Maximus Greenwald

logo LinkedIn
Co-Founder & CEO

Articles

Showing 0 of 0 items

Category

Resources
Resources
Resources
Resources

Top 10 Form Fill Providers: Capturing Leads, Even When They Abandon

Time to read

Alan Zhao

Form fills are a vital part of lead generation. They're your direct line to potential customers, collecting crucial information that helps you understand and cater to their needs. However, not all form fill providers are created equal, and it's essential to select the one that best suits your business needs, especially in terms of capturing abandoners.

Here's a curated list of the top 10 form fill providers:

  1. HubSpot: HubSpot is a powerhouse in the marketing arena. Its form builder is intuitive and integrates seamlessly with its robust CRM system. HubSpot forms are customizable and designed to capture leads effectively.
  2. Formstack: Known for its flexibility, Formstack offers features like A/B testing, and it integrates smoothly with numerous platforms. It's especially useful for businesses looking for a more data-driven approach.
  3. Wufoo: Wufoo offers a dynamic form builder with a range of features from file uploads to payment integration. It's a good fit for businesses that require more complex form fill functions.
  4. JotForm: JotForm, with its user-friendly interface and customizable templates, caters to both beginners and experienced marketers. It also provides advanced features like conditional logic.
  5. Typeform: Typeform, known for its interactive user experience, offers conversational forms that enhance user engagement. The result? A higher completion rate.
  6. Gravity Forms: Exclusive to WordPress, Gravity Forms provides a plethora of features, including file uploads, conditional logic, and even the ability to limit entries.
  7. SurveyMonkey: Though primarily a survey tool, SurveyMonkey also allows for effective lead generation forms. Its analytics capabilities can provide insights to optimize your forms further.
  8. Zoho Forms: As part of the comprehensive Zoho Suite, Zoho Forms provides seamless integration with other Zoho apps, making it an ideal choice for businesses already using Zoho software.
  9. Formsite: Formsite stands out for its secure data encryption and a multitude of integrations, making it a suitable choice for businesses prioritizing data security.
  10. Ninja Forms: Another WordPress-exclusive provider, Ninja Forms boasts an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, customizability, and a range of add-ons for enhanced functionality.
  11. Fillout: Fillout specializes in lead collection with features like address autocomplete, conditional logic, and native integrations with HubSpot, Airtable, and Salesforce.

According to a survey mentioned in an article on Medium, 81% of people recently abandoned at least one online form and most won't return to complete it. The reasons cited include security concerns and form length.

In this context, it's worth mentioning Warmly. Although not strictly a form fill provider, Warmly stands out by capturing those all-important abandoners, a group that often goes overlooked. This approach can be particularly beneficial given the high percentage of users who abandon forms before completion.

When a visitor starts filling out a form but doesn't complete it, potential leads can be lost. Warmly tracks visitor intent data, capturing information even from users who abandon the form, enabling you to follow up with interested prospects and increase chances of conversion.

Selecting the right form fill provider hinges on your business needs, the complexity of forms required, your budget, and the CRM or CMS platforms you're already using. Be sure to explore each option, and remember that capturing abandoners, as Warmly does, can make a significant difference in lead generation.

Become a Revenue Rebel
Subscribe to our newsletter for revenue leaders, by revenue leaders. Get updates on new show releases, practical advice, data-driven insights, and trending topics in GTM.
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

State of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) in 2023

Time to read

Maximus Greenwald

In the dynamic landscape of sales, the role of Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) has continually evolved to adapt to changing market conditions and technology. As we navigate through 2023, the function and responsibilities of SDRs have shifted in several significant ways. This article will explore the current state of SDRs, the emerging trends influencing their work, and the key tools they're utilizing in 2023.

The Evolving Role of SDRs

Over the years, the role of SDRs has expanded far beyond merely prospecting and qualifying leads. In 2023, SDRs are now more involved in strategic initiatives, including account-based marketing strategies, customer retention, and cross-selling and upselling efforts. This shift has necessitated new skills and deeper product knowledge among SDRs.

Adoption of AI and Automation Tools

In 2023, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation have become central to the work of SDRs. These tools help in automating routine tasks, enabling SDRs to focus more on building relationships with prospects. Tools like Salesforce's Einstein provide predictive lead scoring and analytics, helping SDRs to prioritize their efforts effectively.

Emphasis on Personalization

SDRs in 2023 are leveraging data-driven insights to personalize their interactions with prospects. This trend has been driven by a greater emphasis on customer experience and the availability of tools for personalized communication at scale. SDRs are using solutions like HubSpot Sales Hub to create tailored email sequences and outreach campaigns.

SDRs and Remote Work

The continued growth of remote work has significantly impacted SDRs. This shift has introduced new opportunities and challenges in team communication, performance management, and training. Platforms like ZoomInfo and Slack have become critical tools for managing and supporting remote SDR teams.

Continuous Learning and Development

As the complexity of the SDR role increases, so does the need for continuous learning and development. SDRs in 2023 are continuously upskilling, focusing on areas such as negotiation, data analysis, and advanced sales methodologies. Tools like Gong and resources from organizations like AA-ISP provide valuable learning materials and training programs.

Looking Ahead

The landscape for SDRs in 2023 is more dynamic and challenging than ever, yet it also offers numerous opportunities for those willing to adapt and learn. By leveraging AI and automation, focusing on personalization, and prioritizing continuous learning, SDRs can thrive in this ever-changing environment.

As we look ahead, the role of SDRs will continue to evolve, with an even greater emphasis on strategic thinking, advanced sales technologies, and the delivery of personalized customer experiences. Warmly, with its personalized approaches and intent data that drives traffic, helps SDRs reach people in a warmer way. For organizations, the key to success will lie in supporting SDRs through these changes and equipping them with the right tools and training.

Become a Revenue Rebel
Subscribe to our newsletter for revenue leaders, by revenue leaders. Get updates on new show releases, practical advice, data-driven insights, and trending topics in GTM.
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The Power of Personalization in Sales

Time to read

Alan Zhao

Editor's Note: The following article is a first-person account from Frank Sondors, co-founder and CEO of Salesforge, which personalizes cold email outreach. Sondors spent ten years in sales and describes the key to moving a prospect down the sales funnel.

The Power of Personalization

After ten years in the sales industry, my journey has taught me the profound impact personalization can have on sales outcomes. In the overcrowded world of generic sales pitches, personalization becomes the bridge that connects us with our prospects, helping us stand out and create memorable interactions. It's through this personalized communication, I've realized, that we can truly understand our prospects' needs, interests, and pain points, allowing us to tailor our solutions to their specific challenges.

My approach to personalization goes beyond a cursory LinkedIn scan or a quick glance at the prospect's headline. Instead, I delve into their recent posts, especially those written in the past 30 days. By doing so, I can anchor my message to these insights, tying their interests or concerns directly to the product or service I'm offering. This in-depth personalization is what allows me to craft an email that resonates directly with them, positioning my solution as the answer to their needs.

To increase engagement, I've often used a technique that involves pulling three words from a piece of content my prospect has written. The idea is to create familiarity, to evoke a sense of curiosity that prompts them to engage with my message. This small trick often acts as the hook that grabs their attention amidst the constant barrage of information they face daily.

Harnessing AI for Effective Personalization

My quest for effective personalization led me to AI tools like ChatGPT, a revolutionary platform that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to create highly personalized communication at scale. The core to getting personalization right is knowing two pieces of information. The "sell data" represents what we offer as a solution, the pain we alleviate, and the cost of inaction. In contrast, the "buy data" represents publicly available information about the buyer. By merging these data sets, AI allows us to craft unique, highly responsive emails that resonate with each individual recipient.

Breaking Free from Templates

Traditional template-based emails, while easy to use, often fall short in terms of personalization. They typically involve static content with minor adjustments to variable components. An AI-powered approach, on the other hand, uses a wealth of input data about the target and what you're selling to craft a unique email for each individual. This level of personalization, often extending to even including a well-timed joke, can make all the difference in setting your communication apart.

Adapting to the Changing Sales Landscape

As a sales professional, I've seen firsthand how the landscape of sales has evolved over the years. The onset of the COVID pandemic, in particular, has drastically altered how we work and, by extension, our sales strategies. Despite the myriad challenges it has brought, it has also opened up new avenues for communication. I've found that the use of video messages and gifs, for instance, instead of plain text in emails, can significantly boost conversion rates, particularly with ICPs.

Trends and Tactics for Accelerating Sales

In the current “red ocean” marketplace where competition is fierce, speed becomes a critical factor. We are all racing to move our prospects down the sales funnel as quickly as possible, and the winner is often the one who can do so the fastest. This is why methods like cold calling, despite their limitations, can have a high probability of conversion, assuming you're able to connect with the person. However, cold calling isn't the only method. In cases where you're dealing with anonymous users or have limited data, it's often more practical to pick up the phone and call them directly. This swift approach can tip the balance in your favor, especially if your potential buyer is also evaluating competitors simultaneously.

Creating a Dynamic Website Experience

Websites have become an essential tool in understanding and engaging our prospects. To engage users without direct outreach, I've learned to create dynamic experiences on our website. By using elements like internal banners, trigger-specific pop-ups, and targeted resources, we can make our website more interactive and engaging for our visitors.

Managing Time and Lead Progression

Enterprise sales, characterized by their long buying cycles, require a careful balance between nurturing the lead and pushing for a close. By using attribution software like Dream Data or Hockey Stack, I've been able to monitor user behavior over time, allowing me to gauge when a softer approach, like inviting them to a webinar, may be more appropriate.

Sales and Marketing Alignment with Intent Data

As we delve into the realm of intent data, we must also understand its role across both sales and marketing. Each team can extract valuable insights from this data, but their use may differ. For instance, the sales team might use this data to personalize their outreach, while the marketing team could use it to tailor their content strategy.

Testing, Replication, and Template Strategy

Testing and learning are essential in the ever-evolving world of sales. One effective strategy I've implemented involves identifying successful tactics and replicating them across similar clients. This approach allows us to learn from our successes and continually refine our strategies, providing quicker ROI from our intent data.

To sum up, the lessons I've learned on my sales journey have centered around the critical importance of personalization, the role of AI in effective communication, the importance of adaptability, and the value of utilizing the right tools. As we navigate this ever-changing field, let's remember to always put the customer first.

Become a Revenue Rebel
Subscribe to our newsletter for revenue leaders, by revenue leaders. Get updates on new show releases, practical advice, data-driven insights, and trending topics in GTM.
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The Evolution of Sales Development Representatives

Time to read

Alan Zhao

The Analog Era: Humble Beginnings in Sales Development

Our time machine sets off in the Analog Era. In this age, Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) braced themselves with nothing more than phonebooks and determination. They navigated the labyrinth of potential contacts with rotary phones and embarked on the daunting task of cold calling. It was an era of phone cords, telemarketing scripts, and a fair share of hang-ups.

The key challenge was the quality of leads generated through this method. As anyone can imagine, finding a high-quality lead amidst hundreds of cold calls was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Despite the low hit rate and painstaking process, this method was vital at the time and laid the groundwork for future advancements in sales techniques.

The Digital Era: The Advent of Automation in Sales

With a swift push on the accelerator, our journey advances into the Digital Era. In this revolutionary period, the introduction of databases dramatically transformed the sales landscape. Suddenly, SDRs had a treasure trove of contacts at their fingertips, a stark contrast to the thick phonebooks of the past.

The arrival of auto dialing systems marked a monumental shift. SDRs no longer had to manually input each number, instead swiftly navigating through lists of potential clients. The quality of leads witnessed a significant improvement during this era, akin to transitioning from a grainy black-and-white television to a high-definition, color-rich 4K display.

However, the Digital Era brought with it its own set of challenges. While the process was more streamlined, and leads of a higher quality, the overall time consumed in the process remained substantial. SDRs were, after all, still bound by the limits of manual intervention and human capacity.

The AI Era: The Future of Sales, Today

Finally, our journey propels us into the revolutionary AI Era. In this epoch, we find SDRs employing artificial intelligence like Warmly to streamline their sales processes, marking a significant milestone in sales development.

Here, the power of AI facilitates the customization of sales pitches at an unprecedented scale, taking into consideration the unique needs and preferences of each potential client. This personalization capability ensures that SDRs can engage potential leads more effectively, consequently leading to higher quality connections.

Moreover, the application of AI doesn't compromise time efficiency. On the contrary, it significantly reduces the time taken per lead, harnessing the power of automation to provide rapid, high-quality outcomes. It's a game-changer, a quantum leap from the time-consuming methods of the past.

A Look at What's Ahead

Through this journey, we've witnessed the remarkable evolution of Sales Development Representatives. Starting from the Analog Era, with its rudimentary tools and tactics, to the present-day AI Era, defined by advanced automation and personalization, the transformation has been nothing short of revolutionary.

As we continue to embrace and adapt to the advances in technology, one can only anticipate further innovations in the world of sales development. If the present AI Era is any indicator, the future holds the promise of even more efficient, personalized, and dynamic sales processes, equipping SDRs to engage their potential leads in increasingly effective ways. While we cannot predict with certainty what the next evolutionary step will be, it's safe to say that it will be exciting to witness.

Become a Revenue Rebel
Subscribe to our newsletter for revenue leaders, by revenue leaders. Get updates on new show releases, practical advice, data-driven insights, and trending topics in GTM.
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

The Sales Paradox: Why Quality Beats Quantity in Sales Prospecting

Time to read

Alan Zhao

In the world of sales, the age-old question persists: “How many sales discovery calls are too many discovery calls?”

When you’ve got KPIs to hit, that limit can seem very far away. And with the advent of sales prospecting automation tools, it’s easy to think that a full calendar means better chances at closing. 

There’s no doubt that adding automation tools to your sales tech stack can increase leads. In one study, 80% of marketers saw their leads increase when using marketing automation tools. 

But are more leads always better? 

Here, we come to the biggest paradox in sales: that quality always beats quantity when it comes to new leads. 

And when you’re targeting those juicy, high-ACV leads, you might want to put down the snazzy marketing automation tools and go old-school. 

The History of Outbound Prospecting

Sales prospecting has come a long way since the early days of large-scale campaigns. It was only in the 1950s that marketers realized that consumer behavior could significantly impact sales; thus, demographic segmenting was born. 

Since then, the sales process has become more aligned with marketing goals. Sellers learnt that inbound prospecting was as valuable as outbound, and could vastly increase the number of qualified leads

Throughout all of this, one thing was key: it’s quantity over quality. Hit as many people as you can (even if they don’t exactly match your ideal customer profile), and see what sticks. 

Cold outreach reigns supreme

Until the turn of the millennium, B2B lead generation was a case of outbound prospecting. Whether this was conducted via direct mail, cold calling, or email (the first email marketing campaign was conducted way back in 1978), selling was simply a case of finding your prospect’s phone number, reaching out, and persuading them to buy. 

Unfortunately, frozen-cold outreach doesn’t come with fantastic odds. The average cold-calling success rate is just 2%. Every salesperson intrinsically understands there’s a fine line between being persistent and becoming a nuisance.

And so, sales prospecting gets a bad rep. Why bother cold emailing hundreds of people when you could focus on marketing to bring in those qualified leads naturally? 

image

Image Source 

It all goes digital 

Salesforce was founded in 1999. By then, it was clear that sales and marketing were going digital and that companies had to make a concerted effort to align their sales prospecting methods with the marketing team. 

Online advertising exploded. Email marketing took off. In 2005, HubSpot CEO Brian Halligan coined the term ‘inbound marketing.’ 

In the age of rapidly increasing internet adoption, B2B companies realized that it wasn’t all about aggressive cold selling: it was equally valuable to educate those potential customers who weren't buying from you yet. 

The Rise of Sales Automation

Between the early 90s and the late 2010s, the B2B SaaS market flooded with sales and marketing automation tools. Now, you didn’t even have to write those emails to prospects—software could create an email sequence for you. 

In 2020, McKinsey reported that one-third of all sales tasks could be fully automated. It was no longer necessary for your AEs to be filling up their time with things like regular check-ins with prospects. In fact, 44% of sales reps are too busy to even attempt follow-up. 

image

Image Source

The value of the marketing automation market is estimated to reach $13.71 billion by 2030. But where does this leave sales prospecting? Is it increasingly a case of leaving lead generation to the bots while sales professionals focus on strengthening relationships? 

Or do we need a more flexible approach?

Do More Leads Equal Quality Leads?

So, now we get to the main question: is the quantity of leads better than the quality of leads? We’ll be honest, at Warmly, we’ve had our fair share of experiences with quantity over quality. 

We once had 80 meetings, but most of the companies we talked to weren’t a good fit. There was no urgency or priority for them to solve the problem. You can imagine where that got us: it was like throwing a party and realizing that most of the guests were only there for the free food and didn't care about celebrating your cat’s birthday. 

Spending ages talking to people who aren’t serious is wasted time. Not only does a higher quantity of leads reduce the time you can spend on each lead (you’ve got KPIs to hit! Not time to burn!), but it also reduces the chance of sufficient personalization for each lead. 

Of course, this is where automation can be a help, not a hindrance—initiating conversations at the top and early middle of the sales funnel. However, according to HubSpot research, 75% of marketers believe that personalized experiences drive sales and repeat businesses. 

As much as chatbots and other AI marketing automation tools are helpful for this stage of sales prospecting, they fail the personalization test. So, while they can be handy for getting those little fish onto your hook initially, automation isn’t something you want to use on a whale. 

Nurturing Ideal Prospects, Not Every Prospect

Having 1,000+ qualified leads sounds like a great prospect until you realize you don’t have the manpower to reach out to every single person, let alone follow up. 

We knew Warmly was guilty of prioritizing sales KPIs over nurturing specific prospects at times. So, we spoke to Brian Gerrard, sales director at Outreach, about his take on the quality vs. quantity debate. 

His response? “Disqualify fast.” 

There’s more to it than that, of course. His approach to outbound sales is a multi-step process of identifying ideal prospects. 

  1. Identify the whale companies. Discard any others. 
  2. Filter those prospects by those that fit your ICP.
  3. Research. 
  4. Engage with low-level accounts at that company. 
  5. Engage, engage, engage. Do research. Learn what they need. 
  6. Then, target the executive decision-makers. Tell them how your solution fits their problem.
  7. Follow up. 

Unfortunately, given the level of individual research required and the flexibility needed to engage effectively, this kind of sales prospecting isn’t something that you want to entirely rely on automation for. 

So, your sales teams need to be more proactive. And to do that, they need the right data.

Harnessing the Power of Intent in Sales

This is where intent comes into play. Intent allows you to generate smarter leads, not more leads. 

It’s like having a secret weapon that lets you know who’s genuinely interested in your cat's birthday and who’s just there for the free food (you want the people who care—not the gatecrashers.) 

Intent data can be split into explicit and implicit. Explicit signals could be something like search queries, while implicit signals demonstrate intent less obviously, like a user spending time on your pricing page. 

Using sales orchestration tools (like Warmly,) gives you the power to classify leads based on how ready and willing they are to buy at that moment. 

This adds an additional dimension to your sales prospecting, where you can filter for your ICP and by how likely they are to buy, resulting in higher-quality leads. Then, refocus your AE’s efforts onto these qualifying leads.

Effective Sales Prospecting: Back to Manual

We know that there’s a place for automation in the sales pipeline, but when it comes to whale accounts that have shown intent, there’s no substitute for manual personalization. 

In fact, when your AEs and SDRs aren’t tied to automation KPIs, you’ll give them much more freedom to innovate their sales strategy. In the end, sales is about instinct, not prescriptive tasks. 

But what’s the secret behind implementing an efficient manual sales strategy? 

Manual = more?

Brian Gerrard doesn’t disguise the fact that manual is his preferred way of selling. “Call me old,” he told us. 

But it’s not just about a preference for legitimate interactions—there’s proof that manual prospecting works. 

In one test, a personalized communication sales team was pitted against a 100% automated team. Naturally, the automated team contacted far more prospects, but that’s not the end of the story. 

In fact, the team that conducted personalized sales outreach booked 60% more meetings than the automated team. Bespoke communication also resulted in a higher percentage of booked meetings.

image

Image Source: Outreach

The takeaway? Manual might take longer, but as long as you’re targeting the right prospects, the ROI is higher. 

Take an example from Warmly. One of our AEs got a prospect’s attention on the 8th email of a 12-step sequence. But what if those eight emails were actually three manually-written emails? Would it have taken so long to get their attention?

Probably not.

“Warm prospecting never ends.”

Ultimately, the mantra is, ‘Warm prospecting never ends.’ With manual sales prospecting, you have to be in nurture mode for every lead, all the time. 

The process starts with research, and that’s accomplished before you even get to stage one of the eight-stage refinement process outlined above. After that, you’re continually nurturing your prospect with every touchpoint. 

Although ringing someone up or pinging them a DM on LinkedIn might sound like cold outreach, as long as you’ve done intent research beforehand, that customer is already warm—even if they’ve never spoken to you before. 

Consequently, you can categorize every prospect as one of two things: either active or an opportunity. 

An active lead is one where you’ve agreed on the next step with them. An opportunity lead, meanwhile, may not be ready to buy just yet, but you want to keep them within the sales cycle. 

With opportunity leads, the hardest part isn’t converting them—they’ll do that in your own time, as your intent will tell you. The hardest part is making each and every interaction with them unique. 

Step-by-Step Manual Sales Prospecting

Sure, manual prospecting takes time. But there’s no reason why your manual sales prospecting techniques can’t be as streamlined as your automation tools. 

To do that, you need to identify the most effective sales prospecting tools and get more confident with turning off that auto-sequencing. 

The Before Stage

Research, research, research 

Everything starts with your target accounts—but identifying those can be one of the biggest challenges of sales and marketing today. 

To evaluate accounts, refer to your ideal customer profile, competitor research, and those current customers with 100% net revenue retention (which we call retainable addressable market.) 

Then, cross-reference these segments with potential leads to find those companies, decision-makers, and organizations that are really the best fit. 

Create an account plan

If you’re letting an automated tool manage your outreach, then it might never have come to mind to create an account plan. However, your most valuable accounts deserve it. 

Your plan doesn’t have to be long. Pick out the most vital information that you and your sales team need to know to prove that your solution is best. PR releases, LinkedIn posts, and recent webinars are some of the best places to find this information. 

Match every piece of info you find with your target’s business objectives. If you’ve done your research right, you can usually identify one or two areas they’re evidently struggling with.

Find alignment in your sales deck

Now it’s time to bring all that information together in a powerful sales deck. 

Naturally, your value proposition is crucial to your deck. But if you can’t explain where your solution fits into your prospect’s existing workflow, you may as well give up now.

As part of your sales deck, particularly for mid-funnel prospects, build a flow chart that explicitly outlines how you'll make their work easier. 

Sometimes, you might not be able to build this kind of flow chart right away with the information that you have. Maybe it takes 1-2 calls with lower-end accounts to gather the information. But when you do have it, it makes your pitch significantly stronger. 

Initiating Outreach with LinkedIn Sales Navigator

One of the most valuable tools for B2B salespeople is undoubtedly LinkedIn Sales Navigator. According to Brian Gerrard, this is the missing piece for many sales professionals.

LinkedIn reports that sellers using Sales Navigator create 15% more sales pipeline and 42% larger deal sizes. 

It’s also a great tool when implementing manual sales processes into your prospecting. 

Building account lists

Your first step with Sales Navigator is building the right account lists. To do this, identify a target company in Sales Navigator and pull out which functions you want to target at that company.

Ideally, you want to target decision-makers at the company in question, though perhaps you’ve identified managers as relevant B2B buyers for your market. 

Once you’ve got a list of target accounts, you can create a custom list.

image

Image Source: Brian Gerrard 

Effective nurturing 

If you’ve done your research right—into buyer intent signals, product fit, and the correct target accounts—then it should be enough to get you in the door. This is exactly what we mean by ‘warm prospecting never ends’: with enough research, your cold prospect becomes a warm lead in the middle of the sales process. 

And now that you’ve got your Sales Navigator list, it’s time to start the outreach.

Identifying outreach opportunities 

There are 875 million members on LinkedIn, but just 16% of US members are daily active users (DAU). To streamline your outreach, you want to target just those accounts in your customer leads list that have recently posted on LinkedIn. 

Within Sales Navigator, you’ll now have the option to open a recently posted update by any of your leads and interact with it. Or, go straight for a message. 

image

Image Source: Brian Gerrard

To manage this manual outreach, create custom tasks for your SDRs or AEs in your CRM based on each prospect. The aim of this is to make each interaction with the lead personalized according to their recent updates—not an auto-sequence that might just be personalized to a set of accounts at each organization. 

Long-term prospecting

When you’re aiming for high quality over high quantity, you’re naturally going to spend more time with each prospect. This allows you to really craft each touchpoint to be entirely personalized. 

But say you know you need to follow up with a lead. How do you know which channel to use? Ultimately, in a personalized sales prospecting process, you’re going to have to tailor every single interaction based on what you know about that prospect and your relationship with them. 

So, if someone hasn’t reached out in a while, don’t waste time with another unanswered email—go straight for a phone call. 

If they’ve been pretty responsive in the past, maybe you go for another LinkedIn DM.

Or—remember that one-page flow chart we made? Now could be the time to reach out over email and remind your prospect that you exist and you’re here to solve their problem. 

As Brian Gerrard notes, if that prospect is an MQL—they have the budget, and they have the intent—then hit them as much as you can, respectfully. 

And when you hit them, do it with personalization. A multi-step email sequence generator isn’t clever enough (yet) to gather information during the sequence—for example, if your target company has started a new project. Only you can reach out with a “Hope it’s going well with [X]!” 

High-Quality Leads + Effective Manual Outreach = Long-Term Success

In this era of changing B2B buyer behavior and the influx in social selling, you can’t expect a fully-automated sales prospecting plan to get results. Today, buyers want more independence in the decision-making process. Bluntly, they’re fed up with cold calls.

At the same time, there is a place for automation in your sales process. When you want to A/B test at the top of the funnel, hitting 100 people rather than 10 people in the same amount of time is preferable. 

But when it comes to those bigger accounts—the ones you really want to be closing deals with—personalized interactions can easily make a difference. 

Combine high-quality visitor and intent data with a targeted and personalized sales strategy, and you’ve got yourself a strategy that will optimize your entire sales prospecting process.

How Warmly Can Help You Identify The Right Sales Prospects

While quantity has its place in sales, it’s the quality that truly matters. So, a successful sales prospecting process depends on finding the right balance—knowing when to focus on quantity and when to shift the focus to quality.

Unfortunately, high-quality leads are only as good as the data you’re collecting. If you can’t get accurate data, the chance of converting leads is slim. 

Using a signal-based revenue orchestration platform like Warmly can help consolidate your sales process. Find the right accounts (with intent) more quickly, and get notifications when a human AE needs to be looped into the sales process for personalization.

Become a Revenue Rebel
Subscribe to our newsletter for revenue leaders, by revenue leaders. Get updates on new show releases, practical advice, data-driven insights, and trending topics in GTM.
Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.