.
<h2>Aaron Ross’ Predictable Recipe</h2>
With an engineering background, the American Aaron Ross changed his life – and the way to succeed in sales – from 2002, when he was hired by Salesforce, one of the largest CRM companies in the world.
He assembled a sales team and implemented anew outbound prospecting model. The result is that Salesforce has increased its revenue by 20 times. More recently, Aaron Ross released the book “Predictable Income”, in which he teaches his method, which has helped managers around the world to improve their companies’ financial results.
Ross’ method has everything to do with the title of his work. The idea is to predict as closely as possible how much the company will earn from its sales, enabling managers to estimate growth and invest more safely in the future of the business.
To achieve this, Aaron Ross teaches the pillars that support sales. Are they:
<ul>
<li>Define a prospect in the company – which will be just that, and not the person with whom the sale will be negotiated directly;</li>
<li>Pre-contact via cold calling or, better yet, cold calling 2.0;</li>
<li>Use inbound and outbound marketing strategies, so that if you have lead variation;</li>
<li>Focus only on high-quality leads, not all;</li>
<li>Focus on key metrics;</li>
<li>Conquer the prospect without haste.</li>
<li>And, as we will show below, these pillars have everything to do with cold calling 2.0.</li>
</ul>
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9785" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-2-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-2-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-2-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-2-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Difference to traditional calling</h2>
Although the central idea is the same, that is, to actively prospect new leads, getting in touch with people or those responsible for companies who may have never even heard of your business, the approach and development of it are quite different.
One of these differences is in the team that works on prospecting. While in calling everyone who works in sales acts in this role, in call 2.0 there is a team that specializes in this.
This leads to another posture change. The intention to sell the most comes out, the intention to sell better comes in. The idea is not always to close the sale, but to reach a point where it is good for both the seller and the buyer.
It can even be said that, in cold calling 2.0, the first contacts are not prospecting, but “pre-prospecting”. The idea is that salespeople or pre-salespeople identify real potential customers, what <a href="https://protagnst.com/?p=10207&preview=true">we define as person</a>.
As you can see, in cold calling 2.0 the focus is on creating a good relationship. This helps develop leads and qualify them. Instead of incisive phone calls or even long emails, empathy is worked on here: smaller and more frequent contacts and understanding of the problem to be solved.
<h2>Main features of cold calling 2.0</h2>
Cold calling 2.0 has aspects that distance it from the model as it has always been known. It goes through having a cadence in contacts, the search for adding value to the client, prior knowledge of those with whom one deals, the interest in having an analytical profile and the assembly of a specialized team. Follow along.
<h3>Cadence</h3>
Unlike the traditional method, in which the intention is to be able to prospect new customers immediately, in calling 2.0 a very striking aspect is the cadence in the negotiation. Making a sale on the first contact is rare, and that’s not even the intention.
Put another way: making message exchanges and conversations flow naturally is what will lead to a sale also happening naturally, as well as opening doors for the new customer to become a regular customer.
In this sense, immediacy can sometimes even get in the way. Without a good understanding of what that potential customer really needs, there is a risk of offering something that does not fit the needs. Like this,the sales objections they would be more likely to appear, and a promising business could fall apart.
In summary, in cold calling 2.0 everything needs to be done in due time. The saying that haste is the enemy of perfection fits this sales model very well.
<h3>Added value, thinking about customer success</h3>
In addition to a beautiful speech, cold calling 2.0 focuses a lot on customer success. And that’s because, as we said, the goal is also to seek a long-term relationship.
This is a very peculiar characteristic of this method and this is due to the fact that it is dedicated especially to B2B negotiations, while the traditional cold call was aimed at sales to the final consumer (B2C).
Businesses that are not good for companies tend not to be repeated in the future. After all, few people who lost out on a major acquisition in the past would be willing to take the risk again. Therefore, focusing only on selling, and not on selling something that adds value to those who buy it, will transform it into just an occasional business.
Negotiations via calling 2.0 tend to take longer and start slowly. This, however, is to be expected. The intent is not to drive sales on the first or second contact – more often than not, it takes way longer than that. And you will understand why in the next topics.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9786" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-3-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-3-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-3-1-min-300x200.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-3-1-min-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Customer knowledge</h3>
If the intention is to add value and focus on the customer, knowing them is a fundamental factor. 
In traditional cold calling, this is virtually impossible. After all, contact lists come ready-made and the idea is to take an approach aimed at selling quickly. Those who make the call most of the time have no information about the recipient, other than the basics, which were gathered by marketing.
In cold calling 2.0, in turn, researching the customer, knowing their pain points in advance and going deeper into them from the first contacts makes all the difference. More than that, it’s part of the process.
In this system, the contact person needs to go deep to understand if the potential client is in fact ready to be forwarded to the team that will deal with sales – or, if that is the case, to advance himself at this point. 
Therefore, it is not enough just to rely on superficial information. It takes study and ability to understand. Information is the basis for a good sale.
<h3>Analytical profile</h3>
In the cold call, the seller deals exclusively with this: offering a product and talking as much as possible about it, its advantages and why that deal deserves to be closed soon.
Many times – practically all – the speech is always the same. The seller memorizes the text and repeats it to exhaustion, no matter who the lead is. And, if the seller is not properly trained, it is easy for those who serve to notice this.
Cold calling 2.0, on the other hand, is not concerned with pushing the product or service right away. On the contrary: the goal is to start arousing interest so that, in future contacts, we can move forward in the negotiation.
For this, the professional who works with calling 2.0 is trained more to listen – or read, in the case of e-mails and text messages – than to speak. He shows his product, but listens to the interlocutor what he needs and under what circumstances.
The intention is to gain trust and have the maximum amount of subsidies to design a more personalized proposal, which fits perfectly to the expectations of those who buy.
Because of this, the professional is more analytical. The memorized speech comes out, the concern to understand who that lead really is comes in.
<h3>Specialized team</h3>
Aaron Ross’ successful case at Salesforce also passed because he tried to assemble a specialized team – which he trained and which every company that operates in the field should also do.
Even though everyone who works with sales has the potential to work by calling, achieving good results in the 2.0 model requires professionals trained to do so.
The team needs to be able to sell much more based on talent than on insistence.
Thus, it is necessary to assemble a sales team capable of acting on the most diverse fronts that cold calling 2.0 requires. He needs to be a research enthusiast, like analysis, know how to listen and, just as important, understand the right time to move forward in the negotiation to start the sale properly.
Have you ever thought about structuring an efficient prospecting process for new leads and expanding your sales? Protagnst specializes in B2B lead generation. Get in touch and see how we can help!
<h2>Step by step to effective cold calling 2.0</h2>
Now that you know the characteristics of this model, let’s present a small step by step to apply an effective cold calling 2.0 system. 
These are tips that apply to the most diverse models of active prospecting, but that deserve special consideration for this type of calling.
<h3>Define the Ideal Customer Profile</h3>
The first step to cold calling 2.0 effectively is to define who your company sells to – and that’s in the strictest sense. What we mean is that it is necessary to define the Ideal Client Profile and build a persona from it.
It is a fictional character, but created based on real behavior and data, supported by demographic information and previous research.
These surveys can be done by collecting information from those who are already your customers, from internet forms, through phone calls, face-to-face approach or another model.
The data that these surveys show us allows us to have a better idea of who usually does business with your company: whether they are men or women, how old they are, what their education is, how much they usually spend, what motivates them, and so on.
In the B2B business environment, persona definition helps to identify the best leads within companies. Knowing the profile of those who usually make the purchase decision makes a lot of difference when negotiating.
As important as it is to know the profile of the company you want to do business with. Knowing your size, your buying potential, expansion goals and other information helps to format a better negotiation.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9787" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-4-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="503" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-4-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-4-1-min-300x147.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-4-1-min-768x377.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h3>Make a contact list</h3>
As with traditional calling, having access to a list of contacts greatly facilitates work in cold calling 2.0. But it is clear that the list here has a different profile from the other.
As you’ve already done extensive research beforehand and have all your ideal leads mapped out, the list tends to be robust enough in terms of business possibility.
Remember: it’s not about having many contacts to seek an approach, it’s about having good contacts. The focus is not on quantity, but on being assertive.
<h3>Use joint inbound and outbound sales processes</h3>
You’ve probably heard of inbound and outbound methods. They are different strategies aimed at the same goal: identifying, attracting and converting leads.
In the inbound model, the idea is to educate people through relevant content. In it, you produce articles, marketing emails, videos or any other way of displaying content to arouse interest in those who will become leads. This generation is spontaneous, which is why we say that prospecting is passive.
Lead prospecting through inbound techniques tends to take longer, but it has among its advantages the fact that leads come to you – and not the other way around. These are people who are somehow interested in your product or service, and therefore have a great chance of moving forward in a negotiation.
On the other hand, outbound leads come about through active prospecting. In marketing, it is called “interruption marketing”. It’s the TV commercials, the billboards that appear on the horizon, a newspaper advertisement. In sales, it’s when you get in touch with someone you weren’t expecting – for example, by calling.
Outbound processes bring faster results. And if you’ve approached leads after doing good research beforehand, they’re even more likely to see them.convert to sales.
As you can see, even though they have different characteristics, these two lead prospecting models work. And, if they are used together, they can enhance the results when it comes to cold calling 2.0, since the team that will carry out the approach will already be dealing with people with the profile that is sought.
<h3>Search</h3>
We have already emphasized the importance of carrying out prior research, especially in order to define the Ideal Customer Profile and build a persona. But implementing an effective cold calling 2.0 system takes more than that. 
In addition to defining who the ideal lead is, it is very important to also research in depth who the lead with whom we will be in contact is in fact.
To be clear: first, a broad search is made to define the type of lead; then, having a list of them, you should do a wide research on who each one of them is.
This is because, although they have similar characteristics and the potential to negotiate with you, each one works for a company with different situations. Thus, a business that you design for one may not work for another.
Remember that one of the points that differentiate calling 2.0 from the traditional one is precisely not to insist on a sale at any cost, but to work together so that the potential client really benefits from that deal. And that’s where we go to the next topic.
<h3>Customize communication</h3>
While in cold calling the seller often has a memorized speech, in calling 2.0 this does not work. The key here is to really understand what product or service is offered in order to best fit the lead’s needs.
You must do this from the first email you send. Instead of messages like “we have a proposal that may be of interest to you”, mention the name of the company and, if possible, the lead.
Show that the email your lead is receiving is not just another one, but one aimed especially at him.
When getting a first return, offer an even more personalized service. The second contact, the third, and perhaps even the seventh are much more about listening than talking.
Show who you are and what your company has to offer – but, above all, allow your lead to detail what their pain points are. Even if you already have a lot of information about that company, details that can make all the difference will only be known from the first contacts.
<h3>Prefer email</h3>
As we mentioned earlier, one of the characteristics of cold calling 2.0 is the cadence in contact and negotiation. There is no sense of urgency, the idea is to develop the negotiation naturally, without pressure from either side.
In this sense, using e-mail is much better than using the telephone. WhatsApp messages are also more interesting.
E-mail allows messages to be answered in the most appropriate time and without the rush that a telephone call outside the best hours can bring.
At the same time, it allows the lead to read it more often and, if necessary, present it to more people with decision-making power within the company.
In addition, written communication allows you to have better control of the messages exchanged and to be able to work better on them, without any doubts or misunderstandings that a call can bring.
<h3>Focus on value, not price</h3>
This aspect applies to all types of negotiation, but it is especially important when seeking to capture leads from cold calling 2.0 processes.
Much more than a product or service, show your lead that you are offering them a solution.
Make that clear from the very first cold email you send. If your previous research was well done, you already have information about that lead’s needs and, therefore, you are already in a position to show him how your company can help him.
At that first moment, it is not about prices or costs, but about value.
Often, businesses that are in a position to prosper do not move forward because the mention of financial issues gets in the way. Imagine, for example, a company that is working within its budget limits and, therefore, is also averse to making new investments.
If the focus is on how your product can bring return to that company, however, the negotiation can evolve.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9788" src="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-5-1-min.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="509" srcset="https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-5-1-min.jpg 1024w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-5-1-min-300x149.jpg 300w, https://protagnst.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Cold-call-2.0-5-1-min-768x382.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
<h2>Final considerations</h2>
Generating new leads, qualifying them and converting them to sales is a task that requires commitment. And that increasingly means research and adaptation to new times.
This does not mean that strategies that have always brought good results should be put aside – which would be a mistake –, but rather that it is often necessary to adapt them or explore them together with others.
The famous cold calls, or cold calls, have always been important in active prospecting. Direct approach, persuasive arguments and immediate feedback are some of its advantages, but this works especially in business involving companies and end consumers.
Furthermore, in an increasingly connected world and with people increasingly valuing their time, approaching them more smoothly and allowing them to respond in due time can be the detail that will make all the difference.
Cold calling 2.0 brings this, but above all it stands out for replacing haste with cadence, quantity with quality, and the attempt with the greatest possibility of success.
This all needs to be taken into account, especially when we are talking about business between companies. Therefore, it is worth investing in what is the future of prospecting.
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