Outbound sales
What are outbound sales?
Outbound sales is selling that starts with the seller: identifying target accounts or people, then reaching out by cold email, phone or social messages with a reason to talk. It is usually run with a sales cadence of several touches.
It is the sales side of outbound marketing.
Why outbound sales matter
It gives control over who you talk to and how fast the pipeline grows, which matters when inbound interest is still small.
Related marketing terms
Outbound marketing reaches out to people who have not asked to hear from you yet, through cold outreach, ads, events and direct mail.
Cold emailWhite hat
A cold email is a first message sent to someone you have no prior relationship with, to start a business conversation. It must follow anti-spam law.
A sales cadence is a planned sequence of outreach touches, such as emails, calls and messages, spread over days or weeks for each prospect.
Sales development representative (SDR)
A sales development representative, SDR, researches and contacts prospects to book qualified meetings for the people who close deals.
Prospecting is searching for and qualifying potential customers, then making first contact to start a sales conversation.