Mastering the Art of Inbound Sales: A 4-Step Guide for Successful Sales Reps

Did you know that businesses with effective inbound sales strategies are 10 times more likely to see an increase in leads?

That's right - a whopping 93% of companies using inbound marketing see an increase in website traffic and lead generation.

And the best part?

‍Inbound sales typically cost 61% less than outbound tactics, making it a smart choice for companies of all sizes.

So why not give your sales approach a revamp with our easy-to-follow guide?

You'll discover your target audience, create killer content, nurture leads, and close more deals in this article.

Prepare to take your sales to the next level!

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What Is Inbound Sales?

Inbound sales is a new method that emphasizes giving value to clients before presenting your product or service.

The process begins when potential consumers hear about your company through content marketing, social media marketing, and other internet channels.

Content marketing is the most effective and popular form of marketing today. In fact, 72% of marketers agree that content marketing increases engagement.

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Prospects and customers interact with the content and gain knowledge about the brand. Later, your sales staff contacts the lead to continue nurturing it.

‍Inbound sales require an empathic salesperson. An inbound sales professional contacts their lead and learns about their requirements to determine if they are a suitable fit for their product or service.

An inbound B2B sales agent takes a tailored, consultative approach.

They continue to create trust with potential customers and figure out how their solution can effectively address client pain points. Naturally, the aim is to make a sale, but not at the price of client satisfaction.

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Inbound Sales Statistics

Let's look at a few numbers to grasp the strength of inbound sales:

1. According to LinkedIn, 62% of B2B buyers respond to salespeople who interact with the buyer by offering useful material and insights.

2. Before speaking with a salesperson, 41% of B2B buyers read 3-5 pieces of material online.

3. Inside sales success can be aided by personalization. After a personalized shopping experience, over half (49%) of shoppers think they are likely to become repeat buyers.

4. B2B sales representatives focusing on providing value to clients during conversations are 96% more effective.

Buyers define a pleasant sales experience as the following four characteristics, which are all hallmarks of a successful value-based inbound sales strategy:

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During the inbound sales process:

• The prospect seeks information from the firm to solve their problem/need/pain point.
• The prospect searches, reads blogs, attends a webinar, arranges for a free consultation, etc.
• The prospect types in their email address in exchange for a free eBook, infographic, tool, etc.
• An inbound salesperson may contact them by email or phone.
• Inbound prospects are often more aware and engaged to begin with.

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Inbound sales is a marketing technique that draws potential consumers to your organization and offers valuable information and answers to their problems.

On the other hand, outbound sales actively reach out to potential consumers via different channels, such as cold calling, email marketing, or direct mail.

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Inbound Sales Vs. Inside Sales: What’s The Difference?

Many individuals mistakenly believe that inbound and inside sales are the same. They are, however, vastly different. Let us correct the record.

Inside sales may be described simply as remote sales.

It occurs when your products or services are sold through the phone, email, or the internet rather than in person. An inside sale is completed online or remotely.

And as the sales environment evolves, it is critical to emphasize the importance of inside sales. 

‍According to the Sales Benchmark Index, 70% of clients prefer not to meet a sales representative before purchasing. They're perfectly content to cut checks and sign contracts from afar.

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The key conclusion is that inbound sales are a methodology for approaching sales. Inside sales provide you with the necessary technology and resources.

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Why Is it Important to Use Inbound Sales?

Inbound sales are vital since it alter how we sell to clients.

Unlike traditional sales, which casts a broad net to capture as many leads as possible, inbound works virtually backward.

It simplifies bringing "good-fit" clients into your pipeline (also known as sales-qualified leads or SQLs), allowing you to sell to people interested in your offerings.

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Its primary goal is not to close more transactions. It assists prospects in addressing their specific difficulties and understanding their pain spots more fundamentally and relevantly.

Cold calling, leaving voicemails, and sending cold emails are still used in sales.

Industry trade exhibits, meet-ups, and networking events are also popular. The bulk of outbound sales strategies are still employed in the sales sector.

But here's the thing with outbound sales.

How many (hundreds of) individuals can your sales staff have qualified talks with at tradeshows or networking events? Teams run out of time and repeat the same generic presentation.

This is known as legacy sales.

Using an inbound rather than outbound strategy allows sales professionals to position themselves differently.

This opens the door to developing connections and, more crucially, acquiring long-term clients for your company.

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The Buyer’s Journey in Inbound Sales Tactics 

To successfully assist the B2B sales process, it is critical to understand the buyer's path.

Create a more customized and productive sales experience for your potential clients by building an inbound sales process that coincides with the buyer's journey.

‍The buyer's journey is divided into three segments: awareness, consideration, and decision.

Awareness

The potential consumer becomes aware of a product or service that may satisfy their needs during the awareness stage.

Various causes, including advertising, word-of-mouth, or personal experience, can spark this awareness.

‍During the awareness stage of their purchasing process, 19% of customers desire to engage with sales.

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The consumer seeks information about the product or service and explores other possibilities. 

An inbound salesperson should try to understand how potential customers define their problems and goals and how they try to learn more.

Consideration

The potential customer has recognized their problem and is assessing the pros and disadvantages of several remedies during the contemplation stage.

This stage is distinguished by extensive research and comparative shopping.

Businesses must give helpful information and content to potential consumers to assist them in making the correct decision.

An inbound salesperson should understand what alternative options consumers consider and how your product may satisfy their demands.

Decision

Finally, the potential consumer has restricted their selections and is ready to buy during the decision stage.

This is where organizations may give a smooth and straightforward purchasing experience to convert the lead into a paying client.

Sales staff should strive to grasp the buyer's criteria at this point. They may address any issues and ensure a distinct selling proposition that differentiates them from competitors.

Buyer’s Journey Example

To bring it all together, consider a recruiting firm specializing in assisting healthcare and technology organizations to employ salespeople.

The Buyer's Journey for their consumers may look like this.

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‍4 Steps for Creating Your Inbound Sales Plan

After establishing your buyer's journey, you must create your sales process. The inbound sales process assists the buyer throughout the purchase process.

Consequently, salespeople and customers feel connected rather than at odds throughout the purchasing and selling.

To create an inbound sales process, evaluate what your salespeople can do to help customers at the awareness, consideration, and decision stages.

We offer the Inbound Sales Methodology, which is a four-part structure for your sales process:

• Identify
• Connect
• Explore
• Advise

Let’s explore them in detail.

Identify

Identifying potential consumers interested in your product or service is the first stage in the inbound sales process.

You can use market research, social media listening, and consumer profiling to accomplish this.

And suppose you're a video game marketer wanting to target folks in your category with video advertisements focused on guys aged 18 to 34.

In that case, you'd miss out on 71% of prospective consumers interacting with relevant YouTube content.

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Surprised to see these stats? 

That’s why identifying the right audience is crucial for your sales.

You may construct an ideal customer profile by researching your target audience's demographics, interests, and pain issues. This allows you to focus on prospects most likely interested in your product.

When finding potential leads, favor inbound leads that convert through a form on your website above passive purchasers.

Connect 

Once you've selected your target prospects, it's time to contact them and make the first move. You can do this through various methods, including email, social media, and phone conversations.

Email is the best way of all. 67% of customers prefer to be connected via email.

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This stage intends to introduce yourself and your firm while providing basic information about your product or service.

It is critical to communicate in a friendly and professional manner. Lead with individualized communication that is in line with the prospect's objectives.

You'll need to create buyer personas to customize your approach. Define who the decision-makers are at the organizations you'd like to market to.

Some buyer personas in our Recruiting example may be as follows.

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Persona A: Vice President of Sales for a technological firm

Persona B: Recruiting Director for a technological firm

Persona C: CEO of a technological firm

Persona D: A healthcare company's VP of Sales

Persona E: A healthcare company's Director of Recruiting.

Persona F: CEO of a healthcare firm.

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All the personalities above are decision-makers at the firms the company wishes to sell to.

However, each persona has unique objectives, interests, pain spots, and areas of expertise that must be considered when creating the most customized relationship.

After establishing your personas, you may create an outreach plan for each.

Explore

Exploring is about conversing with your prospect to learn about their requirements, pain spots, and ambitions.

This is where you can learn more about their company and sector and customize your solution to their unique requirements.

Consider producing a guide covering distinct conversation phases to help guide an exploratory chat with a prospect.

Advise 

A sales professional gives tailored advice and help throughout the advising stage of the inbound sales process.

Salespeople should personalize their advice to the consumer's demands and create a persuasive argument for their product or service.

The inbound salesperson adds value beyond the general information accessible online by determining the buyer's context and adapting their proposal accordingly.

Check out the video below to learn additional techniques to become inbound closer for more guidance on enhancing your sales process.

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4 Common Mistakes Sales Reps Make With Inbound Sales 

Inbound sales can be a game-changer for sales reps, but only if executed properly. Unfortunately, many sales reps fall into common traps that can hinder their success.

Here are 4 common mistakes the B2B sales reps make with inbound sales:

Focusing On Poorly Qualified Prospects

When done correctly, Inbound sales may fill your funnel with qualified prospects needing your product.

However, some salespeople rush to close deals with unqualified prospects. This might lead to salespeople talking to prospects without fully understanding their problems (or how to address them).

‍According to Mark Hunter, popularly known as The Sales Hunter, many salespeople are too eager to make the deal or don't take the time to learn which aspects most connect with the consumer.

Focusing On Prospects Who Don’t Have Purchasing Power

Finding out if the person you're interacting with has the authority to make a purchase choice is a vital step in the inbound sales process.

The sooner you identify this individual (the key decision-maker), the easier it will be to determine whether the organization can afford your offering.

Unfortunately, many salespeople don't realize they're speaking to the incorrect individual until the latter phases of negotiation.

All the time and effort invested in grooming prospects and educating them on your product was for naught.

Consider this in the context of a real-world sale.

When a sales professional is nurturing and negotiating with a prospect, they agree to provide a discount if they sign up for a service.

‍"That sounds fantastic. Let me run that by my boss," they respond.

The issue is that the lower price is already on the table. When the primary decision-maker enters the bargaining process, the representative must begin with the lowered price rather than end with it.

The lesson is never to discuss budgets or contracts with anybody other than the company's principal decision-maker.

Pushing A Product and negotiating Too Quickly

Inbound sales aim for agents to meet prospects where they are in their purchasing process.

However, sales professionals frequently make the mistake of attempting to arrange a demo as soon as a lead begins conversing on live chat.

Keep in mind that no one is interested in your products, but they are interested in their problems.

‍According to Sales Source's Geoffrey James, the "ABC rule" that requires salespeople to "Always Be Closing" is bad sales advice.

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Not Knowing What Comes Next

Consider the ideal prospecting scenario.

You had a terrific interaction with a prospect, and they revealed their major pain issues. And your product is the ideal solution to their issues.

The transaction has been completed. Is that correct?

Some sales representatives struggle with not understanding what measures to take to close a deal.

Should they send an email? Should you call again and follow up?

If this is an issue for your sales force, Drift Sales Assistant may assist reps with their next actions following a customer demo.

If a rep does not contact a prospect within 24 hours following a demo, Drift Assistant will email them the following steps, ensuring that leads do not fall between the cracks.

Inbound Sales Best Practices

To ensure your success with inbound sales, avoiding those common mistakes we just mentioned is essential.

Instead of trying new tactics, focus on implementing proven best practices to connect with potential customers and close more deals.

So, without further ado, let's dive into the top inbound sales best practices you should use!

Uncomplicate the Conversation

Simple messaging is effective. Inbound salespeople must learn how to keep their positioning concise. This assists their purchasers in moving the deal ahead.

Salespeople may simplify the dialogue by doing the following:

• By structuring your message around optimism, you may encourage the buyer to acquire a favorable "gut feeling" about you.

• Using a common ground to spark a discourse that broadens the customer's perspective.

• Emphasizing how others in the same industry have successfully implemented the solution.

Articulate Your Place in the Customer’s World

A strong strategy to position a differentiated value statement is to customize messaging to ensure it connects with the buyer's unique demands.

To customize the value of your solution to the buyer's unique requirements, a sales professional should:

• Create a straightforward and concise statement with no jargon or fancy words.

• Cite earlier accomplishments in the same industry that show transferrable outcomes.

• Include how you will solve your prospect’s pain points in the conversation to show that you want a relationship and not just to sell them something.

• Consider the customer's comments when determining what outcomes to emphasize in your interactions.

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Create Support Among Decision Makers

Because buying decisions are now made in groups, sales professionals must rally support from numerous stakeholders and ensure they engage with the whole buying team. 

To get the support of numerous stakeholders, inside and outside sales professionals should do the following:

Up-tier in a way that respects the main contact.

Handle opposition with insights that inspire the customer's thinking, not with defensiveness.

Respect the customer's desire for autonomy by assisting them in making decisions.

Compound success with a referral strategy that capitalizes on earlier successes. Referrals are the most efficient way to generate inbound sales calls.

Look at this:

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Wrapping Up

The article emphasizes the importance of a clear strategy for B2B inbound sales success.

The four key steps outlined in the article include defining your ideal customer, creating content that resonates with your target audience, using lead magnets to capture leads, and nurturing leads through a well-designed sales funnel.

Regarding B2B inbound sales, AI bees can be an invaluable tool for sales reps.

We can help with lead scoring, prioritizing leads, and providing personalized content recommendations for each lead.

AI bees can analyze customer data to identify patterns and trends that inform sales strategies and improve customer experience.

Businesses looking to improve their B2B inbound sales should consider implementing AI bees as part of their sales strategy.

By utilizing the capabilities of AI technology, sales reps can work more efficiently, make data-driven decisions, and ultimately close more deals.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today!