Is Outbound Dying?  With the continued emphasis on increasing volumes of outreach across all channels (email, phone, social, text, etc), it's becoming increasingly difficult for high-quality outreaches to stand out in the overwhelming volume of outreaches customers get.  We hear customers saying, "There probably is something interesting there, but I don't have the time to sort through 100's of messages a day!" Given the difficulty of having great outreaches stand out in a sea of garbage, what does this mean for the future of outbound?  If outbound is dying, where do we turn to incite customers to change?

People & LeadershipPeer InsightsRelationship Management
2.5k views5 Upvotes7 Comments
Founder in Media, 2 - 10 employees
No. Outbound is not dying. It is also not difficult to stand out if you have great outreach. The catch is that very few folks are putting in the time, energy, and resources to craft great outbound messaging. Unfortunately, we have seen a proliferation of bad messaging. Orgs are using AI & automation to enable their reps to send terrible messages in greater quantities. My take? Focus on a mix of channels we know work when done right like cold calling & email + mix in social channels & creative approaches like video. Happy selling!
3 1 Reply
CSO in Construction, Self-employed

Well said. Automation has killed the success of outbound. It's amplified bad messaging and irrelevant messaging and has scarred prospects.

1
CSO in IT Services, 11 - 50 employees
Outbound is not dying, it is evolving.
1
CEO in Services (non-Government), 11 - 50 employees
It's moving to All Bound at this point.  Sales reps have to become mini-marketers these days.  it's all about leaving positive impressions across all channels and telling a story that is relevant to the person you're reaching out to. The channel of outreach is also going to differ based on the persona, industry and personality type you're reaching out to. With all that, I think we're moving back to full cycle sales.  SDRs/BDRs are going to move under Marketing or Operations and leverage tools to drive awareness and serve up the people that full cycle sales reps will try to engage with using relevant and personalized intel. 
4 2 Replies
Founder and Chief Sales Energizer in Services (non-Government), 2 - 10 employees

Agreed!

2
Corporate Strategy and Business Development Consultant in Consumer Goods, 10,001+ employees

Absolutely John, I wholeheartedly concur with your sentiments! One crucial point I'd like to emphasize is that the core principles guiding a successful sales representative have largely remained the same over the past half-century, despite the transformative advancements in tools and technologies. Equally delightful is your forward-thinking perspective about Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) and Business Development Representatives (BDRs) transitioning under the marketing umbrella. This strategic realignment is precisely how I devise contemporary, efficient business models today.

Founder and Chief Sales Energizer in Services (non-Government), 2 - 10 employees
We will always need to prospect. They way we do it needs to change. In general the sales industry is 10 years behind in their methods. We need demand gen, outbound and inbound. We should set up formal programs for getting inbound and outbound referrals consistently. We need to rethink. There are lots of smart people out there that can help companies do outbound better but it is not going away. I think John Barrows is right, it's All Bound. 
1

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