Stop.
Wait.
You want me to do what?
That was my first response when faced with the challenge of Hubspot’s Dan Tyre’s Pipeline Generations Bootcamp.
Inbound Sales Challenges
The program dares participants, including me, to:
- Dedicate time to learning and practicing a new approach called inbound sales
- Develop a sales strategy to grow my business
- Physically block time on my calendar to intentionally build relationships with leads
- Actually use the CRM to work smarter not harder
- Stop finding excuses to not focus on business development to find ideal clients
- Increase my sales knowledge
- Work on applying my sales knowledge to achieve results
- Be held accountable for my personal sales knowledge growth and actual knowledge application
- Join the elite Lions Club (What the heck is that and who is this crazy Dan dude anyway?!)
- Ultimately close deals (Duh, right!)
Would you take the challenge or run?
I eagerly accepted the challenge. What a catalyst it has been for me personally and for my agency’s overall growth!
Are Inbound Sales Posing a Challenge for Your Business?
Why now? Probably, like so many other business leaders at a certain point along the evolution of your business, you realize the marketplace is changing. If you don’t adapt or stay ahead of the change, your business will die.
As a growth-driven inbound digital marketing and sales agency, we thrive on being change agents to help our clients reach their lead-generation, customer-acquisition and client-engagement goals. It only made sense that we apply the proven best practices of inbound sales to our agency.
What questions should you be asking your inbound digital marketing agency?
Are You Experiencing These Obstacles?
Even before my Pipeline Bootcamp journey, I had a pretty good hunch regarding a number of self -imposed barriers hindering our growth. Perhaps you can relate to a few of these:
- We didn’t consistently use the Hubspot CRM or leverage the tools that increase efficiency AND help to convey a personalized first impression that creates trust.
- We didn’t have a sales strategy that forced us to really think about what actions we needed to do to reach our growth goals.
- We didn’t use the PAUSE technique (super effective!!).
- We wasted time on leads that weren’t a good fit. (Connection calls are critical.)
- We weren’t using a call-email rhythm to move the lead to action (a simple underutilized strategy).
- We weren’t reaching out to warm inbound leads. (I know...duh, right! I hate to think of all of the revenue we used to lose.)
Is your sales strategy losing its effectiveness?
How Has the Challenge Driven Positive Change?
Since actively engaging in the Pipeline Boot Camp and with Dan Tyre’s guidance and the support of the entire Hubspot cohort, we’ve made significant changes in our sales approach and process that have resulted in the immediate closing of several large deals.
From building and aligning our buyer's journey, customizing our Hubspot CRM and using its tools like sequencing and meeting planner, and incorporating personalized videos in our emails to becoming fluent in our connect and exploratory calls, our entire sales enablement program has had a dramatic impact on our bottom line.
Probably one of my biggest takeaways was reinforcing why I believe in the fundamental principals of the inbound methodology to begin with, easily summed up in one word—helping.
The core value of an authentic inbound sales consultant is our focus on the person—the engagement with a human being—regardless of the level of transaction. Our strategy is to help the individual by providing information that is relevant and timely, whether they become a customer or not. For me, that aligns with the rule of abundance—give to get. It’s far more rewarding for the buyer and the seller than the traditional sales approach focused on “me” and “my services or products”.
What’s Your Business Growth Plan?
If you are a growth-oriented business, maybe it’s time to take a step back and rethink your approach. Even if you don’t think your buyer has changed, I bet they have, and you may have no sense of your lost revenue opportunity cost.
At the end of the day, your ability to develop, execute and manage an inbound sales strategy, change your approach from selling to helping, use best in class sales processes and systems, and most importantly commit to your plan, will determine your overall success.
Are you focused on growth?
Are you ready to discuss how a new inbound sales approach advances your goals?
Speak with a Lioness! Let’s schedule a time to connect!
Remember: While it’s wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn the experiences of others.
