In order for a prospect to become a customer, they have to go through a sales funnel, which can be an inbound or an outbound funnel. In this post, I will only discuss the outbound process as the first half of the funnel is very different when compared to inbound. More importantly, I will focus on the type of tools to deploy to improve the ROI and efficiency of the various stages.
Companies have to use technology to aid them in acquiring new customers. The average amount of tools that a company deploys is between 5-7 for sales alone.
Research is often required to identify and trial the best software in the market to check if it fits with the company. At hubsell I have had to go through the same experience. So today, I would like to share with you my favourite types of tools and some examples belonging to those categories.
An outbound sales funnel is divided into three main sections:
TOFU (top of the funnel)
- define a customer profile
- find companies based on criteria
- identify stakeholders relevant to the sales process
- build a list of decision-making prospects
- reach out to prospects until dialogues is established
MOFU (middle of the funnel)
- follow up with replies to set up a discovery call
- assess needs and handle objections
- set up a demo call
- demo the product/solution
BOFU (bottom of the funnel)
- consulting the client
- negotiating the offer
- creating the offer
- closing the deal
Let’s now breakdown each section and explain the ideal tools.